Look back/ahead to the Top 100 College Basketball recruits in the SEC

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·   29 minutes ago

Kentucky's Devin Booker named SEC Freshman of Week for 3rd straight week, 4th time this season | http://ow.ly/HXG1u

Craig Pinkerton @SEC_Craig  ·  1 hour ago
Kentucky's Devin Booker named SEC Freshman of the Week

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  18 hours ago

Roy Williams will watch elite 2016 guard Malik Monk tonight, a source says.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanESPN  ·  17 hours ago

One coach that has played Florida recently: "They are just like the rest of us." Chris Walker and Kasey Hill have not lived up to hype.

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  5 hours ago
Full McDonald's All-American Rosters http://zagsblog.com/articles/kentucky-bound-isaiah-briscoe-uncommitted-cheick-diallo-lead-mcdonalds-all-american-selections/ ...

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  10 hours ago
Scout's updated 2016 Top 100 | Harry Giles, Josh Jackson & Jayson Tatum lead the way | Story: http://foxs.pt/1Cjpiy5 



4. Thon "Highlight" Maker
5. Malik Monk

[jbcarol]

After winning five straight games to rebound from an 0-2 start to SEC play Georgia played its worst game of the season Saturday against South Carolina. Mark Fox's Bulldogs shot 22 percent from the field, making just eight of their thirty-three two point attempts in the 67-50 loss, and the absence of starting forward Marcus Thornton contributed to their struggles.

Thornton (13.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg), who leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, remained home after suffering a concussion (he hit the floor hard as a result of a flagrant foul) in Georgia's win over Vanderbilt last Tuesday night. The question now is whether or not Thornton will be available when the Bulldogs visit No. 1 Kentucky on Tuesday.

Thornton's father wasn't sure as to whether or not Marcus would be able to return to the lineup for that game.

"I just don't know," Billy Thornton said. "It's day-by-day. I just don't have a good sense about it. It wouldn't surprise if he wasn't available for that game; it wouldn't surprise me at all. We'll just have to wait and see."

The Atlanta PF chose UGa over Bama, GaTech, and Tejas out of high school.

[jbcarol]

KSTV @KSTV_Sports  ·  11 hours ago
A look at the new 2016 rankings and UK's recruiting with @EvanDaniels #BBN #WeAreUK http://buff.ly/16a1XAH 

Evan Daniels from Scout.com joined KSTV this week to discuss the potential All-Americans that could be headed for UK this year, as well as update his new 2016 rankings.

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  3 hours ago

LSU Head Man Johnny Jones Watches Malik Newman http://zagsblog.com/articles/lsu-johnny-jones-watches-malik-newman/ ...

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  1 hour ago

ICYMI: Kentucky-Bound Briscoe Headlines Nike Hoop Summit Team http://zagsblog.com/kentucky/kentucky-bound-briscoe-headlines-nike-hoop-summit-team/ ...

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  3 hours ago

How much has Chris Walker's draft stock fallen? At one point he was a 1st-rounder in 2015 by @DraftExpress. Now? He's No. 37 in 2016

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  32 minutes ago

7-footer Isaac Humphries has offers from Oregon, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, Illinois and Utah. http://zagsblog.com/articles/2016-stars-jamal-murray-isaac-humphries-to-headline-basketball-without-borders-camp-at-all-star-weekend/ ...

Jamal Murray of Orangeville Prep (Ontario) and Isaac Humphries of La Lumiere (IN) are among the young international stars who will headline the first-ever Basketball without Borders (BWB) Global Camp.

The camp will be held February 13-15 at Baruch College in Manhattan as part of NBA All-Star 2015 in New York City, and Nike will be the official partner. NBA scouts can attend the event.

The 7-foot Humphries holds offers from Oregon, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, Illinois and Utah.

