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

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 13h13 hours ago

New Story || On eve of senior day, Alex Poythress, mom open up about 4-year journey that included pain beyond hoops. http://cjky.it/1LFNmB6

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Before she tells you about the nine-hour dialysis treatments, Regina Poythress wants to be very clear about something: Her son Alex has cherished almost every moment of his unlikely four-year Kentucky basketball career and an overwhelming majority of the Wildcats' passionate fan base has showered her boy with love.

But she also knows there are some who lash out at him, whether by screaming vitriol from the stands or spewing it across social media, because they are frustrated that the former McDonald's All American with freakish athleticism doesn't always dominate games. In fact, sometimes he seems to disappear in them.

Why? "You'll have to ask him," coach John Calipari is always saying.

"I don't have an answer," Alex Poythress said Friday.

So now, as he prepares to play his final game at Rupp Arena on Saturday against LSU, and because senior day is a time to reflect on the totality of one's career, his mother Regina is finally going to say something that's been more or less a secret during his four years in Lexington.

"He announced he was going to Kentucky in November of 2011, and I found out I had Stage 5 kidney failure two months later," she said. "Alex has been dealing with that. He's a caring person and he tries to make sure everybody's OK, so he's definitely concerned about my health. But he's never complained, never said, 'My mom has this and I'm worried.'

"We don't put that out there. It's not an excuse. We aren't complainers. Things happen and we just deal with it. But I'm just saying people don't really know Alex. He tries to keep everything in, so they just really don't know."

Poythress would have been eligible for a medical redshirt and another year.

Former Top 15 from the Class o' '12.

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 19h19 hours ago

Vols' Kevin Punter finally convinced to shut it down with fractured foot: http://bit.ly/1LFcWX6 



Staff estimates #Vols' Kevin Punter played 4-6 games with a broken foot before telling anyone. He averaged 19.8 points in those games.

Vols' Kevin Punter is flying up to his native NYC on Monday to have his foot surgically repaired.

Barnes: KP is so tough. I yelled at him for two weeks asking what was wrong, and he said it was nothing. He had a broken foot.

Barnes: I just love KP. He's a special player, a special person.

Punter: I didn't say anything about my foot until after the Kentucky game. I couldn't even take my sock off after the game.

Punter: If it was up to me, I'd still be playing. But Coach Barnes and my parents don't want me to play.

Punter: I hadn't cried since I was a little kid, but I've cried a lot the past few weeks. I'm getting all mushy-mushy. I'm being all soft.

Punter: I almost didn't even make it out of The Bronx. God works in mysterious ways. I'm a lucky guy.


Punter was not rated out of State Fair in '14.

[jbcarol]

Patrick Brown@patrickbrownTFP

Punter said his two offers out of high school were Texas Southern and Central Connecticut State. Wound up going to prep school then JuCo.

@GrantRamey ‏@GrantRamey 20h20 hours ago

@GrantRamey Retweeted Patrick Brown

Wound up at Body of Christ after his dad overheard the BoC coach talking during a recruiting trip to NYC


Then from Body of Christ to State Fair.

[jbcarol]

Michael Bonner ‏@MikeBBonner  2m2 minutes ago
Malik Newman said he hasn't thought about if this would be his last game at the Hump.

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC  55m55 minutes ago
WATCH: Kentucky's Jamal Murray appears to trip LSU's Tim Quarterman http://sec.news/1TzuS8C

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/RobDauster/status/706213945347088386

https://twitter.com/RobDauster/status/706217243844030465

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC  7h7 hours ago
Report: LSU star Ben Simmons ineligible for Wooden Award http://sec.news/1QUVaex

Jeff Goodman reports that, due to "academic-related reasons," Simmons is ineligible for this year's award.

"From what I was told, he didn't meet all of the requirements," LSU coach Johnny Jones told Goodman. "He wasn't certified by the school to be on the ballot."

Jeff GoodmanVerified account@GoodmanESPN
Hey @UKDeWaynePeevy. You got my seat ready for Saturday?

DeWayne Peevy@UKDeWaynePeevy
@GoodmanESPN My bad, I just saw your tweet. We are sold out and completely full on media seating too. We will try to accommodate you next yr

[jbcarol]

 Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 11m11 minutes ago

Skal Labissiere's last two games for Kentucky: 14.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 3.5 BPG, 13-20 from the field. Turning major corner at right time.

