NEW YORK -- Duke star J.J. Redick won the Sullivan Award on
Wednesday night, becoming the first men's basketball player since
Bill Walton in 1973 to be honored as the nation's top amateur
athlete.
Redick beat out Texas quarterback Vince Young, who led the
Longhorns to a national title with a win in the Rose Bowl over
Southern California and its two Sullivan Award finalists -- Matt
Leinart and Reggie Bush.
The Duke senior also took the 2005 Sullivan Award over two-time
AP women's basketball player of the year Seimone Augustus of LSU,
Florida hurdler Kerron Clement, two-time Olympic gold medalist in
taekwondo Steven Lopez, Olympic diving champion Laura Wilkinson,
2005 World Cup champion skier Bode Miller, and gymnast Chellsie
Memmel, the 2005 world gymnastics champion.
"I'm thinking to myself I really don't belong in their
company," Redick said. "They win world championships and all I do
is score."
Redick was second in the nation in scoring behind Gonzaga's Adam
Morrison with a 26.8 average.
The Sullivan is presented by the Amateur Athletic Union and a
third of the vote is determined by fans voting online.
The Sullivan Award went to a men's basketball player for just
the third time in its 76-year history. Before Redick and Walton,
UCLA's All-America center, Princeton's Bill Bradley won the 1965
award.
Last week, the Duke guard took home the John R. Wooden award as
the nation's top college basketball player. He had already won the
AP's player of the year award. But for the Sullivan, he was up
against tougher competition. Of the other nine finalists, only
Augustus, Leinart and Bush had not won the championship in his or
her sport in 2005. Leinart and Bush have won the last two Heisman
trophies.
Redick was also the ACC player of the year.
The most recent college basketball players to win the Sullivan
were women. Chamique Holdsclaw won in 1998, followed by Kelly and
Coco Miller in 1999.
Redick plans to hire an agent in the next couple of weeks, then
begin training to prepare for the NBA draft in June.