SEC Basketball All-Time Teams during the Arkansas Era

[jbcarol]

All-Vandy Basketball Team of the last 33 seasons or so @vandybuff

Shan Foster '04-08 6-6 Wing
Consensus SEC POY, 2nd Team Consensus All-American, '06 All-SEC Coaches 1st Team; '07 Coaches 2nd Team; '08 All-SEC 1st Team. One of the most decorated players in Vanderbilt history... Left Vandy as the school's all-time leading scorer and first Commodore and 22nd SEC player to surpass the 2,000-point plateau (2,011 points)...Also finished his career as VU's all-time leader in field goals made (699) and attempted (1483) and three-pointers made (367) and attempted (872)...Posted the highest single-season three-point total in SEC history in 2007-08 when he made 134 threes... Second all-time in SEC History in career three-pointers. Vandy reached the Sweet 16 his Junior season on a team featuring SEC POY Derrick Byars the season after Vandy's all-time NBA earner DeMarre Carroll had transferred to Mizzou. 51st pick in the '08 NBA Draft did not play in the NBA. His number was retired by Vandy at a ceremony last week.

Bill McCaffrey '92-94  6-3 combo guard
SEC Co-POY (with Jamal Mashburn); Duke transfer on VU's 1994 SEC championship team (14-2). He averaged 20.6 points in both seasons at Vanderbilt, leading the school to an AP #5 ranking, and number 3 regional seed in the 1993 NCAA Tournament where Vanderbilt lost in the Sweet 16s to John Chaney's Temple Owls and his goons. His 20.6 point average and .464 three-point field goal ranks second all-time in school history, and he is first in career free throw percentage at 88%. He also holds the Vanderbilt record for most assists in a game, 14, scored January 13 against Kentucky.

Dan Langhi '96-00  6-11 F
2000 SEC Co-POY, led Vandy thru lean years; '99 All-SEC 2nd Team.
New Coach Kevin Stallings took a 1999 team that finished 14-15 to a 19-11 record and an NIT berth. Senior forward Dan Langhi was named SEC Player of the Year after averaging our league leading 22.1 points per game. Langhi finished his college career with 1,502 points, which currently ranks 11th all-time at Vanderbilt. Langhi ranks seventh all-time in 3-point field goals made at Vanderbilt with 138.

Derrick Byars '05-07  6-7 wing
SEC Co-POY, led team in assists, UVa transfer; '07 All-SEC 1st Team
Named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year by the league's coaches ... 2007 Unanimous First Team All-SEC selection by the league's coaches ... 2007 Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American ... Named First Team All-SEC by the Associated Press ... Ranked second in the SEC averaging 19.1 points during league play ... Ranked among the SEC leaders in nine statistical categories for the season – more than any other player in our league ... Led Vanderbilt in scoring 17 times during the season, including 14 of the last 20 games ... Led the Commodores in scoring in seven of its 10 games against ranked opponents, averaging 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from 3-point range.  The '07 Five finished second in the SEC East to that great Florida squad and the Sweet Sixteen, fans bitter about not making the school's first Elite Eight in the current century due a missed walking call on Jeff Green.

Jeff Taylor  '08-12  6'7" wing
Swede is three-time All-SEC Defensive team. '12 All-SEC Coach's 1st Team and '11 2nd Team. He was on the team that won the 2012 SEC Basketball Tournament defeating the eventual national champion Kentucky. Taylor is Vandy's second all-time leading career scorer with 1,897 points. He is 7th in career rebounds and 8th in career steals. 2nd Round, 31st overall pick has played more NBA minutes (2566) than any Vandy alum since '91 including all those SEC MVPs.


John Jenkins  '09-12  6-4 SG
Two-time 1st Team All-SEC, SEC POY runner-up; 3rd Team AP All-American;  '10 SEC Sixth Man of the Year. Drafted 23rd in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks...Named as an All-SEC first-team selection by the league's coaches and media in 2010-11 and in 2011-12...One of the nation's top shooters from three... Named to the SEC All-Freshman team and was named the Sixth Man of the Year by the league's coaches in 2009-10...Averaged 11.0 points per game, and shot 48.3% (72-149) from three in his freshman season. He was on that Vandy team that beat eventual National Champ UK with Anthony Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist to win the SEC Tournament. He is currently the Dores 10th all time scorer with 1,660.

Scottie Pippen, Jr. '19-22  6-2 lead guard  Son of Scottie and Larsa Pippen
2020 All-SEC Freshman Team... 2021 and 2022 All-SEC First Team...
Averaged 20.8 ppg, 4.9 apg, and 1.8 spg. He led our league in ppg 2nd in apg and spg. He led SEC in scoring again in '22 edging out JD Notae and helped Vandy earn an NIT berth. Pippen, Jr.'s 736 points in '21-22 is the most by a Commodore. He's 10th all-time in assists with 383 and ninth in steals with 144 all in three seasons.
Father Scottie played 17 seasons in the NBA, won six NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls and was named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Matt Freije  '00-04  6-10 PF
Hard working big man; '04 All-SEC 1st Team, '03 Coaches 2nd Team and '02 Coaches 3rd Team. Freije, a member of the 2017 Vanderbilt Hall of Fame class, left as the school's all-time leading scorer (1,891 points) at the time and is currently third. In 2004, Freije led the Commodores to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1993. That year the 6-10 forward averaged 18.4 points per game en route to All-SEC and All-America honors. Miami Heat selected Freije with the 53rd overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Damian Jones  '13-16  6-11 Center
Named to '16 All-SEC First Team as a junior, as well as the All-SEC First Team and the All-Defensive Team as a sophomore...Became 44th player in Vanderbilt history to eclipse the 1,000-point barrier with 13-point performance vs. Western Michigan.  Ended his junior year with a cumulative 1,313 points, and is 24th on VU's all-time list...Second on career program history and his 54 blocks in 2015-16 is fifth all-time on VU's single-season blocks list with 167, and his 1.69 blocks per game career mark is the second-best ...Third on VU's all-time list in field-goal percentage in a career at 56.6%. Third in blocks with 167.

Drew Maddux '94-98  G
'98 All-SEC 1st Team, 3rd generation player was also a defensive stalwart. He still ranks eighth among the all-time Vanderbilt scorers with 1,689 points. Drew was a first-team all-SEC guard in 1998, the same year he earned SEC all-academic honors. Maddux is tied with Frank Seckar as Vandy's all-time steals leader with 214 and ranks ninth in assists with 394.

Jermaine "Dollar" Beal  '06-10  6-3 Combo guard
Exits as winningest player in Vandy history; '10 All-SEC Coaches 1st Team
Long, physical guard with court savvy and ability to distribute the basketball... Set a new Commodore record for assists by a sophomore in 2007-08 with 158, and increased his scoring average to 12.5 points per game in his junior season. Drastically improved his three-point shooting in 2008-09 and made 40.3% of his shots from beyond the arc (58-144). Beal finished 8th all time in assists with 421.

Luke Kornet '13-17  7-2 C
'17 All-SEC Coaches 1st Team. Grew seven inches in his junior and senior seasons in high school and then two more when he arrived on campus...Son of Frank Kornet, a former Vanderbilt basketball standout of his own from '86-89...Leaves as one of Vanderbilt's most decorated players, both on and off the court.  He is career blocks leader with 210. Extra value is what you get when you sign Kornet.

Liam Robbins '21-23 7-0 C
Robbins was named the 2022-23 SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Robbins transferred to Vandy along with his uncle Ed from Minnesota after first transferring from Drake. He came back for a 5th season and averaged 15, 7 and 3.2 blocks per game. Robbins suffered a leg injury in the Kentucky game and missed the rest of the season. His nine blocks against LS were second in Vandy history to Luke Kornet's 10.

