VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State sophomore Amaya Broadus and senior Drew Mills were named the Steel's Jewelry Blazer Athletes of the Week.  This is both Broadus' and Mills' first honor of the season.
 
Broadus, a native of Atlanta, Ga., had her most outstanding game of her career this past Saturday at West Florida.  She went 6 of 11 from the field and 2 of 3 from the line for 14 points, while she had a career-high 18 rebounds, including nine offensive rebounds in 30 minutes of action.  She had two assists, one block and one steal in the game.  The Lady Blazers battled back from a double-digit deficit at halftime to pull within four in the final minute, but were unable to come away with the victory.  
 
The 18 rebounds by Broadus were the most in the Gulf South Conference by one player this season and tied for 11^th-most so far in NCAA Division II this season.  The 18 rebounds also marked the most by a Lady Blazer since Brittney Nelson pulled down 21 against Georgia Southwestern on Nov. 17, 2012.  VSU's school-record is 24 set by. Tracy Sprolden during the 1999-2000 season.  This season, Broadus is 29 of 58 from the field (.500), while she is 3 of 5 from the line and is averaging 8.0 rebounds to lead the team and 7.6 points per game for fourh on the team in scoring.
 
Mills, a Baltimore, Md., native, helped lead VSU to a 1-1 record this past week with a 131-87 win over Baptist University of Florida and a heartbreaking 107-104 loss at West Florida.  Mills went 15 of 29 from the field (.517) for the week, including 5 of 10 from distance and 6 of 8 from the line, while averaging 6.5 rebounds per game and led the team averaging 20.5 points per game.  
 
He went a season-best 10 of 16 from the field and 4 of 6 from distance with two free throws for a season-high 26 points in the win over Baptist (Fla.), while he had 15 points and six rebounds in the loss at West Florida.  
 
For the season, Mills leads the team averaging 15.3 points per game and is averaging 5.4 rebounds per game for second on the team.  He is 51 of 105 from the field (.486), while he is 10 of 29 from deep and 26 of 33 from the line (.788).  Mills has 20 assists, eight steals and a team-high 15 blocks, while averaging 23.8 minutes per game.
 
The Blazer men's and women's basketball teams close out the pre-Christmas slate this week with road games at Trevecca Nazarene (Thursday) and then at Lee on Saturday, before the Christmas Break.  The Lady Blazers are scheduled to host University of Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Dec. 29 at 1 p.m. at The Complex, while both teams open the 2026 portion of the schedule on Jan. 2 and Jan. 4 with Mississippi College and Delta State, respectively at The Complex.
 
Steel's Jewelry Blazer Athletes of the Week
Oct. 20, 2025 – Eimy Negron Domenech (Volleyball) / Elad Sebbag (Men's Golf)
Oct. 27, 2025 – Kaitlyn Scherer (Women's Soccer) / Mark Robinson (Football)
Nov. 3, 2025 – Taylor Youmans (Women's Soccer) / Council Allen (Football)
Nov. 10, 2025 – Eimy Negron Domenech (Volleyball) / Corey Reddick, Jr. (Football)
Nov. 17, 2025 – Erin Whalen (Women's Basketball) / Matt Rolader (Football)
Nov. 24, 2025 – Aryana Hicks (Women's Basketball) / Blaise Wallace (Men's Basketball)
Dec. 1, 2025 – Aryana Hicks (Women's Basketball) / MJ Jones (Men's Basketball)
Dec. 8, 2025 – Alina Martin (Women's Basketball) / Samarion Bond (Men's Basketball)
Dec. 16, 2025 – Amaya Broadus (Women's Basketball) / Drew Mills (Men's Basketball)