[jbcarol]

Some of the Top Recruits who did not pan out with their SEC schools

2007
Jai Lucas     Top 20 5-10 PG Florida

Alex Legion  Top 30 SG    Kentucky

2008
Emmanuel Negedu  Top 25 F  Tennessee

2010
Enes Kanter  Top 25 Turkish C  Kentucky

2011
Dai-Jon Parker  Top 30 G   Vandy

2012
Devonta Pollard  Top 30 G-F  Bama

[jbcarol]

Only Seven UK players now projected for 2015 NBA Draft [DraftExpress.com]

The new mock draft includes Karl-Anthony Towns (No. 4), Willie Cauley-Stein (No. Eight), Devin Booker (No. 14) and Trey Lyles (No. 24) in the first round. Dakari Johnson (No. 31), Andrew Harrison (No. 49) and Aaron Harrison (No. 55) are considered second-round picks.

The website's 2016 mock draft was also updated Friday, and top UK recruiting target Jaylen Brown is No. 1 on that list...

Other players of note in the 2016 mock draft include UK signee Skal Labissiere (No. 3), UK signee Isaiah Briscoe (No. 10), and current UK players Marcus Lee (No. 35), Tyler Ulis (No. 36) and Alex Poythress (No. 45). Several other UK recruiting targets are also mentioned as one-and-done players for the 2016 draft.

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2015

20. Bobby Portis
47. Jarell Martin

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2016

2.  Ben Simmons
37. Chris Walker
41. Jordan Mickey
46. Moses Kingsley
56. Alex Caruso

[jbcarol]

Craig Pinkerton @SEC_Craig  ·  7 hours ago
Ole Miss' Stefan Moody named SEC Player of the Week



Moody was not rated out of Kissimmee in 2012.


Vanderbilt's Riley LaChance named SEC Freshman of the Week



LaChance was a 4-star PG out of Brookfield, WI. He was 96th in ESPN's '14 rankings.

[jbcarol]

Courtney Cronin @CourtneyRCronin  ·  3 hours ago
Malik Newman named a semifinalist for 2015 Naismith Boys HS POY award http://www.maxpreps.com/blogs/maxwire-national-blog/BP3kUoCU5EStlsECJlE2hg/semifinalists-announced-for-naismith-boys-high-school-player-of-the-year-award.htm ... Past winners include Kobe Bryant & LeBron James

[jbcarol]

Craig Pinkerton @SEC_Craig  ·  32 minutes ago

Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein and Arkansas' Bobby Portis on Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 http://www.secsports.com/article/12310404/two-wooden-award-late-season-top-20 ...

[jbcarol]

Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30 list

The group will be finally narrowed to ten on March 6, four on March 22, and the winner will be announced on April 5.

Willie Cauley-Stein    Kentucky    Jr.    F    SEC
Jordan Mickey    LSU    Soph.    F    SEC
Bobby Portis    Arkansas    Soph.    F    SEC
Karl-Anthony Towns    Kentucky    Fr.    F    SEC

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  36 minutes ago

No update on Thon Maker's reclassification decision, per his guardian Ed Smith, who is here in New York for All-Star weekend.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanESPN  ·  58 seconds ago

I think Ed likes himself some attention. RT @AdamZagoria: Ed Smith says 'probably next week' on a reclass decision for Thon Maker.

[jbcarol]

Craig Pinkerton @SEC_Craig  ·  2 hours ago

Portis, Towns earn SEC weekly honors http://www.secsports.com/article/12333397/portis-towns-earn-sec-weekly-honors ...

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  7 hours ago
Who are the best prospects in HS basketball, regardless of class? | Scout's Ultimate 100: http://tinyurl.com/m2r8vfd 



No. 6 Ben Simmons | Class of 2015  LSU

No. 7 Skal Labissiere | Class of 2015  UK

No. 12 Michael Porter | Class of 2017

No. 13 Thon Maker | Class of 2016

No. 14 Malik Monk | Class of 2016

No. 18 Malik Newman | Class of 2015

No. 43 Isaiah Briscoe | Class of 2015  UK

No. 53 Antonio Blakeney | Class of 2015  LSU

No. 63 Tyler Davis | Class of 2015  A&M

No. 87 Elijah Thomas | Class of 2015  A&M

No. 90 D.J. Hogg | Class of 2015  A&M

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  3 hours ago

See what 4 #SEC players are up for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award http://s.al.com/gCLh7ii

Earlier this week, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 15 players on the watch list for the first ever Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award and four came from the league schools. The number is three more than the Big 10 and Big East and one more than the ACC and Pac 12.