[jbcarol]

SEC Hoops Award Predictions: Who will win Player of the Year award?

SEC Player of the Year: Tyler Ulis, guard, sophomore, Kentucky

It's been a down year by Kentucky's lofty standards, but it's hard to imagine where the Wildcats would be without Ulis.

SEC Coach of the Year: Frank Martin, South Carolina

First Team All-SEC

Tyler Ulis, guard, sophomore, Kentucky
Jamal Murray, guard, freshman, Kentucky
Stefan Moody, guard, senior, Ole Miss
Retin Obasohan, guard, senior, Alabama
Jalen Jones, guard, senior, Texas A&M
Ben Simmons, forward, freshman, LSU
Moses Kingsley, forward, junior, Arkansas
Michael Carrera, forward, senior, South Carolina
Damian Jones, center, junior, Vanderbilt

[jbcarol]

Kevin Brockway ‏@gatorhoops 3h3 hours ago Florida, USA

Kentucky G Jamal Murray named SEC player of the week. Kentucky's Skal Labisierre, TAMU's Tyler Davis share co-freshman of week honors.

[jbcarol]

Nicole Auerbach Verified account
‏@NicoleAuerbach

Congrats to all those named to the @USATODAYsports All America teams: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2016/03/07/usa-today-sports-all-america-teams-college-basketball/81411504/ ...



SEC players included on these teams:

First team
Tyler Ulis, So., G, Kentucky — The Wildcats would be nowhere near the SEC champion team they are without their superhero, Ulis. He's averaged 16.6 points and 7.4 assists per game — more than doubling his dishes from a season ago (he also almost doubled his playing time). Ulis has been the best player in the SEC and the catalyst for so many of Kentucky's wins this season. Very few players control a game like Ulis does.

Second team
Jamal Murray, Fr., G, Kentucky

Third team
Ben Simmons, Fr., F, LSU

[jbcarol]

SEC ‏@SEC 3h3 hours ago

2016 SEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year:

TYLER ULIS, @KentuckyMBB
http://bit.ly/1Rysvwt 



Southeastern Conference unveiled its men's basketball coaches' postseason awards

First Team All-SEC
Retin Obasohan, Alabama - G, 6-2, 210, Sr., Antwerp, Belgium
Jamal Murray, Kentucky - G, 6-4, 207, Fr., Kitchener, Ontario
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky - G, 5-9, 160, So., Chicago, Ill.
Ben Simmons, LSU - F, 6-10, 240, Fr., Melbourne, Australia
Stefan Moody, Ole Miss - G, 5-10, 179, Sr., Kissimmee, Fla.
Michael Carrera, South Carolina - F, 6-5, 214, Sr., Anzoátegui, Venezuela
Jalen Jones, Texas A&M - G/F, 6-7, 220, Sr., Dallas, Texas
Damian Jones, Vanderbilt - C, 7-0, 245, Jr., Baton Rouge, La.

Second Team All-SEC
Moses Kingsley, Arkansas - F, 6-10, 230, Jr., Abuja, Nigeria
Dorian Finney-Smith, Florida - F, 6-8, 220, Sr., Portsmouth, Va.
J.J. Frazier, Georgia - 5-10, 155, G, Jr., Glennville, Ga.
Yante Maten, Georgia - 6-8, 240, F, So., Pontiac, Mich.
Kevin Punter Jr., Tennessee - G, 6-2, 190, Sr., Bronx, N.Y. A
lex Caruso, Texas A&M - G, 6-5, 186, Sr., College Station, Texas
Danuel House, Texas A&M - G, 6-7, 212, Sr., Fresno, Texas
Wade Baldwin IV, Vanderbilt - G, 6-3, 194, So., Belle Mead, N.J.