[jbcarol]

All-Mizzou Basketball Team of their SEC Era ('12-13 to present)

Flip Pressey  '10-13 ('12-13 in SEC) Sub 6-0 lead guard
'13 1st Team Coaches All-SEC, 2nd Team AP All-SEC, '13 Hon. Mention AP All-American. His 19 assists in one game against UCLA is tied for the most by any SEC player. He is Mizzou's single season (240 in his SEC season) and career (580) assists leader. Paul Pressey's son opted out of his senior season but was undrafted by the NBA. He has averaged 3 ppg and 3 apg in 119 NBA games and currently plays internationally.

Jabari Brown  '12-14 Combo Guard
'14 1st Team All-SEC; In '14 Brown came a basket short of 700 points which is seventh all-time single season at Mizzou and the most since they joined the SEC. His 19.9 ppg led the SEC. Oregon transfer played two seasons at Mizzou before declaring for the NBA draft. Jordan Clarkson's running mate has the third highest NBA career ppg (11.9 in 19 games for LAL) of any Mizzou player.

Kobe Brown  '19-23 6-8 swing man
A coach's son, Brown was first team All-SEC and SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2023. He was 2nd Team All-SEC in 2022. Brown had 23 rebounds in a single game, the most by a Mizzou player in the last 55 years. He was a first round draft pick. He has played in 35 games to-date as a reserve for the Clippers.

Kassius Robertson '17-18 6-3 SG
Canisius transfer was an '18 1st Team Coaches All-SEC, 2nd Team AP All-SEC. Robertson was expected to be the shooting specialist complimenting Michael Porter, Jr. and his role expanded when MP was injured in the first game. He averaged 16.6 ppg shooting 41% from 3. He was undrafted and has played internationally and in Canada.

Laurence Bowers '08-13 ('12-13 in SEC) 6-8 PF
'13 2nd Team Coaches All-SEC; AP Hon. Mention All-SEC. Bowers is one of Mizzou's all-time leading shot blockers along with pre-SEC Tiger Arthur Johnson. Bowers averaged 14 ppg, 6 rpg, and 1.2 bpg in his sole SEC season coming off an ACL injury. Undrafted, Bowers played internationally and now runs basketball camps across Missouri and Tennessee.


Jordan Clarkson  '13-14 6-4 combo guard
Tulsa transfer was '14 2nd Team Coaches All-SEC; 2nd Round NBA pick; Highest NBA scoring average (15.3 ppg) of any former Mizzou player. For Mizzou he averaged 17.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, and 1.1 spg.

Jeremiah Tilmon  '17-21  6-10 260 C
'21 Second Team All-SEC. One of the Mizzou players who had over 1,000 points, 500 boards, and 100 blocked shots in his career.

Jontay Porter '17-19  6-11 240 PF
5-star was arguably Mizzou's second most heralded recruit. '18 SEC 6th Man of the Year. He missed '18-19 due to an ACL and MCL tear in the scrimmage. Famous sibling Cierra came out of medical retirement to play for Mizzou.

Sean East II  '22-24  6-3 lead guard
SEC Academic Player of the Year for '24, led Mizzou in scoring with 17.6 and assists with 4.0. He made 85.6% FT.

Alex Oriakhi '12-13  6-9 255 PF
'13 UConn Transfer was an NCAA Champion and a 2nd Round NBA Pick. He averaged 11 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg in 25.8 mpg for Mizzou in his only season.

Wes Clark '13-16  6-0 combo guard
Clark averaged about 10 to 12 ppg, 3 rpg, and 3 apg for Mizzou and is one of the last players you hear of that was dismissed for failing to meet academic standards. He once recorded six steals in a single game. He played his senior season for Nate Oats at Buffalo averaging 15.5 ppg and 5.5 apg.

Smiths and Browns '21-23
Smiths combined for almost 30 ppg in '21 alone.  Dru made All-SEC Defensive team and might have rated DPOY if not for Herbert Jones and Yves Pons. He was SEC Coaches 1st Team.  Mark Smith: The Illini transfer didn't shoot unless he had the ball. Mitchell Smith might be the best baller out of Van Buren since Matt Jones. Kobe Brown averaged 8 and 6 in 20-21 and 12.4 and 8 in '22. Kobe Brown had 23 rebounds in a buy game against Paul Quinn, the most by a Mizzou player since the '60's when shot attempts and shot misses were higher volume and physicality was at a minimum.

[jbcarol]

All-Georgia Bulldog Basketball Team of the last 33 seasons or so

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope '11-13 6-5 SG
2013 SEC Player of the Year. Averaged 21.8 ppg in his sophomore and final season at UG along with 8.3 rpg and 2.3 spg. Caldwell-Pope was named to the Coaches' Freshman All-SEC Team, which also included NBA lottery picks Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. His highest output as a freshman was 25 points against Ole Miss, which was the most by a UGA freshman in almost 13 years. In his final collegiate game, he scored a career-high 32 points and 13 rebounds in a loss against LSU at the SEC tournament in Nashville. He is tenth all-time in single season steals for UG. He was a lottery pick and is doing well in pro ball.

Yante Maten '14-18 6'8" 240 PF
2018 SEC AP Player of the Year (sharing honours with Grant Williams). He was two-time First Team All-SEC and Second Team in 2016. He is the second all-time leading scorer at Georgia (rare for this era) with 1,886 points. He is fourth all time in rebounds (889) and third all time in blocked shots (199).

Litterial Green '88-92 6-1 combo guard
Georgia's all-time leading scorer with 2,111 points. He is third in assists with 466. He scored 38 points in a single game twice in separate seasons. '91 SEC 1st Team yet loaded '92 SEC 2nd Team (Arkansas had joined the league and the bar raised on making All-SEC). Green led the Bulldogs to their only Southeastern Conference Championship in 1990 (Kentucky was on double highly-public probation). Green is one of three players in the history of the Southeastern Conference to record over 2000 points and 400 assists, joining Pete Maravich and Allan Houston.

Jarvis Hayes '01-03; 6-8 220 wing
2003 3rd Team FS All-American, '02,'03 SEC 1st Team; UG's other NBA draft lottery pick. The first freshman in 40 seasons to lead the Southern Conference in scoring. Transferred from Western Carolina with his twin, the Jonas brother. He averaged 28.5 points per game in the 2002 NCAA Basketball Tournament.

JJ Frazier '13-17 5-10 lead guard
'17 SEC 1st Team, 2x All-SEC. 8th all-time leading scorer with 1,628. During a five-game stretch in February 2017 following an injury to Yante Maten, he averaged 29.6 points per game. His 640 points in '17 were fourth most in school history. He is fifth in career assists with 422 trailing GG Smith and passed for seventh most in a single season trailing Sahvir Wheeler (who's coming back) and a handful of others.


Trey Thompkins '08-11 PF  6-10 247 PF
'10 and '11 SEC 1st Team. Thompkins made first team in his final two seasons and the All-Freshman team his first. While preparing for the draft, there were concerns about Thompkins' body fat level of 15.5%. Funnyman Jay Bilas describes Trey Thompkins' body fat percentage as "pretty good if you're a sea lion."

Anthony Edwards '19-20, 6-4, 225 SG
Georgia's only #1 NBA draft pick (the sixth ever from the SEC) and a one-and-done for Tom Crean. He was SEC Freshman/Newcomer of the Year and 2nd Team All-SEC. His 610 points tied the late Alec Kessler for 7th most in a single season at UG. He averaged 19.1 ppg on 29.4% from 3 indicating his reputation was based highly on his AAU career and his ceiling. The home state player came to Georgia yet his arrival really did not change the trajectory of the program. Not Edwards fault.

Shandon Anderson '92-96 6-6 wing
'95 & '96 SEC 3rd Team; Ninth all-time leading scorer at UG with 1517 and third all-time in steals with 212. $50 million in NBA career earnings is amongst the highest for Georgia alum in 2023 USD. Anderson, the brother of Willie, played on an NBA championship team in 2006 and subsequently retired.

