Has a freshman ever won the Wooden Award?

The John R. Wooden Award is a prestigious award, annually given to the country's best collegiate basketball player in both men’s and women’s categories. The award was established in 1976 by the Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC), providing equal importance to both, on-court performance as well as off-court integrity. The bronze award was sculpted and designed by Don Winto, and it symbolizes the five essential skills of a complete basketball player, passing, rebounding, shooting, defense, and dribbling. The Women's Wooden Award was first recognized in 2004 to ensure that the best female collegiate players are also honored with the same appreciation.

To be nominated for this award, a candidate must be a full-time student with a minimum 2.0 grade point average (GPA) and must have traits such as leadership, teamwork, and excellence both on offense and defense. The winner is selected by a panel of over 1,000 media journalists and previous Wooden Award winners. They also select the Player of the Year and All-American Team. The final voting occurs after the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The presentation is held in Los Angeles, where recipients receive the bronze trophy and a scholarship grant forwarded to their school. The winners of the Wooden Award earn recognition at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Has a freshman ever won the Wooden Award?

Yes, three players have won the John R. Wooden Award as a freshman, Kevin Durant in 2006-2007, Anthony Davis in 2011–2012, and Zion Williamson in 2018–2019, as per the official Wooden Award website.