The quartet includes Arkansas' Bobby Portis, Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein, LSU's Jarell Martin and Vanderbilt's Damian Jones.

Portis, a 6-foot-11, 260-pound sophomore is second in the SEC in scoring  behind Auburn's K.T. Harrell, averaging 17.7 points and fourth in the league with 8.6 rebounds. He's also good for 1.4 blocks and an assist for the No. 18 Razorbacks who are off to a 20-5 start.

Cauley-Stein...

In a related blast from the past, the Grammy Awards presented in 1989

The Academy recognized hard rock music artists for the first time in 1989 under the category Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental, combining two of the most popular music genres of the 1980s. Jethro Tull was given that award for the album Crest of a Knave, beating Metallica...

Only Jordan Mickey from the SEC was nominated for PF of the Year.

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  23 hours ago

Is #LSU's Jordan Mickey the best power forward in the country? Well, he's up for the award http://s.al.com/A44UW2S  #SEC

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  2 hours ago

Top 5 in 2016 remain the same per @DraftExpress : 1. Jaylen Brown @FCHWPO 2. Ben Simmons 3. Skal Labissiere 4. Diamond Stone 5. Malik Newman

No 10 - Thon Maker 11 - Cheick Diallo 14 - Isaiah Briscoe

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  34 minutes ago

NBA Scouts: College is Best Route for Thon Maker http://zagsblog.com/articles/nba-scouts-college-is-best-route-for-thon-maker/ ... @tsnmike @joshua_newman @jacklegwin

Would know.

Where should Thon Maker spend the 2015-16 basketball season?

In the opinion of several NBA personnel, the 7-footer from Orangeville Prep (Ontario) who has been compared to Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett would be best served by going to college for at least a year, as opposed to playing professionally overseas.

"In my opinion he should go to college," one NBA executive told SNY.tv. "It is a low-risk move. If he goes overseas you never know what kind of coaching he will get, what the strength program will be, etc. If he goes to college he is almost guaranteed to be coached well because of all of the top schools recruiting him, and those schools all have development programs in place. No guarantee of that anywhere else."

Ed Smith, Maker's guardian, previously told SNY.tv. that Kentucky, Kansas, Indiana and Duke were among the schools recruiting the 17-year-old Maker the hardest, and that they planned to take several college visits after the re-class decision. He also mentioned UCLA, Wake Forest and Missouri. Maker Tweeted Wednesday that he was on track to graduate.

"He is a gifted offensive player who plays out on the floor who can also score in the post, which college coaches can coach better than low-post bigs," one veteran NBA scout said of Maker. "His game will translate at the college level and he will get much more exposure in college. It's a better environment for him."

Smith said he also planned to meet with NCAA officials to go over any potential amateurism issues that might arise for Maker, who was born in South Sudan and has lived in Australia, the U.S. and now Canada, and played high school basketball in the States and Canada...

[jbcarol]

Alex Kline @TheRecruitScoop  ·  Feb 20
2016 MacDuffie (MA) PF Omari Spellman - a top-25 PF - announces he has committed to Villanova. First reported by @AdamFinkelstein.

[jbcarol]

http://zagsblog.com/articles/bob-cousy-award-finalists-named-2

...16 finalists named Monday for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard.

The 16 watch list finalists were trimmed from the original 35 candidates.

The SEC had no representative on the list.

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker @KyleTucker_CJ  ·  3h 3 hours ago

Harrison Sr.: "Ummmm, I don't know if I would say I was glad" twins returned to UK but "definitely worked out well." http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2015/02/23/father-knows-best-kentuckys-twins-turn-harrison-sr-games-need-boost/23914275/ ...

