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.