CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The nation’s most productive center has earned top marks in Stanford’s first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Maxime Raynaud was one of five players selected to the All-ACC first team, as announced by the league office on Monday.
Raynaud has been one of the most praised players in the country at the national level, earning nods to the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Oscar Robertson Trophy midseason watchlists for national player of the year. Raynaud is a top-five finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award, and he was also named the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The only player in the country averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, and just the third ACC player to accomplish the feat since 2000, Raynaud leads the nation with 23 double-doubles. The Paris native ranks in the top-20 nationally in scoring and the top-five in rebounds at 20.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. He stands second in the ACC in scoring and first in rebounding.
Re-writing the Stanford record books, Raynaud currently ranks 14th in program history in scoring and third all-time in rebounding, and he is one of four players in Stanford history to reach at least 1,500 career points and 900 career rebounds. He is 18 rebounds away from tying the program’s single-season record, currently held by Adam Keefe (1991-92), and he is the Cardinal's all-time leading scorer among international players.
Elite on both ends of the floor, Raynaud is just the fifth major conference player to have at least 23 double-doubles in a season over the past five years, joining Zach Edey (Purdue, 2x), Joel Soriano (St. John's), Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky, 2x) and Armando Bacot (North Carolina). His 21st double-double, coming against Boston College on Feb. 26, set a new Stanford single-season record, passing Adam Keefe (20, 1991-92).
Raynaud earned four votes for ACC Player of the Year, while Jaylen Blakes finished second in the voting for ACC Most Improved Player with 22 votes – three short of the total accumulated by Boston College’s Donald Hand, Jr. Additionally, Kyle Smith was one of four coaches in the league to earn at least one vote for ACC Coach of the Year.
Stanford concluded the regular season with a 19-12 overall record, and 11-9 mark in the ACC. The Cardinal ended with the ACC's second-best home record at 16-2 overall, including a 9-1 mark in the ACC, and is set to break program records as a team for free throw percentage and fewest turnovers per game.