But sometimes, a kid in college just needs to be reassured by his father. And Aaron Sr. has now twice successfully steered his sons back from the brink. He has been back and forth from their home state of Texas to Lexington regularly this season.

He and the twins were planning to hit the gym together Monday night, in fact.

For critics who'll say – and the Harrisons know some will – that their father is too heavily involved or holds too much sway over his sons, consider: they might not be at Kentucky this season were that the case...

[jbcarol]

Greg Shaheen @gashaheen  ·  18 minutes ago

So, this happened last night. Ever seen one player close a game out with 30 points in 5 minutes? Amazing

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  · 42 minutes ago
ICYMI: 20 NBA personnel credentialed for Kentucky today, including the Zen Master http://theknicksblog.com/knicks/phil-jackson-at-kentucky-for-two-days/ ... via @theknicksblog

Phil Jackson attended Kentucky's practice Friday and is scheduled to be in attendance for the Arkansas game.

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  10 minutes ago
February wins at MSG:
St. John's - 3
The Beagle - 1
The Knicks - 1

[jbcarol]

LSU Basketball @LSUBasketball  ·  4 hours ago
Tim Quarterman with 18 PTS-10 REB-10 AST, LSU's 1st triple-double since @SHAQ 26 PTS-13 REB-11 BLK vs BYU on 03/19/92

[jbcarol]

Chronicle Sports @chroniclesports  ·  2 hours ago

EXCLUSIVE: Rasheed Sulaimon subject of sexual assault allegations, Duke admin reportedly aware since Mar 2014: http://chron.it/1M3CxVz

[jbcarol]

Doug Gottlieb @GottliebShow  ·  20 hours ago

Willie Cauley Stein has an undefensible skill- #UK is the best team in the country, playing historically good defense - he is my POY

[jbcarol]

Craig Pinkerton @SEC_Craig  ·  1 minute ago

LSU's Tim Quarterman named SEC Player of the Week

LSU Basketball @LSUBasketball  ·  4 hours ago
Tim Quarterman with 18 PTS-10 REB-10 AST, LSU's 1st triple-double since @SHAQ 26 PTS-13 REB-11 BLK vs BYU on 03/19/92

[jbcarol]

Craig Pinkerton @SEC_Craig  ·  2 minutes ago

Kentucky's Trey Lyles named SEC Freshman of the Week

[jbcarol]

Bo Mattingly @SportsTalkwBo  ·  2 hours ago
The entire Razorback basketball team showed up to watch Malik Monk tonight.

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  1 hour ago

Can confirm that UK asst Barry "Slice" Rohrssen will be at Orangeville Prep for Thon Maker, who is 70% on reclass http://zagsblog.com/articles/indiana-kansas-were-first-schools-to-reach-out-to-thon-maker-after-announcement/ ...

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  8 minutes ago

Recruiting impact from Syracuse investigation: The NCAA has docked Syracuse 3 scholarships a year for the next 4 years, per @syrbasketball.

Basketball programs are allowed 13 scholarships a year. Docking 3 a year for 4 years, hurts more than you'd think

[jbcarol]

[vine]OEeVLT5HFZX[/vine]

H/T: No Laying Up

[jbcarol]

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/09/nbcsports-coms-college-basketball-all-americans

NBCSPORTS.COM'S FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICANS

Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky (8.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg)

Cauley-Stein's numbers don't measure up to anyone else on the first team, but what he does best doesn't necessarily show up in the scorebook. The Wildcats are downright dominant on the defensive end of the floor, and Cauley-Stein is the engine that drives them. He's the best perimeter and the best interior defender in the country all at the same time.

NBCSPORTS.COM'S THIRD TEAM ALL-AMERICANS

Bobby Portis, Arkansas (17.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.5 bpg): I was called out by an Arkansas assistant coach for having Bobby Portis ranked 62nd in our top 100 players list in the preseason. That coach was right.