DA Layne '97-01 SG
'01 SEC 1st Team, '00 SEC 2nd Team. Represented Georgia as part of the 2014 class of the Allstate SEC Basketball Legends. unanimous Freshman All-SEC choice in 1999, when he averaged 13 points per game and earned a starting job for the second half of the season. As a sophomore in 2000, Layne averaged 18.3 points per game and was a second-team All-SEC selection. The following year he earned first-team all-conference honors, averaged 17 points per game and guided the Bulldogs toward the program's first NCAA Tournament berth in four years. Layne finished his Bulldog career with 1,451 points.

Sundiata Gaines '04-08 6-1 lead guard
'07, '08 SEC Coach's 2nd Team. Gaines is 2nd all-time in assists with 476 including 4th most in a single season. He is Georgia's career steals leader with 259 and had the fourth and ninth most in a single season.

Rashad Wright '00-04  6-2 lead guard
'04 SEC 2nd Team; SEC's 1st Defensive Player of the Year '04. All-time assists leader at UG with 493, he had the fifth and ninth most in a single season. His 168 steals in his Defensive Player of the Year season is T-10th.

Jumaine Jones '97-99  6-8 230 PF
'99 SEC 1st Team, '98 SEC 3rd Team. 299 boards was 9th most in a Georgia single season yet most since Arkansas joined the league.

Charles and Nic Claxton '91-95 7-0 C / '17-19 6-11 C
Father/son duo; Charles ('93 SEC Coach's 2nd Team) was sixth in career rebounds, 2nd in career blocks, most in a single single with 94 (his shorter son is fifth with 81). Charles Claxton had a cup of joe for the Celtics and was under contract yet did not see the court with the Cavs and Jazz. Nic was second team coaches All-SEC in 2019 and is currently one of Georgia's most successful NBA players averaging about 10 to 12 points per game for the Nets. His other son / brother Chase plays for Winthrop.

[jbcarol]

All-Ole Miss Rebel Basketball Team of the last 34 seasons or so

Ansu Sesay (F, 1995-98)
Consensus (Second Team) All-America pick in 1998 ... Named to the John R. Wooden All-America team among several other organizations ... Finalist for both the John R. Wooden and Oscar Robertson Player of the Year awards while being named SEC Player of the Year by both the AP and league coaches ... Scored 18.6 points per game and averaged 7.6 boards per contest ... One of two Rebels to ever record 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 200 assists in a career ...  He was ninth all time in blocks with 99 and once had 8 in a single game against State tying the school's single game record.

Keith Carter (SG, 1996-99)
1999 Associated Press honorable mention All-America selection ... Also nominated for the Naismith Player of the Year award ... Finished his career strong by scoring 542 points and hitting 77 three-point filed goals as a senior ... His 1,682 career points are eighth-most in school history, and he sits second on the three-pointers chart, making 249 for his career ... The four-year starter received All-SEC first and second team honors in 1998 and 1999 ... Perryville native is currently the Ole Miss Athletic Director replacing Bjork.

Justin Reed (F, 2001-04)
Wrapped up his career as the first Rebel to earn All-SEC honors all four years and the first ever two-time Wooden Award candidate from a Mississippi college ... His 1,785 career points rank seventh in school history, while his 766 rebounds are tenth-most ... As a senior, averaged 18.5 points per game in claiming the SEC scoring title, while he was also the first league player taken in the 2004 NBA Draft ... Also finished top 10 in the SEC in rebounds (sixth at 7.5) and field-goal percentage (sixth at .464) as a senior ...

Joe Harvell (SF, 1990-93)
After earning Freshman All-America honors, Harvell earned All-SEC accolades in each of the next three seasons ... The scoring machine racked up 2,078 career points, which still ranks among the top 20 totals in league history and second on the Ole Miss charts ... As a freshman, Harvell was the SEC Tournament' s leading scorer with 57 points while helping Ole Miss to the championship game ... In his junior season, he topped the SEC and was 12th in the nation in scoring with 25.0 points per outing ... Became the second Rebel and 19th SEC player to surpass 2,000 points in a career.

Chris Warren (CG, 2007-11)
Named first team All-SEC by the Associated Press and All-District by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association... Warren is the first Rebel to be named an AP All-SEC first teamer since Justin Reed in 2004. He receives All-District IV recognition from the USBWA for the second straight year. 4th player in SEC history to record 2,000 points and 400 assists. Third leading all-time scorer at Ole Miss (2,021) and fourth in assists (452).


Rahim Lockhart (F, 1998-2001)
Selected to the 2001 Basketball Times All-America third team ... Also earned All-SEC first-team honors his senior season among many other accolades, when putting up team highs of 13.0 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per outing ... Scored 1,160 points during his four years, which places him 21st on the career chart ... His 780 career rebounds are fifth-most in Rebel history ...

Marshall Henderson (SG, 2012-14)
Averaged an SEC high 20.1 ppg in 31.5 mpg. Led Ole Miss to a 27-9 (12-6) record and the school's second-ever SEC Tournament championship for which he was tourney MVP while earning SEC Rookie of the Year. 2-time 2nd Team All-SEC. Broke Pat Bradley's SEC record for most games with a made 3-point shot (66). Henderson was known to get the other team's fans fired up.

Jarvis Summers (PG, 2011-2015) Finished 2nd in program history in games played (134) and assists (530, second to Sean Tuohy) and ninth in points (1,629). He received the CSpire Howell Trophy for best college player in Mississippi. All-SEC Teams: 2014 Coaches 2nd Team. Playing injured his senior season he had surgery at season's end. Joined with Marshall Henderson to help Ole Miss win the school's second ever SEC Tournament championship in the modern era.

Stefan Moody (PG, 2014-2016) Another undersized lead guard who could fill it up. Had fourth most points in a single-season by any Black Bear and most in the Razorback-era trailing only the names Neumann, Glass and Stroud. Moody's a two-time First Team All-SEC.

Murphy McQuite Holloway (C, 2008-11, 2011-13) Dutch Fork big and South Carolina's 2008 Mr. Basketball actually started at Ole Miss, transferred to USC to be closer to home and then transferred back and finished his career at Ole Miss in an agreeable arrangement between UM and South Carolina, the SEC and the NCAA. He was 2nd Team All-SEC in 2013 on that SEC Tournament Championship Team. Holloway is the Ole Miss all-time leading rebounder with 1,093 and until recently was the only 1,000+ career rebounder. He is second all-time in steals with 194. He is the first and currently one of two with 1,000-1,000 points-boards with 1,476 career points.

Reginald Becton-Buckner (C, 2009-2013) Known at Ole Miss as Reginald Buckner, the three-time All-SEC Defensive Team selection is the school's career blocked shot leader with 326. Regarding single-season blocked shot totals, he ranks 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th and he is tied for the school-record with 8 in one game against Arkansas. Buckner helped Ole Miss win their only SEC Tournament during the Arkansas Era. Buckner's fourth all-time in rebounds with 880.

Sebastian Saiz (C, 2013-2017) Spaniard was Buckner's replacement at the five and became the second Land Shark to record 1,000 career rebounds (1,008). He was 1st Team All-SEC in 2017. Seb's the second Ole Miss player to surpass 1,000-1,000 points-boards with 1,273 career points for Andy Kennedy. Saiz is fifth all-time in blocked shots with 129.

Mike White (PG, 1995-99) The long-suffering successor to Billy the Kid (SEC Coach of the Year at Florida in 2017) and current head coach at Georgia (brother to Kevin White, Coach K's boss and Danny White, Vol AD), Mike White was the lead guard on arguably the program's greatest run making the NCAA tournament is final three seasons and beating eventual National Champ Kentucky in Lexington for the school's second-ever win in the city of Lexington and first in Rupp. White's 8th all-time in assists with 370. White made 47.5% of his 3PAs in 1998.

