Monk Named Semifinalist for AAU Sullivan Award

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Following a prolific regular season, Kentucky freshman guard Malik Monk was named a semifinalist for the 2016 Amateur Athletic Union James E. Sullivan Award on Monday. 

The award annually recognizes an outstanding amateur athlete whose outstanding athletic accomplishments are complemented by qualities of leadership, character and sportsmanship. Winners achieve great success on a national and/or international stage through competition in collegiate athletics, Olympic pursuit or similar high-profile competitions. 

Presented by the AAU, the AAU Sullivan Award has been given annually since 1930. It is named after James E. Sullivan, who was the founder and past president of the AAU. World renowned golfer Bobby Jones, co-founder of The Masters, 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 include famed Olympians Mark Spitz (1971), Carl Lewis (1981), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1986) and Michael Phelps (2003). 

 

Monk was sensational for the Wildcats in helping UK to its 48th Southeastern Conference regular-season title. The freshman from Lepanto, Arkansas, is averaging 21.2 points per game, edging South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell by a fraction of a point for the regular-season SEC scoring title. 

He is ranked among the top 20 nationally in scoring and second among all freshmen. No John Calipari-coached player has ever averaged more than 21.2 points for an entire season (Dajuan Wagner at Memphis in 2002). He’s scored in double figures in all but one game this season and has 17 games of 20 points or more, including a Kentucky freshman record 47 points vs. North Carolina in December.

 

Monk is the only freshman in program history with four 30-point games, and six times this season he has scored at least 20 points in a half.

After a first round of voting, six finalists will be announced and proceed to a second round of voting. The winner will be announced from those six finalists on April 11 at the New York Athletic Club.

Fans can vote once a day for Monk beginning March 6, with the first round of voting concluding on March 13. Voting is available at the AAU Sullivan homepage. 

 

Monk is joined as a semifinalist by Aly Raisman, Ashleigh Johnson, Brianna Turner, Deshaun Watson, Ginny Thrasher, Helen Maroulis, Jackie Galloway, Kayla Harrison, Kyle Lewis, Kyle Snyder, Lauren Carlini, Laurie Hernandez, Lonzo Ball, Matt Centrowitz Jr, Maverick McNealy, Steele Johnson and Vashti Cunningham.   

For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, and on the web at UKathletics.com.