SEC All-Freshman Team
KeVaughn Allen, Florida - G, 6-2, 183, Fr., Little Rock, Ark.
Jamal Murray, Kentucky - G, 6-4, 207, Fr., Kitchener, Ontario
Antonio Blakeney, LSU - G, 6-4, 190, Fr., Sarasota, Fla.
Ben Simmons, LSU - F, 6-10, 240, Fr., Melbourne, Australia
Quinndary Weatherspoon, Mississippi State - G, 6-4, 202, Fr., Canton, Miss.
Kevin Puryear, Missouri - F, 6-7, 236, Fr., Blue Springs, Mo.
Tyler Davis, Texas A&M - C, 6-10, 265, Fr., Plano, Texas
DJ Hogg, Texas A&M - F, 6-8, 216, Fr., Plano, Texas

SEC All-Defensive Team
Retin Obasohan, Alabama - G, 6-2, 210, Sr., Antwerp, Belgium
Moses Kingsley, Arkansas - F, 6-10, 230, Jr., Abuja, Nigeria
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky - G, 5-9, 160, So., Chicago, Ill.
Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina - G, 6-5, 215, Jr., Lancaster, S.C.
Alex Caruso, Texas A&M - G, 6-5, 186, Sr., College Station, Texas
Luke Kornet, Vanderbilt - F, 7-1, 240, Jr., Lantana, Texas

SEC Coach of the Year: Billy Kennedy, Texas A&M

SEC Player of the Year:  Tyler Ulis, Kentucky

SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year:  Retin Obasohan, Alabama

SEC Freshman of the Year:  Ben Simmons, LSU

SEC Sixth-Man of the Year: Duane Notice, South Carolina

SEC Defensive Player of the Year:  Tyler Ulis, Kentucky

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 5h5 hours ago

Can you guess who was previously the shortest to win SEC Player of the Year? Three inches taller than Ulis. http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2016/03/08/uks-ulis-wins-sec-player-year/81479498/ ...

[jbcarol]

Looking back: 2016 Preseason All-SEC teams

First Team All-SEC
Name    School    Pos.    Height    Weight    Year    Hometown
Dorian Finney-Smith    Florida    F    6-8    220    Sr.    Portsmouth, Va.
Kenny Gaines    Georgia    G    6-3    205    Sr.    Atlanta, Ga.
Charles Mann    Georgia    G    6-5    215    Sr.    Alpharetta, Ga.
Skal Labissiere    Kentucky    F    6-11    225    Fr.    Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Tyler Ulis    Kentucky    G    5-9    160    So.    Chicago, Ill.
Ben Simmons    LSU    F    6-10    225    Fr.    Melbourne, Australia
Stefan Moody    Ole Miss    G    5-10    179    Sr.    Kissimmee, Fla.
Danuel House    Texas A&M    G    6-7    212    Sr.    Fresno, Texas
Damian Jones    Vanderbilt    C    7-0    245    Jr.    Baton Rouge, La.

Second Team All-SEC
Name    School    Pos.    Height    Weight    Year    Hometown
Jamal Murray    Kentucky    G    6-4    207    Fr.    Kitchener, Ontario
Alex Poythress    Kentucky    F    6-8    230    Sr.    Clarksville, Tenn.
Tim Quarterman    LSU    G    6-6    190    Jr.    Savannah, Ga.
Malik Newman    Mississippi State    G    6-3    178    Fr.    Jackson, Miss.
Craig Sword    Mississippi State    G    6-3    196    Sr.    Montgomery, Ala.
Sindarius Thornwell    South Carolina    G    6-5    215    Jr.    Lancaster, S.C.
Alex Caruso    Texas A&M    G    6-5    186    Sr.    College Station, Texas
Riley LaChance    Vanderbilt    G    6-2    182    So.    Brookfield, Wis.

http://www.secsports.com/article/14111330/preseason-all-sec-teams-announced

[jbcarol]

2016 The Sporting News All-American Team

One of the four listings the NCAA uses to determine Consensus All-Americans



First Team - Tyler Ulis UK

Second Team - Ben Simmons LS

[jbcarol]

2012 ESPN Top 100 Recruits Still in the SEC

#13 Alex Poythress  SF  Clarksville NE 5-star

Pre-season 2016 All-SEC 2nd Team

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Alex-Poythress-6286

#89

What they're saying:

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 13h13 hours ago

If you put Alex Poythress through a combine and watched only his 2016 Alabama highlights, you'd draft him in the lottery.

Strength coach Rob Harris can tell first 5 mins if Poythress is going off. "I saw a fire in his eyes that he was gonna have a helluva nite."


#19 Danuel House  SF  Sugar Land Hightower 5-star originally signed with Houston

Post-season 2016 All-SEC 2nd Team

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Danuel-House-6433

#85

What they're saying:

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 24h24 hours ago

Texas A&M envisions deep run if both stars -- Jalen Jones & Danuel House -- align: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/aggies/article/A-M-envisions-deep-run-if-both-stars-align-6883528.php ...