[jbcarol]

All-USC Basketball Team of the last 32 seasons or so

Sin Thornwell '13-17  6-4 G
'17 SEC Co-Player of the Year, the first South Carolina Gamecock to be named SEC Coaches Player of the Year leading USC to their first Final Four. '17 SEC All-Defensive Team and 1st Team All-SEC, '14 SEC All-Frosh. Schools third all-time leading scorer (1941), fourth most in a season (663 in '17) and fourth most in a game (T-44). 9th all-time in assists. Averaging about 10-12 mpg in the NBA, Thornwell was 2nd round, 48th overall pick.

BJ McKie '95-99 6-2 lead guard
3-Time 1st Team All-SEC, 18 ppg, 40% 3-pt., '96 SEC Rookie of the Year.  Led South Carolina to the 1997 SEC Regular Season championship in the midst of UK's three-year dominating run. McKie is USC's all-time leading scorer with 2,119. He is tenth all-time in assists just behind Thornwell. He is sixth all-time in steals. Not to be confused with '24 Gamecock BJ Mack, McKie never played in the NBA and currently an assistant at Wake Forest.

Devan Downey '07-10 5-9 lead guard
3-Time SEC 1st Team (joining BJ McKie as the only Gamecocks to hold that distinction). Chris Lofton was the only other 3-time 1st Team All-SEC player in the decade. Cincinnati transfer is fifth all-time in scoring despite being a transfer. He has the most points in a season in the last 40 years or so. 8th all-time in assists just ahead of Sin Thornwell. All-time leader in steals (career and single-season) and had five games with seven steals all tied for 2nd all-time and the most in the modern error. Downey never played in the NBA.

PJ Dozier '15-17  6-6 SC native and a wing
A huge recruiting get for Frank Martin, the McDonald's All-American played on USC's only Final Four team to-date. Dozier totaled 730 points in two seasons for SC. Undrafted free agent after leaving USC after his soph. season.  Dozier averaged 7.7 ppg in 2021 for Denver and is one of USC's three current pro players.

Chris Silva '15-18  6-8 PF from Gabon
First-Team All-SEC and SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year (2018). The three man group of Thornwell, Dozier and Silva were the key three on USC's only program Final Four in 2017. 10th all time leading scorer at USC with 1509. Scored 165 NBA points as a rookie in 2021.


Melvin Watson '94-98 PG
'97 1st Team, '98 2nd Team, '96 Coach's 3rd Team, 5 apg, 5 rpg, 2 spg in '97. The all-time assist leader at USC, he had the 4th and 10th most in a single season. He is fifth all-time in steals. His team won the '21 state championship in South Carolina Class 4A.

Chuck Eidson 1999-2003  6-8 wing
Ended USC career as all-time SEC steals leader (passed by Downey). 2nd and 3rd most steals in a season trailing only Downey. He is 7th all-time in assists as a point forward.

Carlos Powell '01-05  6-7 F
NIT MVP for USC in 2005. 2003-2004 All SEC and 2005 Team outstanding rebounder. Career totals of over 1500 points (1541, 8th all-time), 600 rebounds (641), and 70 3-point field goals (71). He also holds the school record for most games played with 132.

Tre Kelley '03-07  6-0 PG
'07 1st Team All-SEC, 19 ppg, 5 apg in '07. 3rd most career assists with 510 and second most in one season ('06).

Larry Davis '95-97
'97 1st Team, '96 Coach's 2nd Team, 16 ppg in '97. 1,068 points is the second-most scored by a two-year player. UNC transfer led the Gamecocks with McKie and Watson to 24 wins, a No. 4 national ranking and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1997. Named USC Hall of Famer in 2017.

F Renaldo Balkman '03-06 6-7 F
10 ppg, 6 rpg in '06, '06 NIT MVP. 9th most steals by a USC player in a single season.
1st round Knick pick sent Spike Lee into a conniption. Played from '07 to '12 in the NBA, playing the tenth most NBA/ABA minutes of any Gamecock alum. Balkman has the most NBA minutes (3064) of any South Carolina player since 1992. Averaged 14 mpg and 4 ppg in his career.

Tarence Kinsey ("The Kinsey Report") '02-06 6-6 wing
'06 All-SEC Coach's 2nd Team, 16 ppg, 5 rpg, 84% FT in '06. 10th most steals in a single season at USC and 9th most career. 10th most points in a single season with 602.

Meechie Johnson '22-24  6-2 guard
Ohio State transfer was 2nd Team Coaches All-SEC in '24 and helped lead USC back to the NCAA Tournament for Paris Johnson. Averaged 14 ppg, 4 rpg and 3 apg. Scored 24 points in USC's upset loss to Oregon in the NCAA first round.

[jbcarol]

Joe Tipton@TiptonEdits

NEWS: South Carolina's leading scorer, Meechie Johnson, will enter the transfer portal, he told @On3sports.

The 6-2 guard averaged 14.1 PTS, 4.1 REB, and 2.9 AST this season.

Story: https://on3.com/college/south-carolina-gamecocks/news/south-carolina-guard-meechie-johnson-to-enter-the-transfer-portal

[jbcarol]

All-A&M Basketball Team of their SEC Era ('12-13 to present)

Danuel House  '14-16  6-7 F
Houston Cougar transfer was 1st Team and 2nd Team All-SEC and an AP Honorable Mention All-American at A&M. During his senior season, House averaged 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game and scored at least 20 points in nine games. He spent his early pro career shuttling back and forth in the D/G-League but has got on with the Rockets averaging about 10-12 ppg as a (semi-)starter the last three seasons.

Wade Taylor IV '21-present  sub-6' PG
'23 and '24 1st Team Coaches All-SEC and '23 Honorable Mention AP All-American leading an A&M team that returned to the NCAA Tournament and were runners-up in the SEC Tournament. Taylor IV averaged 16.3 ppg, 3.0 apg, and 1.7 spg. He scored the 8th most points in a single season as an Ag (572). In '24 after being lauded with pre-season honours, led A&M to an SEC Tournament win over Kentucky that helped A&M earn an NCAA bid. After a first round win over Nebraska, it was Taylor's ill-advised shots that hindered A&M's upset bid of top-seeded Houston, losing in OT. In the regular season, Taylor scored 41 against Arkansas in one of A&M's top single-game individual efforts trailing Bennie Lenox (53) as well as John Beasley and Randy Knowles who both had bigger scoring efforts against Arkansas. 

Alex Caruso  '12-16  6-5 lead guard
Son of the Assistant AD at A&M yet played like a hustle guy. He averaged 2.0 steals per game in his college career and never averaged in double figures scoring.  He was a catalyst on one of A&M's best ever teams winning the SEC in 2016 along with House. He is A&M's all-time leader in assists and steals. He was All-SEC Defense and made the All-SEC 2nd Team. Caruso signed with the Bulls. After G-League he made his mark with the Lakers winning a championship ring in 2020, averaging about 6 ppg, 2.5 apg, and 1.0 spg in his reserve PG role. Caruso signed a $34 million contract with the Bulls and once had a 13-13 game with the game winning shot.

Jalen Jones  '14-16  6-7 SF
SMU transfer back when a man had to sit out a season. Was First and Second Team All-SEC for A&M and played on that SEC champ 2016 team with House and Caruso. He averaged over 15 ppg and 7 rpg for the Aggies as a senior. He was an NBA D-League all-star with the Red Claws and averaged 4.8 ppg in 395 total minutes in the league.  He ruptured an Achilles tendon playing in Italy in late 2020. Presently, he is playing for a French team professionally replacing the injured Frenchman Kim Tillie.

