BATON ROUGE – LSU freshman Ben Simmons is the lone men’s college basketball player among the top 16 semifinalists vying for the prestigious AAU James E. Sullivan Award, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) announced today.
Before he had played one minute in college basketball, Simmons had already been featured on the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook 35th anniversary cover. He was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Preseason Player of the Year, making him just the second freshman to earn the recognition, and earned a preseason nod to the All-American team.
Since his college debut, Simmons has turned heads and caught the eye of NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, who dubbed Simmons the best all-around player since LeBron James. He is averaging a double-double at nearly 20 points and 12 rebounds per game for the Tigers and his 43-point effort on Dec. 2 were the most for a Tigers player since Shaquille O’Neal in 1991. Last month, Simmons was named to the 35-man midseason watch list for the Naismith Trophy.
“The AAU James E. Sullivan Award is a one-of-a-kind honor for all of our semi-finalists,” said Melissa Willis, AAU Sullivan Award National Chair. “It is remarkably unique in that it allows us the opportunity to recognize the most elite amateur athletes across every sport imaginable.”
During the 2015 calendar year, Simmons led Montverde Academy to its third straight national high school championship and he was awarded the Naismith National Boys Player of the Year, the Gatorade National Male Basketball Player of the Year and was the winner of the Morgan Wootten Award.
The AAU Sullivan Award has been presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. Representatives from the AAU created the Sullivan Award with the intent to recognize amateur contributions and achievements from non-professional athletes across the country.
World renowned golfer Robert “Bobby” Jones received the inaugural award in 1930 and swimmer Anne Curtis became the first female to accept the award in 1944. Other notable athletes to win the award include famed Olympians Mark Spitz (1971), Carl Lewis (1981), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1986) and Michael Phelps (2003). Former UCLA basketball star Bill Walton (1973) and University of Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning (1997) have also earned the prestigious honor.
“We are truly excited about this year’s class of semi-finalists for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award,” said Dr. Roger Goudy, President/CEO of the AAU. “Each one of them embodies everything this award aims to celebrate – athletic achievement, leadership, citizenship, character and sportsmanship – both on and off the field.”
Joining Simmons as a semi-finalist for the 86th AAU Sullivan Award is Derrick Henry (Alabama football), Deshaun Watson (Clemson football), Christian McCaffrey (Stanford football), Keenan Reynolds (Navy football), Andrew Benintendi (Arkansas baseball), Nirra Fields (UCLA basketball), Kelsey Minato (Army basketball), Breanna Stewart (UCONN basketball), Mikaela Foecke (Nebraska volleyball), Ashleigh Johnson (USA Water Polo), Jordan Burroughs (USA Wrestling), Adeline Gray (USA Wrestling), Jamie Greubel Poser (USA Bobsled), Jordan Wilimovsky (USA Swimming), Brittany Bowe (USA Speedskating) and Simone Biles (USA Gymnastics).
Voting is open to the public at www.aausullivan.org. Semi-finalist voting opens today and will close on March 14. Finalists for the 86th AAU Sullivan Award will be named on March 17.