Jojo Doria

New Orleans, LA

Kansas has the best coach and Kentucky has the best player and one will come away with a national title to go with individual awards won.

Kansas coach Bill Self was named the 2012 Naismith Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year while Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis was named the winner of the Wooden Award on as the nation's top player.

Self is the third different Jayhawks coach to win the honor joining Larry Brown (1988) and Roy Williams (1997). Kansas is the first school to have three different coaches win the award.

"This is a terrific honor. When you think of postseason awards, anything that has (James) Naismith's name in front of it is a huge award and certainly I'm very proud of this," Self said in a statement. "It is a reflection of how our team performed all year long. There are so many good coaches out there to choose from but I am honored they picked me."

Self was picked over Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, Kentucky's John Calipari and Missouri's Frank Haith to win the award.

Davis received 3,350 points to edge Kansas' Thomas Robinson was second with 3,017.

The 19-year-old is just the second freshman to win the award; Kevin Durant won it with Texas in 2007.

 

Kansas Coach Self, Kentucky Forward Davis Earn Individual Honors