Tyler Davis  '15-18  6-10 C
The fourth member of that 2016 A&M SEC Champ team to make this list. He averaged 15 and 9 his junior and final season for the Aggies. He was 1st Team Coaches All-SEC in '18, 2nd Team in '17 and All-Freshman '16 after being named Texas Mr. Basketball in '15. He had an impressive 313 rebounds in '17-18, the second most ever by an Aggie in an era of more accurate shooting and fewer individual rebounding achievement. His 117 blocked shots are a program 8th best. As of today he has the NBA "Moonlight" Graham experience playing in one minute of one NBA game, getting a put back attempt and missing it. He most recently is playing for his native Puerto Rico on the national team.


Robert Williams  '16-18  6-8 PF
2x SEC Defensive Player of the Year for A&M in '17 and '18. Williams has two of the top three A&M seasons in blocked shots (77 and 78) and is fifth in career blocks (155) despite playing only two seasons.

He is an example of guy who chose not to be a one-and-done despite being optimistically pegged as a lottery pick. He came back to A&M for a second season and fell to the bottom of round one supposedly due to "taking plays off". He played some of 2018-19 for the Maine Red Claws in the G League as a two-way guy. He averaged about 10 and 10 for Boston in 2021-22. He got on with the Trailblazers for '23-24 yet a patellar dislocation led to surgery and the end of his current season.

Tyrece Radford  '21-present  6-2 G
Baton Rouge native and VPI transfer averaged 13.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg (as a 6-2 guard) for the Buzz Williams' team that returned to the NCAA-T and were runners-up in the SEC-T. Rad hit 40% from 3 in '22 and averaged 6.2 rpg.  In '24 on an Ag team that reached the Round of 32 after living on the downside of the bubble, Rad averaged 16.5 and 6.5 rpg while hitting 28 3P%. Radford is one of the few A&M players during their SEC era to score 1,400 points, 600 rebounds, 200 assists and 90 steals as an Ag.

Elston Turner, Jr. '11-13  6-5 wing
'13 1st Team Coaches All-SEC, 2nd Team AP All-SEC; scored 40 to lead A&M to a 12-point victory in Rupp Arena (9th most in A&M history). The Washington transfer's father is included on the Ole Miss all-time starting five on this listing and is a current assistant coach in the NBA. He attended Elkins High.

Admon Gilder  '15-18  6-4 SG
1,000 point scorer in his three seasons at A&M before transferring to Gonzaga. Gilder averaged 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as a junior, helping Texas A&M reach the Sweet 16. Gilder was a tournament hero when with A&M trailing 69-57 with 45 seconds to go, Gilder put back a missed FT and stole the inbound pass and getting an assist to start a comeback that allowed the Aggies to make the second weekend and ultimately get defeated by Oklahoma. His parents infamously had left early to beat the traffic. His parents missed his comeback.

Savion Flagg  '17-21  6-7 wing
Flagg transferred after the 2021 season to play for Sam Houston State where he averages about 20 and 8 as a fifth year senior. He was a 1,000 point scorer at A&M. Averaged 14 ppg, 7.7 rpg and over 2 apg as a Soph. One of the Aggie players to finish with over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 200 assists in his A&M career.

DJ Hogg  '15-18  6-9 SF
Plano West state champ started when the Aggies reached the Sweet 16 in his freshman season, and Hogg averaged 6.2 points and 2.9 assists per game. As a sophomore, Hogg averaged 12.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He was declared out for the season in February 2017. In the Aggies' home opener on November 16, Hogg contributed 24 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a win versus UCSB. He led the Aggies to a surprise win over North Carolina in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. He chose to forego his senior season and enter the draft. After going undrafted Hogg currently plays for Cholet Basket of the LNB Pro A.

Josh Nebo  '18-20  6-9 PF
St. Francis transfer experienced his second biggest problem in his teammate's actual or negligent difficulty in "Finding Nebo". Making nearly 70% shots on goal, Jo$h was money in the lane but averaged fewer than five FGAs after sitting out a transfer season back when a man had to do that.

Kourtney Roberson  '10-15 6-9 247 PF
1,000 point scorer and 800 rebounds when a man played five seasons the hard way. He made over 60% shots on goal and playing about 25 mpg in three full seasons in the SEC. Roberson was the lone big in Billy Kennedy's four big guard offense in '15 which finished 3rd in the SEC.

[jbcarol]

Mark Sears breaks Alabama's single-season scoring record in Sweet 16 vs. North Carolina

By Matt Stahl |

Mark Sears broke Alabama basketball's program single-season scoring record on Thursday. Sears had entered the Crimson Tide's matchup with North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen just 15 points short of Reggie King's 747.

The guard from Muscle Shoals broke the record to start the second half with a layup. The points cut a North Carolina lead down to 54-48.

King's record came during the 1978-79 season. He remains Alabama's all-time total points-scoring leader, with 2,169.

Sears has been a major contributor in Alabama's run this season. The Crimson Tide has struggled defensively, but has relied on an explosive offense to win games.

The guard passed Brandon Miller for second on the single-season scoring list in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Charleston. Miller scored 693 points during the 2022-23 season, before being drafted by the NBA's Charlotte Hornets.

Sears began his college basketball career at Ohio before transferring to Alabama ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

Alabama won its first three games of the NCAA Tournament in Spokane, beating Charleston and Grand Canyon to make the Sweet Sixteen and in Los Angeles beating UNC. It will face Clemson in the Elite Eight.the Elite Eight.

[jbcarol]

CBS Sports
@CBSSports
Solid company for Grant Nelson

@AlabamaMBB

[jbcarol]

O'Gara: Grant Nelson's never buying a drink in Alabama again

Cements his place in March lore

I made fun of the mustache every time I saw it.

Whenever Grant Nelson took the floor for Alabama during the 2023-24 season, I wasn't alone in thinking that his wispy mustache just didn't fit his look. If he was a star? Sure.

He was a North Dakota State transfer who was a prolific scorer there, and the hope was that he would fit into Nate Oats' offense nicely as someone who could stretch the floor and take slower, bigger defenders off the dribble at 6-11. For the most part, that's what he provided. Heading into Thursday night, he had 6 points in the NCAA Tournament and after the only 3-pointer he attempted in the Grand Canyon game on Sunday in the Round of 32 (he missed), All-American guard Mark Sears appeared to yell at him for his shot selection.

So naturally, Nelson followed that up by lifting Alabama to its first Sweet 16 win in 2 decades. Considering the stakes of who it came against — No. 1 seed UNC — he was the face of arguably its biggest win in program history.

UNC watched the mustache man shoot, attack the rim, block and defend Alabama's way to an Elite Eight berth.

We mustn't forget about the blocks. Nelson's final play of the night was him missing the second of 2 free throws, and subsequently swatting UNC's full-court heave at the buzzer.


Of course he did that. If you watched the final 7 minutes, you expected that exact result.

OK, the more fitting result would've been Nelson icing the game by nailing those final 2 free throws. He is human, though it was easy to forget that down the stretch. Of Nelson's season-high 24 points — he matched the 24-point game he had in his Alabama debut — 15 of them came in the final 7:06. That was as many as UNC's entire team scored in that stretch.

The stuff of legend?

You'd better believe it.

Nelson got into a zone that'll be remembered forever. A March hero, he is. Seemingly everything he did for Alabama in the final 7 minutes worked. It wasn't just that he splashed a heat-check 3-pointer or that he maneuvered his way around ageless UNC legend Armondo Bacot to get buckets at the rim. Shoot, it wasn't even that Nelson came off the screen-and-roll and finished at the rim while drawing the foul to take the lead in the final minute.

Nelson's game-sealing block was his 5th of the night. When Alabama clung to a 2-point lead in the final minute and All-American UNC guard RJ Davis tried getting to the rim, Nelson was there to swat his shot before it could ever think about dashing the Tide's hopes. On that same possession, Nelson again got switched onto Davis, only to force another bad shot that led to a shot-clock violation.

Up until Thursday night, Alabama was the program starved of a March hero like Nelson.