A&M considers Jalen Jones and Danuel House the ideal one-two senior scoring punch...

Jones, a transfer from SMU, leads A&M with 15.8 points per game. House, a transfer from the University of Houston, follows with 15.3 ppg.

Despite averaging more than 30 points together, however, House and Jones have both scored at least 20 points in the same game only twice this year, in consecutive victories over Tennessee and Florida in the middle of the season. Now would be a good time for a third, fourth or fifth along those lines, A&M coach Billy Kennedy said.

"We're going to need both of them to be big for us if we're going to win the SEC tournament," Kennedy said Wednesday. "Or if we're going to win in the NCAA Tournament."

House (6-7, 212) and Jones (6-7, 220) are similarly built and each likely will earn a shot in the NBA next season, and House described the duo as possessing "alpha dog" personalities.

"People always assume that Jalen and I have had problems with each other in our time together," House said, shaking his head. "Some people have even tried to make me look like the villain, or make him look like the villain. But we've never had any problems with each other. We're just two dudes trying to fit in and work in the system together."

House earned first team All-SEC honors last season, while Jones was on the second team. Jones was named to the coaches' All-SEC first team this season, while House landed on the second squad. A&M's 24 victories were second-most in a regular season in school history, behind the 25 of the 2006-07 team that made the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16, all without House and Jones dominating multiple games at the same time offensively.

"We have so many other guys now it's a little bit different," Kennedy said of the likes of freshmen Tyler Davis, D.J. Hogg and Admon Gilder, all capable scorers. "Scoring-wise, there has only been a couple of times when Jalen and Danuel have both had big numbers. But our team is more balanced offensively because we have a lot more weapons."

As for that whole "alpha dog" mentality for A&M's top two scorers?

"People need to take a deeper look inside of things, and understand that we're not competing against each other," House said. "We talk on the court - and we talk off the court."

[jbcarol]

SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 2h2 hours ago

AP All-SEC 1st Team:
• @Young_Moody42
• @JalenJones_21
• @BenSimmons25
• @tulis3
• @BeMore27



AP SEC Awards Player of the Year: @tulis3 Coach of the Year: @Coach_Kennedy Freshman of the Year: @BenSimmons25

2015-16 Associated Press All-SEC Honors

First Team All-SEC
u-Tyler Ulis, Kentucky, G, 5-9, So.
u-Ben Simmons, LSU, F, 6-10, Fr.
Stefan Moody, Mississippi, G, 5-10, Sr.
Jamal Murray, Kentucky, G, 6-4, Fr.
Jalen Jones, Texas A&M, G-F, 6-7, Sr.

Second Team All-SEC
Retin Obasohan, Alabama, G, 6-2, Sr.
Michael Carrera, South Carolina, F, 6-5, Sr.
Damian Jones, Vanderbilt, C, 7-0, Sr.
Kevin Punter, Tennessee, G, 6-2, Sr.
Moses Kingsley, Arkansas, F, 6-10, Jr.

Third Team All-SEC
Yante Maten, Georgia, F, 6-8, So.
J.J. Frazier, Georgia, G, 5-10, Jr.
Dorian Finney-Smith, Florida, F, 6-8, Sr.
Danuel House, Texas A&M, G, 6-7, Sr.
Alex Caruso, Texas A&M, G, 6-5, Sr.

SEC Honorable Mention
Wade Baldwin IV, Vanderbilt, G, 6-3, So.
Armani Moore, Tennessee, F, 6-4, Sr.
Gavin Ware, Mississippi State, F, 6-9, Sr.

SEC Player of the Year - Tyler Ulis, Kentucky
SEC Coach of the Year - Billy Kennedy, Texas A&M
SEC Freshman of the Year - Ben Simmons, LSU
u – unanimous choice to first team

[jbcarol]

 Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 4h4 hours ago Manhattan, NY

As Ben Simmons, Malik Newman Miss NCAAs, Will it Impact Elite Recruits Going Forward?
https://www.sny.tv/college-recruiting/news/as-ben-simmons-malik-newman-miss-ncaa-tournament-will-it-impact-elite-recruits-going-forward/167424686 ...

When Ben Simmons picked LSU and Malik Newman chose Mississippi State, both initially faced some heat over their college decisions.

Many asked: Why would potential one-and-done players pick SEC schools with no recent tradition of success over bluebloods...?