[jbcarol]

Ros Dumlao @rosdumlao  ·  6 hours ago
Ole Miss' Stefan Moody wins the 2015 CSpire Howell Trophy


State of Mississippi College Player of the Year

[jbcarol]

Craig Pinkerton @SEC_Craig  ·  7 hours ago
Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns and Vanderbilt's Riley LaChance Earn Weekly SEC Basketball Honors
http://www.secsports.com/article/12448921/sec-men-basketball-weekly-honors ...

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  6 hours ago
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Finalists
Portis, Arkansas
Okafor, Duke
Cauley-Stein, UK
Christmas, Syracuse
Kaminsky, Wiscy

[jbcarol]

SEC Sports @SEC  ·  4 hours ago

For a full list of your #SECMBB All-SEC teams, check out the full release here: http://www.secsports.com/article/12450932/2015-sec-men-basketball-awards-announced ...



A complete list of the 2015 SEC Men's Basketball postseason awards follows:

First Team All-SEC
Bobby Portis, Arkansas - F, 6-11, 242, So., Little Rock, Ark.
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky - F, 7-0, 240, Jr., Olathe, Kan.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky - F, 6-11, 250, Fr., Piscataway, N.J.
Jarell Martin, LSU - F, 6-10, 236, So., Baton Rouge, La.
Jordan Mickey, LSU - F, 6-8, 235, So., Dallas, Texas
Stefan Moody, Ole Miss - G, 5-10, 179, Jr., Kissimmee, Fla.
Josh Richardson, Tennessee - G, 6-6, 200, Sr., Edmond, Okla.
Danuel House, Texas A&M - G, 6-7, 207, Jr., Fresno, Texas
Damian Jones, Vanderbilt -C, 6-10, 240, So., Baton Rouge, La.

Second Team All-SEC
Levi Randolph, Alabama - G, 6-5, 210, Sr., Madison, Ala.
Michael Qualls, Arkansas - G, 6-6, 210, Jr., Shreveport, La.
KT Harrell, Auburn - G, 6-4, 212, Sr., Montgomery, Ala.
Dorian Finney-Smith, Florida - F, 6-8, 218, Jr., Portsmouth, Va.
Marcus Thornton, Georgia - F, 6-8, 235, Sr., Atlanta, Ga.
Devin Booker, Kentucky - G, 6-6, 206, Fr., Grand Rapids, Mich.
Aaron Harrison, Kentucky - G, 6-6, 212, So., Richmond, Texas
Craig Sword, Mississippi State - G, 6-3, 194, Jr., Montgomery, Ala.
Jalen Jones, Texas A&M - G/F, 6-7, 223, Jr., Dallas, Texas

SEC All-Freshman Team
Anton Beard, Arkansas - G, 6-0, 190, Fr., North Little Rock, Ark.
Devin Robinson, Florida - F, 6-8, 178, Fr., Chesterfield, Va.
Devin Booker, Kentucky - G, 6-6, 206, Fr., Grand Rapids, Mich.
Trey Lyles, Kentucky - F, 6-10, 235, Fr., Indianapolis, Ind.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky - F, 6-11, 250, Fr., Piscataway, N.J.
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky - G, 5-9, 155, Fr., Lima, Ohio
Wade Baldwin IV, Vanderbilt - G, 6-3, 195, Fr., Belle Mead, N.J.
Riley LaChance, Vanderbilt - G, 6-2, 194, Fr., Brookfield, Wisc.

SEC All-Defensive Team
Marcus Thornton, Georgia - F, 6-8, 235, Sr., Atlanta, Ga.
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky - F, 7-0, 240, Jr., Olathe, Kan.
Jordan Mickey, LSU - F, 6-8, 235, So., Dallas, Texas
Josh Richardson, Tennessee - G, 6-6, 200, Sr., Edmond, Okla.
Damian Jones, Vanderbilt -C, 6-10, 240, So., Baton Rouge, La.