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker
@wesrucker247
Creighton coach Greg McDermott on Zakai Zeigler: He's just such an elite on-ball defender. He disrupts the rhythm of so many things you want to do. Mashack does that, too.
1:02 AM · Mar 30, 2024
·

[jbcarol]

2024 All-Americans

Consensus First Team All-American
Dalton Knecht, Tennessee

Consensus Second Team All-American
Mark Sears, Bama

Third Team All-American
Johnni Broome, Auburn

Third Team All-American (USBWA and The Sporting News)
Antonio Reeves, Kentucky

AP Honorable Mention All-American
Reeves

Reed Sheppard, Kentucky

Keion Brooks, Jr., Washington (Kentucky grad transfer)

[jbcarol]

Malik Monk suffers sprained MCL, out 4-6 weeks (and potentially the rest of the year)

by:
Jack Pilgrim
•

Malik Monk is the heavy favorite to win NBA Sixth Man of the Year, putting together the best season of his professional career with the Kings. He's averaging career highs in points (15.4) and assists (5.1), helping keep Sacramento in the playoff picture as the No. 8 seed in the West.

Now, there's a very real chance he misses the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Monk collided with Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks in the first quarter of the Kings' loss on Friday, missing the rest of the game and undergoing further testing. And the news was not promising, as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the former Kentucky star will miss four-to-six weeks with a sprained right MCL.

With just nine games left in the regular season and the playoffs a few short weeks away, it's not a promising timeline for a team that desperately needs Monk's help down the stretch and into the postseason —

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker
@wesrucker247
When you cover college athletics for a couple decades, every couple of years or so you hear offseason whispers about a newcomer like he walks on water. More often than not they're good but not ... like ... that good.

Dalton Knecht was that good.

What a player. What a season.
6:40 PM · Mar 31, 2024
·

[jbcarol]

Rondo had class with Dillingham

Tells his AAU team to learn from Reed Sheppard

by: Jack Pilgrim

Life is different for Rajon Rondo nowadays. A two-time world champion and four-time NBA All-Star, the former Kentucky standout is now back in Lexington getting his degree and hanging around the basketball facilities while leading his own AAU team, Rondo Elite. Rather than racking up accolades as a pro, he's in class and spending time with his three kids.

"Funny thing, before my child was born, my baby girl, six months ago I had class with (Rob) Dillingham and I think (Aaron) Bradshaw," Rondo said on All The Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. "Of course, me and Rob kind of clicked right away. First day walking into school, we kind of looked up and I was like, 'Man, I've been looking for you!' Obviously, he wanted to holler at me, as well."

Rondo has a favorite, and it may not be who you expect. Sure, he's close with Dillingham and loves what he brings to the table, but if his players want to become the best versions of themselves, he tells them to watch none other than Reed Sheppard.

"I always tell them to watch Reed. Everybody loves Rob and wants to be Rob because Rob, he has moves. I tell them to watch Rob, obviously, for the one-on-one game, but I'm like, 'Watch how Reed controls the game,'" Rondo said. "He knows the game. He's always in the right spot. He's not the most athletic, he's not the fastest, but his IQ — he's able to manipulate the game. Now some people are saying he's the No. 1 pick in the game.

"That's all IQ and the way he shoots the basketball. I've seen him work. They have some stuff down there at Kentucky."

Reed Sheppard: your favorite point guard's favorite point guard.

Sheppard failed to surpass Rondo's single season steals record at Kentucky in part because his team lost in the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament openers.

Rondo had 87 steals as a freshman to 82 for Reed Sheppard. Rondo only played one more game so his steals per game rate also outranks Sheppard.

[jbcarol]

Joe Tipton@TiptonEdits

NEWS: South Carolina's leading scorer, Meechie Johnson, will enter the transfer portal, he told @On3sports.

The 6-2 guard averaged 14.1 PTS, 4.1 REB, and 2.9 AST this season.

Story: https://on3.com/college/south-carolina-gamecocks/news/south-carolina-guard-meechie-johnson-to-enter-the-transfer-portal

Jon Rothstein
@JonRothstein
South Carolina transfer Meechie Johnson has committed to Ohio State, per his IG page.
6:01 PM · Apr 2, 2024

[jbcarol]

Oscar named 2023-24 NBA G League Rookie of the Year

by: Zack Geoghegan
•

As it turns out, rebounding translates from college to the pros quite easily. Well, it does for Oscar Tshiebwe, at least.

On Tuesday afternoon, Tshiebwe was tabbed as the NBA G League Rookie of the Year for the 2023-24 season. During his rookie campaign with the Indiana Mad Ants (the Indiana Pacers' G League affiliate), Tshiebwe averaged 16.4 points and 16.1 rebounds per contest while shooting 57.4 percent from the floor across 33 combined games played (23 regular season games, 10 Showcase Cup games).

Tshiebwe set the Mad Ants' franchise record for rebounds in a single season (532) and leads the G League in double-doubles with 27, including six games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. His 28 rebounds on Nov. 22 also set a single-game franchise record while his 16.2 rebounds per outing (regular season games only) set a new G League single-season record.

After spending two incredible seasons at Kentucky — being named an All-American twice and winning the 2022 National Player of the Year — Tshiebwe went unselected in the 2023 NBA Draft but was quickly picked up by the Pacers for the NBA Summer League. He then signed a Two-Way contract with the Pacers in July and spent his rookie campaign splitting time between the NBA and the G League.

[jbcarol]

Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard both earn National Freshman of the Year awards

by: Zack Geoghegan
•

When it comes to naming the best men's college basketball freshman in the country from the 2023-24 season, you can't go wrong with either of Kentucky's impressive off-the-bench guards.

After Reed Sheppard was recognized by the USBWA as the National Freshman of the Year a couple of weeks ago (more on him in a moment), his teammate, Rob Dillingham, has now received the same honor from a different outlet.

On Tuesday afternoon, Andy Katz of NCAA.com announced that he has picked Dillingham as his choice for National Freshman of the Year.

Andy Katz's Freshman of the Year 👉 Rob Dillingham 😼

[jbcarol]

Which team in was the best in the history of Alabama hoops  

Here's our rankings

By Randy Kennedy

There's no need to wait until this weekend's Final Four to identify the place in history this Alabama basketball team should occupy. Regardless of what happens against juggernaut Connecticut Saturday night in Arizona, this is the best postseason run in Tide history. It's also the best season in program history. Postseason results are obviously a major part of these rankings, but we aren't going to let a winning streak of two or three games overshadow the accomplishments of a complete season. So, with regular season and postseason results in mind, this edition of Sensational Sports Sevens ranks the best basketball teams in Crimson Tide history:

7. The slipper fits in 2002: Antoine Pettway, wearing his famous ruby red sneakers, delivered Alabama the 2002 SEC championship with a dramatic home win over Florida. It was the Tide's first conference championship in 15 years. Behind leading scorer Erwin Dudley, Alabama finished the season with a 27-8 record and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama beat Florida Atlantic before being upset by (Stan Heath's Kent State five).

6. Historic run to the Elite Eight in 2004: There were no signs that the 2004 team coached by Mark Gottfried was going to make a postseason run. The team finished 8-8 in SEC play and lost in the second round of the conference tournament. But they got hot in the NCAA Tournament, beating No. 1 seed Stanford and defending national champion Syracuse to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. Ironically, the magic run came to an end against Connecticut in Phoenix.

5. The best game against the best team in 1976: No team has gone undefeated in college basketball since the Indiana Hoosiers accomplished the feat 48 years ago. Legendary coach Bobby Knight famously said that the closest his team came to losing was in the NCAA Tournament against Alabama. Led by Leon Douglas, the Tide went 23-5 and won the SEC championship before beating No. 3 North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament. The loss to Indiana came down to a controversial late foul call against Douglas.

...

[jbcarol]

Rece Davis believes Mark Sears is having the best season in Alabama history

by: Justin Rudolph


Would know.

Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team earned the program's first-ever Final Four appearance after beating the Clemson Tigers in the Elite Eight. A large part of the Crimson Tide's success this year is tied directly to the performance of guard Mark Sears. All of his effort and hard work have not gone unnoticed.

ESPN's Rece Davis recently appeared on The Next Round Podcast. While discussing this year's Final Four field, the college sports expert heaped some big-time praise on Sears.

"Of all of the great names that I mentioned, I think Mark Sears has had the greatest season by an Alabama basketball player ever. Maybe some old-timers are going to say Jerry Harper had a better year," said Davis. "But this guy, to me, deserves to have this jersey put in the rafters and have the number retired. Nobody else wears it anymore. He's the dude who got him over the hump, and it's a remarkable thing."

This is Sears' second year at Alabama, and he has made a significant jump from year one to year two, nearly doubling his overall production with only a four-minute increase in average minutes per game. The senior guard is averaging 20.5 points, 4.1 assists, and 1.7 steals per contest. But it's not about what he has done individually. It is more so about the fact that he has been the engine of this Alabama offense and the key to their success this year.

"There's something about this sport because there's so much emphasis placed on the tournament," he said. "Careers are made and broken by whether you succeed or fail in this one-shot deal of a tournament. There is a certain validation that comes along with making it. And with the amount of success Alabama has had historically and, more specifically, the elevated success that they've had with Nate Oats, it's a validating moment for them to make the Final Four."

[jbcarol]

Reed Sheppard named National Freshman of the Year by CBS Sports

by: Zack Geoghegan
•

On Thursday, Sheppard picked up yet another award as the country's top rookie, this one coming from Matt Norlander, Garry Parrish, and David Cobb over at CBS Sports. Those three also listed Purdue's Zach Edey as National Player of the Year and UConn's Dan Hurley as National Coach of the Year.

So far this offseason, Sheppard has already been recognized by the likes of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) as National Freshman of the Year. ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Dick Vitale have done the same, as well.

Also on Thursday, CBS Sports unveiled its three All-American Teams from the 2023-24 season, but Kentucky fifth-year guard Antonio Reeves — who has already been named a Third Team All-American by multiple outlets — did not make the cut.

During his freshman campaign, Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals in 28.9 minutes per outing. He was arguably the most efficient college player in the country with shooting clips of 53.6 percent from the field, 52.1 percent from deep, and 83.1 percent from the line.

Defensively, Sheppard's 82 steals rank second-most in Kentucky men's basketball history for a single season, trailing only Rajon Rondo and his 87 steals in 2004-05. The 6-foot-3 guard was also tabbed as the Southeastern Conference's Freshman of the Year, in addition to earning Second Team All-SEC honors.

Sheppard has yet to announce whether or not he'll put his name into the 2024 NBA Draft pool or return for a sophomore season at Kentucky.

[jbcarol]

Willie Cauley-Stein anticipates 'surreal' return to Rupp Arena: "It's a blessing."

by: Jack Pilgrim

Willie Cauley-Stein was once a First Team All-American and Defensive Player of the Year with two Final Fours in three seasons at Kentucky. His journey from four-star project to No. 6 overall draft pick is one of John Calipari's early success stories in Lexington, the 7-footer among the most beloved Wildcats to come through in recent memory.

Now, he's coming back to Rupp Arena for another run in blue and white, this time with La Familia for The Basketball Tournament in July. He'll be joining a roster that includes Eric Bledsoe, Doron Lamb and Reid Travis, among other soon-to-be-named participants.

It's an experience he's been waiting a long time for after spending nearly a decade (and counting) in the pros.

"The opportunity to be back and play in that building ten years later, it's kind of surreal," Cauley-Stein said of joining La Familia. "It's a blessing."

The former Wildcat star was with the Sacramento Kings from 2015-19, then the Golden State Warriors from 2019-20 before final stints with the Dallas Mavericks (2020-22) and Philadelphia 76ers (2022). Since then, he played one season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the G-League, then in Italy for Openjobmetis Varese (2023-24).

That's resulted in over $26 million in career earnings —

"That's where it all started. It's actually hard to put it into words what it's like playing there," Cauley-Stein said. "I haven't been back in a while, got some plans, little autograph tours, golf events I want to put on in the two weeks I was there. I want to get out in the city and see, soak up that energy again. It's one of a kind."

Cauley-Stein rolled through some of his favorite memories as a Wildcat, namely his first Big Blue Madness and the blue carpet rolled out for the program's past legends — "It was just so loud, dude." Then when Kentucky went 31-0 during the 2014-15 season, closing out a perfect regular season. Then his SEC Tournament title, winning MVP. The list goes on and on.

One of the fans' top moments during his time in blue and white? Sending Montrezl Harrell into the stands on a steal and breakaway dunk against Louisville.

He'll get to take on Harrell once again when La Familia takes on The Ville — the Cards' TBT squad, one that has also added Russ Smith and Peyton Siva.

"Bro, what? Russ and Peyton in their time were crazy. Then you old Montrezl as an older guy? They've got a squad. That's gonna be fun, it's gonna be a good matchup," he said. "... The rivalry in general with Louisville and UK, the way people get involved with that is amazing. As players, we just respect each other. ... It's gonna be cool, I haven't played against (Harrell) since 2018, 2019. It'll be cool to step back between those lines and play hard against one another again, kinda like how we did back in the day.

"The fans will definitely have a show."

We know of four former Cats set to participate, but who else could join the fold? And maybe more importantly, who would Cauley-Stein like to play with?

Anybody who was in the trenches with John Calipari and this fishbowl of a Kentucky basketball program.

"I don't even know, anybody. Shoot, just the chance to play with anybody you didn't get to play with," he said. "We all took runs at it, we all left our own personal legend there. That's going to follow anybody that comes back. It doesn't really matter who it is, we're going to gel and have a good time, just relishing in that moment."

And how about his relationship with Coach Cal, who will almost certainly be in the stands cheering his former players on this summer? That's something special in its own right.

"I always like to say about Coach Cal is how diligent he was about teaching us real-life things, real-life situations. Everybody wants to hear about getting cursed out or crazy things he said, but that's just normal coach stuff. With real life, people don't expect him to be telling us those things," Cauley-Stein said of his time with Calipari. "I don't know how many meetings we had about domestic violence, preventing it, how to prevent it. Police officers come in and tell us how to deal with situations if it ever comes up. Those are the things that stuck with my heart, the financial stuff he taught us.

"It's bigger than basketball man, that's why they call it La Familia. It's a fraternity once you go there, a family. When you go and spend your time there, put your work in at UK, he's there for you for life after. If you run into a problem after you leave there, he'll be there to give you some sort of advice or put you in a position to start working your way back up to succeed. I always appreciated that from him."

TBT comes to Rupp Arena from July 19-24. Get ready to see Willie Trill.

[jbcarol]

All-Kentucky Basketball Team of the last 33 seasons or so

Anthony Davis  '11-12  6-10 C
'12 National POY, 1st Team Consensus All-American, 1st NBA Draft Pick, Final 4 MOP, SEC POY, SEC Defensive POY, NBA 1st Team '15, 186 blocks in '12 is the UK school record by far. Davis ranks 6th in career blocks playing one season. Led UK to their last National Championship to-date. Olympic Gold Medal. Kentucky's only player on the NBA's 75th anniversary team. 8x NBA All-Star, 3x Blocks Leader, over 1,300 blocks is most by a Cat. Averaging 24 and 10 in NBA career to-date. One of the SEC players with over 15,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, and 1,500 blocked shots in league.

