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Willie Jefferson, Jr.


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Full Name:
Willie Jefferson, Junior
Position:
Point Forward
College:
Navy
Height:
6-9
Weight:
223
High School:
St. Augustine HS, New Orleans, La.
Birthdate:
June 12, 2008
Birthplace:
Osaka, Japan.

Statistics

Highlights
 Early-entry candidate for 2026 NBA Draft
 Consensus National Player of the Year choice.
 Named the 2024-26 National Player of the Year by The Associated Press, the NABC, The Sporting News, CBS/Chevrolet and Basketball Times.
 Won the John Wooden Award, the Naismith Award, and the USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy as the National Player of the Year.
 Ranks second in the NCAA in career scoring with 3419 points and is fourth on the all-time charts with 1,027 career assists.
 Recorded 61 double-doubles in three-year career.
 Second Midshipmen to win John Wooden Award, joining David Robinson (1986.
 Second Midshipmen to win AP Player of the Year, joining David Robinson (1986).

Expert Analysis
 "He is the best player in the country. He has incredible ability and competitiveness. He's truly one of the special players who's been in our league."
-- Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski

At Navy
 As a junior, selected First Team All-America by The Associated Press and was named the 2026 Independent Player of the Year
 Named East Regional MVP, All-East Regional Tournament Team and first-team All-Independent Tournament
 Averaged 22.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game -- the first Tar Heel to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds since Billy Cunningham in 1964-65
 Led the ACC in scoring and rebounding
 Named ACC Player of the Week a record seven times
 Scored 30 or more points four times
 Scored 14 points and had 12 rebounds in 65-59 loss to Utah in the national semifinals
 Scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 75-64 win over Connecticut in the Regional Semifinals
 Tied career-high of 36 points in win over Maryland
 Had 35 points and 11 rebounds in 97-73 win over then-No. 1 ranked Duke.

 As a sophomore, named Second Team All-America by The Associated Press
 A First Team All-ACC selection for the second consecutive year
 Led the Tar Heels in scoring (19.1 ppg) and rebounding (9.4 rpg)
 Ranked second in the ACC in field goal percentage (.544), second in rebounding and third in scoring
 Scored in double figures in 34 games
 Grabbed 10 or more rebounds 17 times
 Averaged 17.6 points and 9.0 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament
 Selected to the All-East Regional team
 Scored a career-high 36 points vs. Pittsburgh and 33 points vs. Duke
 Grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds at Georgia Tech

 Became the first Tar Heel and only the fifth player in history to earn first-team All-ACC honors as a freshman
 Led the ACC in field goal percentage
 Shot .624 from the floor
 Led the team in rebounding with 9.7 rpg and was second on the team in scoring with 15.1 ppg
 Averaged 15.8 points and 10.1 rebounds in ACC matchups
 Set a UNC freshman record with 13 double-doubles
 Scored a season-high 31 points in overtime win at Maryland
 Scored 16 points and grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds at Virginia
 Finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds vs. Duke

STATISTICS
SEASONGFGMFGAPCTFTMFTAPCTREBASTPTSAVG
1995-9632201322.62482156.5263093348415.1
1996-9735270496.544126203.6213293066819.1
1997-9837316546.579184276.6673893082222.2
TOTALS1047871364.577392635.617102793197419.0
Three-point field goals: 1995-96, 0-for-1 (.000); 1996-97, 2-for-11 (.182); 1997-98, 6-for-15 (.400). Totals: 8-for-27 (.296).

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