SEC Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky

SEC Player of the Year: Bobby Portis, Arkansas

SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Levi Randolph, Alabama

SEC Freshman of the Year: Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky

SEC Sixth-Man of the Year: Devin Booker, Kentucky

SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky

[jbcarol]

2015 SEC Men's Basketball postseason award winners and recruiting rating:

First Team All-SEC

Bobby Portis, Arkansas - F, 6-11, 242, So., Little Rock, Ark.           [92 - 16th - '13]

Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky - F, 7-0, 240, Jr., Olathe, Kan.          [95 - 40th - '12 as Willie Cauley]

Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky - F, 6-11, 250, Fr., Piscataway, N.J. [97 - 9th - '14 as Karl Towns, Jr.]

Jarell Martin, LSU - F, 6-10, 236, So., Baton Rouge, La.                  [93 - 11th - '13]

Jordan Mickey, LSU - F, 6-8, 235, So., Dallas, Texas                      [88 - 38th - '13]

Stefan Moody, Ole Miss - G, 5-10, 179, Jr., Kissimmee, Fla.             [NR - '12]

Josh Richardson, Tennessee - G, 6-6, 200, Sr., Edmond, Okla.         [90 - NR - '11]

Danuel House, Texas A&M - G, 6-7, 207, Jr., Fresno, Texas            [97 - 19th - '12]

Damian Jones, Vanderbilt - C, 6-10, 240, So., Baton Rouge, La.       [84 - 81st - '13]

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker @KyleTucker_CJ  ·  14 hours ago

"I am writing this letter to tell you what a remarkable young man (Marcus Lee) is and how he has blessed my life." http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2015/03/11/kentucky-basketballs-marcus-lee-good-deeds-secret-now/70171810/ ...

Kim Bennett, a nurse practitioner at UK's student health center who had treated Lee for a minor ailment, described an act of kindness that "inspired me to be a better and more compassionate" caregiver. "I thank the Lord for him," she wrote.

Bennett's was just one of many emails and letters that began pouring in to Calipari and the UK athletic department, all with the same general theme: You won't believe what Marcus Lee did. His coaches and teammates had no idea he'd been moonlighting as a do-gooder, that he was on a mission to make the world a better place "one smile at a time." Now they know.

"Why didn't you tell us you were doing these things?" Lee remembers Calipari asking him. "And my first reply was, 'What do you mean?' I thought it was just a natural thing to help people, and I didn't think it was a big thing to tell anybody."

The Southeastern Conference thought otherwise when it named Lee to the league's Community Service Team this week. His listed credentials for the award are impressive: coordinating a blanket drive for patients at UK Children's Hospital, filling backpacks with food and supplies for local elementary schools through God's Pantry, working with Samaritan's Feet to help put shoes on feet that need them around the world.

Those are grand gestures, though, and Lee also believes in the power of individual outreach. Like being there for his new friend Kelly Melton, a 9-year-old boy battling leukemia, to turn syringes into squirt guns for water fights that make him forget about the taxing treatments for a little while. Or writing a letter to a stranger in need of inspiration. Calipari has three "pillars" for the Kentucky basketball program, and the last of them is kindness. That's why he embarrassed Lee by reading Bennett's note to the team.

"I wanted them to understand what that third pillar means," Calipari said. "We want them to leave here with a kind heart. Being a player here is signing autographs, taking pictures, spending time, meeting a child, going to the elderly home, doing things that take you 30 seconds to change people. Marcus is one of the most conscientious and considerate people I've ever been around. He truly has a kind heart for others."