Oscar  '21-23  6-9 260 C
'22 National POY, 1st Team Consensus All-American, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Pete Newell Awards, NCAA Rebound Leader (15.2 rpg and first from SEC since Shaq), 3rd most Kentucky rebounds in a single season with 500+ and first to achieve that level in 70 seasons (back when over 60% of shots at a high volume were missed). SEC POY, 1st Team All-SEC, SEC All-Defensive Team. Helped UK get first NCAA appearance in the 20's. Upon return Oscar was 2nd Team Consensus All-American. 2-time All-SEC 1st Team. Playing two seasons, 6th all-time UK rebounder (952), third and fifth most in a single season (515 and 437) and most in the last 70 years. Had 28 in a single game. Former WVU 5 was 2nd team All Big 12 for Bob Huggins. Scored 1,550 points and 1,317 in 3.3 seasons without a significant post-season run.

Jamal Mashburn '90-93  6-8 SF
SEC 1993 Player of the Year/Athlete of the Year, Consensus 1st Team All-American, Helped bring UK from .500 to Final Final off of near death penalty, He is UK's 6th leading all-time scorer (1,843) playing three seasons and had the third most in a single season (767) trailing only little Jodie and of course Issel. NBA All-Star, all NBA rookie team and one of the SEC players to have over 11,000 points, 3,000 rebounds, and 2,400 assists in the NBA. 4th NBA Draft pick.

John Wall '09-10 6-3 lead guard
His UK team went 36-3 (Coming off an NIT season with BCG) losing in the Regional Finals to Hugs and West Virginia. Wall was UK's all-time leading scorer as a freshman until he was passed in the West Virginia game by Demarcus Cousins. Rupp Award Winner for College Player of the Year '10.  Consensus 1st Team All-American. SEC POY. Wall is second in single season assists (241) to Ulis. His 16 in a single game was recently passed by TyTy. 66 steals in a single season is top 10. Wall was the overall NBA number one pick, the first ever for a UK player, after one season at UK. 5x NBA All-Star. All Rookie Team... All-Defensive 2nd Team... '14 NBA Slam Dunk contest winner. Wall averages over 19 ppg and 9 apg in the league.

Tony Delk '92-96 6-2 SG
SEC POY, Final 4 MOP (led UK to first national championship in 18 seasons), Consensus 1st Team All-American, last player to lead UK in scoring three seasons, most career three-pointers in UK history (283), 5th all-time leading scorer (1,890) and the second leading scoring guard (to Bogans who started 4 seasons). Delk was second all-time at UK in steals (201) to Wayne Turner. The 16th NBA pick, Delk once scored 53 points in an NBA game.


Sheppards  '93-98 / '23-24  6-4 SG / 6-3 CG
Jeff Sheppard '93-98  6-4 SG
Most Outstanding Player of the 1998 NCAA Tournament for the Comeback Cats under Tubby Smith. The last 2-time consecutive National Champion until the Florida guys and now the UCONN guys. He took a redshirt in 1997, his senior season, to lead the '98 team to the National Title.

Reed Sheppard '23-24  6-3 CG
National Freshman of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year is one of the most popular Kentucky players of the time. 2.5 steals per game led the SEC and is second all-time at UK trailing only Rajon Rondo in his freshman season. Shot 52.1% 3P% and 83.1% FT%. Averaged 4.1 rpg, 4.5 apg and 0.7 bpg despite playing less than 29 mpg. Son of former Wildcat Women's Player Stacey Reed and the aforementioned Jeff Sheppard. There was no greater fanfare over the birth to legacy players than when Valerie Still, the all-time leading scorer at Kentucky announced the birth of her son Aaron Lock by former Kentucky stud Rob Lock.

Willie Trill Cauley-Stein '12-15  7-0 240 C
Only consensus 1st team All-American to score fewer than 10 ppg in the last 80 years. NABC and SEC Defensive POY, 2nd UK all-time blocked shots (233) and second in a single season (106). 1st Team All-SEC, 2x All-SEC Defensive Team and SEC All-Freshman Team. Rim defender was the key in Kentucky's 38-1 team in 2015 and the unlikely team making the NCAA Finals in 2014 (injured and DNP in the title game against UConn).

Tyler Ulis  '14-16  5-8 lead guard
SEC POY and Defensive POY, Consensus First Team All-American, Bob Cousy Award, and 1st Team All-SEC, '16 SEC Tournament MVP, back up (White Team) PG on UK's 38-1 team in 2015. UK's single season assist leader (246) and 10th in career assists (381) playing 1.5 seasons. He was a bench coach on Calipari's last Kentucky team.

Ron Mercer  '95-97  6-7 SG
1997 SEC Player Of the Year, Consensus First-team All-American, 6th man on UK's 1996 National Championship Team and star of the 1997 NCAA Runner-Up. His 725 points in '97 trailed only Issel, Meeks, Monk, and Grevey. His 66 steals is still top ten even after Sheppard's break out season. 6th NBA pick, NBA All-Rookie Team. Two-Time Tennessee Mr. Basketball from Nashville played his senior season at Oak Hill.

Tayshaun Prince '98-02  SEC POY, 2x 2nd Team All-American, SEC-T MVP. 8th all-time scorer at UK (1,775) and 3rd in three pointers made (204).  23rd NBA pick, 4x All-NBA Defense Team and an NBA Champ.

Keith Bogans '99-03  SEC POY, 3rd Team AP All-American, led 19-0 SEC team, UK's all-time leading scoring guard (total points with 1,923) and 4th all-time. 2nd in career 3 pointers with 254. 43rd NBA pick had an 11-year pro career.

Wayne Turner '95-99 6-2 lead guard 
UK's all-time steals leader (238) and third most in a single season to Rondo and Reed Sheppard, 4th all-time in assists (494) 2x National Champ, 1x National Runner-up, played most games of any player in NCAA history. Spurred the big 17 point comeback with under 10:00 to go in the Regional Final against #1 overall seed Duke on way to National Championship.

Jodie Meeks '07-09  Consensus 2nd team All-American, UK's single game leading scorer (54), and holds or has held single game scoring records at Thompson-Boling, Bud Walton, and as a UK player at Louisville's Freedom Hall. His scoring was not appreciated by BCG. Second most points in a single season (854) to Issel and most three-pointers in a single season (117).

[jbcarol]

Jamie Shaw
@JamieShaw5

Mark Pope and Jeff Sheppard, dad of Reed Sheppard, were teammates for two seasons at Kentucky.

They were teammates on the 1995-96 National Championship team.

(Pope is No. 41, Sheppard No. 15)

[jbcarol]

De'Aaron Fox drops 33 against Pelicans

KAT nearing return

by: Phoenix Stevens
•

Pels won 135-123 to complete the season sweep on the road. Despite the loss, however, former 'Cat De'Aaron Fox put up 33 points as he did everything in his power to get the Kings over the hump. Still, Sacramento fell short. Trey Lyles added to the effort with six points of his own. Malik Monk was out due to a knee injury.

Tonight in the NBA:
7:00 p.m. EST | Bulls @ Wizards
7:00 p.m. EST | Magic @ 76ers (Maxey)
7:30 p.m. EST | Pacers (Jackson, Tshiebwe: 2Way) @ Cavaliers
7:30 p.m. EST | Nets @ Knicks (Randle, Toppin: 2Way)
7:30 p.m. EST | Hornets (Richards) @ Celtics
8:00 p.m. EST | Lakers (Davis, Vanderbilt) @ Grizzlies
8:00 p.m. EST | Raptors (Quickley) @ Heat (Adebayo, Herro)
8:00 p.m. EST | Hawks @ Timberwolves (Towns)
8:00 p.m. EST | Nuggets (Murray) @ Spurs (Johnson)
8:00 p.m. EST | Bucks (Livingston, Washington Jr.) @ Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace, Sarr: 2Way)
8:30 p.m. EST | Pistons @ Mavericks (Washington)
10:00 p.m. EST | Rockets @ Trail Blazers (Sharpe, Hagans: 2Way)
10:00 p.m. EST | Pelicans @ Warriors
10:30 p.m. EST | Jazz @ Clippers (Boston Jr.)
10:30 p.m. EST | Suns (Booker) @ Kings (Fox, Monk, Lyles)