INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated, who has quickly established himself as a respected voice across platforms in an evolving industry, has been named a winner of the 2026 Rising Star Award by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
Sweeney will be honored on Monday, April 6 during the USBWA Awards Luncheon at Xiber Square in Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 11:30 a.m.
Sweeney has been covering college basketball since 2016 when he founded the blog CBB Central while still a high school student. Born in Albany, N.Y., he graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 2021 and has been covering the sport full-time for Sports Illustrated since July 2021.
“For students wondering how to break into an increasingly challenging business, Kevin has created a template,” said USBWA executive director Malcolm Moran. “His willingness to create new opportunities, while preserving the timeless quality of his work, should be an inspiration for anyone in his generation.”
As a staff writer, Sweeney’s coverage has included deeply-reported features, columns, breaking news and even some bracketology. He began covering the National Basketball Association draft in addition to college basketball for SI in 2023.
Sweeney regularly appears on Sports Illustrated’s Others Receiving Votes podcast and Scout Team on the Basket Under Review Network.
The 26-year-old currently resides in Chicago, where he has become a fixture at games throughout the region.
"I'm so grateful to receive such a prestigious recognition from the USBWA,” Sweeney said. “Throughout my time as a young reporter, so many people in the profession have been far kinder and more generous than they needed to be in helping me establish myself in the profession. It's an incredible honor to be mentioned in the same sentence of so many previous Rising Stars before me and hope I can help the next generation the way many before have helped me."
The Rising Star Award, created in 2010, recognizes journalistic excellence by reporters who are under 30 years of age. Starting in 2022, awards have been presented for coverage of men’s and women’s basketball. Previous winners include Dan Wolken of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal (now of Yahoo Sports), Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com, Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, Mirin Fader of The Ringer, Alexa Philippou of ESPN.com, John Fanta of FOX Sports and Brendan Marks of The Athletic.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With more than 800 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. The USBWA has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact Moran at malcolm@usbwa.com.
ALL-TIME USBWA RISING STAR AWARD WINNERS
2010: Dan Wolken, The Commercial Appeal
2011: Kevin Armstrong, New York Daily News
2012: Stave Yanda, Washington Post
2013: Myron Medcalf, ESPN.com
2014: Eamonn Brennan, ESPN.com
2015: Michael Cohen, The Commercial Appeal
2016: Laura Keely, Raleigh News & Observer
2017: Devin Gardner, Sports Illustrated
2018: Nicole Auerbach, The Athletic
2019: Sam Vecenie, The Athletic
2020: Chris Heady, Omaha World-Herald
2021: Mirin Fader, The Ringer
2022: Bennett Durando, Montgomery Advertiser
2023: Joel Lorenzi, Omaha World Herald
2024: John Fanta, FOX Sports
2025: Brendan Marks, The Athletic
2026: Kevin Sweeney, Sports Illustrated