[jbcarol]

2015 SEC Men's Basketball postseason award winners and recruiting rating:

Second Team All-SEC  [NR is outside Top 100]
Levi Randolph, Alabama - G, 6-5, 210, Sr., Madison, Ala.          [96 - 30th - '11]       
Michael Qualls, Arkansas - G, 6-6, 210, Jr., Shreveport, La.      [89 - NR - '12]
KT Harrell, Auburn - G, 6-4, 212, Sr., Montgomery, Ala.           [93 - 90th - '10]
Dorian Finney-Smith, Florida - F, 6-8, 218, Jr., Portsmouth, Va. [97 - 18th - '10 VT]
Marcus Thornton, Georgia - F, 6-8, 235, Sr., Atlanta, Ga.         [92 - NR - '10]
Devin Booker, Kentucky - G, 6-6, 206, Fr., Grand Rapids, Mich.  [93 - 18th - '14]
Aaron Harrison, Kentucky - G, 6-6, 212, So., Richmond, Texas   [94 - 9th - '13]
Craig Sword, Miss. State - G, 6-3, 194, Jr., Montgomery, Ala.    [91 - NR - '12]
Jalen Jones, Texas A&M - G/F, 6-7, 223, Jr., Dallas, Texas        [NR - '11 SMU]

[jbcarol]

Wesley Sinor @WesleySinor  ·  4 minutes ago
Georgia PG Jared Harper commits to Auburn. RT @vino_11_



5-5 2016 PG from Atlanta area

[jbcarol]

Jerry Tipton @JerryTipton  ·  7 minutes ago

U.S. Bball Writers name WCS to 1st All-America team. Bobby Portis, Kyle Wiltjer on 2nd team.

[jbcarol]

AP Top 25 @AP_Top25  ·  19 minutes ago

Bobby Portis of Arkansas is the @AP_Top25 player of the year in the SEC http://apne.ws/1wQXRu7  (@pnewberry1963) Team: http://apne.ws/1HVPoH6

Towns and Cauley-Stein joined Portis on the first team, along with Mississippi junior guard Stefan Moody, Tennessee senior guard Josh Richardson, and a pair of sophomore forwards from LSU, Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey.

Auburn senior guard KT Harrell, who leads the SEC in scoring at 18.5 points a game, led the AP's second team. The other choices were Kentucky sophomore guard Aaron Harrison, Texas A&M junior guard Danuel House, Vanderbilt sophomore center Damian Jones, and Arkansas junior guard Michael Qualls.

The 67th annual AP All-SEC team was selected by a 13-member regional media panel.

[jbcarol]

2015 SEC Men's Basketball postseason award winners and recruiting rating:
(NR means not in Top 100)

SEC All-Freshman Team
Anton Beard, Arkansas - G, 6-0, 190, Fr., North Little Rock, Ark.      [81 - 90th - '14]
Devin Robinson, Florida - F, 6-8, 178, Fr., Chesterfield, Va.             [92 - 23rd - '14]
Devin Booker, Kentucky - G, 6-6, 206, Fr., Grand Rapids, Mich.       [93 - 18th - '14]
Trey Lyles, Kentucky - F, 6-10, 235, Fr., Indianapolis, Ind.              [97 - 6th - '14]
Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky - F, 6-11, 250, Fr., Piscataway, N.J.  [97 - 9th - '14]
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky - G, 5-9, 155, Fr., Lima, Ohio                           [92 - 25th - '14]
Wade Baldwin IV, Vanderbilt - G, 6-3, 195, Fr., Belle Mead, N.J.       [80 - NR - '14]
Riley LaChance, Vanderbilt - G, 6-2, 194, Fr., Brookfield, Wisc.         [80 - 96th - '14]

SEC All-Defensive Team
Marcus Thornton, Georgia - F, 6-8, 235, Sr., Atlanta, Ga.                 [92 - NR - '10]         
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky - F, 7-0, 240, Jr., Olathe, Kan.            [95 - 40th - '12]
Jordan Mickey, LSU - F, 6-8, 235, So., Dallas, Texas                        [88 - 38th - '13]
Josh Richardson, Tennessee - G, 6-6, 200, Sr., Edmond, Okla.         [90 - NR - '11]
Damian Jones, Vanderbilt -C, 6-10, 240, So., Baton Rouge, La.        [84 - 81st - '13]