Simmons will sign with LeBron James' agent and could be in store for a sneaker contract worth $100 million, while Newman has yet to announce his future plans. He's currently projected as the No. 40 pick by DraftExpress.com.

Meantime, it remains an open question whether elite recruits will now make decisions differently based on what happened with Simmons and Newman.

"If you're the next Ben Simmons and you're looking at it, you're saying, 'Why shouldn't I go to Kentucky or Duke or some of these big-shot schools where I know we're going to win,'" ESPN's Jay Bilas said Monday on Mike & Mike.

"I may not score as many points but nobody's going to question whether I'm a winner. They're just going to talk about my talent and how good I am because nobody asked whether Karl-Anthony Towns was a winner. He didn't score as many points, grab as many rebounds, all that. Ben Simmons did some amazing things this year...Ridiculous numbers that nobody had seen before but his team didn't win and he left us with an unsatisfied feeling and questions about him, like, 'Is he all that?' And he is, he is all that."

I reached out to a mix of NBA Draft experts, high school coaches and AAU guys to see if they thought future recruits would do things differently.

Some said no and some said yes.

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com is one who doesn't think this will change much going forward...

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/BLUEChip_Miller/status/706031820962340864

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 36m36 minutes ago

New Story || In America, Kentucky is Tyler Ulis' team. But in his native Canada, the Cats are Jamal Murray's team. http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2016/03/16/uks-murray-big-hit-back-home-canada/81860756/ ... ...

TSN (Canadian ESPN) airs most UK games, will feature Murray during tourney. Nation ready to "fall in love with him."

Jamal Murray "the Canadian poster boy ... perfect person to carry that torch and continue to build basketball here."

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 6h6 hours ago

LSU forward Ben Simmons wins Wayman Tisdale Award as nation's best freshman http://sec.news/1U8jell

[jbcarol]

Jerry Tipton ‏@JerryTipton 18h18 hours ago

In addition to Simmons, USBWA Freshman All-American team includes Jamal Murray (UK), Jaylen Brown (Cal), Henry Ellenson, Marquette) .. .

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/710685041412718592

[jbcarol]

The 2011 ESPN Top 100 Recruit Who Played in the SEC in '15-16

Dorian Finney-Smith was the #18 overall player in the Class o' '11, a 5-star and he signed with VPI before transferring to Florida.

He experienced bi-annual suspensions for rules violations before becoming the team leader in his senior season.

A preseason All-SEC 1st Team projection, Finney-Smith was 2nd Team Coaches and 3rd Team Media averaging 15 and 8 and knocking down 37% from treyville.

He is considered a mid-second round pick in some NBA mock drafts.


The other '11 Class Top 100 player that signed with an SEC school was Kyle Wiltjer who was a freshman on UK's '12 National Champions averaging about 10-12 mpg.

He entered the season as a preseason Player of the Year from multiple publications.  While that has not panned out, his Gonzaga team has advanced to the Sweet 16.

[jbcarol]

SEC ‏@SEC 23h23 hours ago

Congratulations to @KentuckyMBB's Tyler Ulis, the only non-senior finalist for the Naismith trophy.
http://www.secsports.com/article/15025197/ulis-named-one-four-finalists-naismith-trophy ...

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky sophomore guard Tyler Ulis is one of four finalists for the Naismith Trophy, awarded annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the nation's most outstanding player of the year.

Ulis is a finalist along with Virginia's Malcolm Brogdon, Oklahoma's Buddy Hield and Michigan State's Denzel Valentine. Ulis is the only non-senior of the four.

Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, founder of the game of basketball, the Naismith Trophy is awarded annually to the women's and men's college basketball players of the year. This year's trophy will be presented at the Naismith Awards Brunch on April 3 in Houston, site of the Final Four.

First awarded in 1969 to UCLA's Lew Alcindor...

Ulis' 2015-16 season ended on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Chicago native posted one of the greatest all-time individual seasons for a point guard in school history while leading the Wildcats to a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship, the SEC Tournament title and a 27-9 overall record.

En route to becoming one of the nation's elite players, Ulis ended the season with 246 assists, setting the new single-season school record previously held by John Wall. Until the season's final game, Ulis had a streak of 28 consecutive games with four or more assists, the longest streak in school history since at least 1972-73.

Ulis has already been named to the Sporting News All-America First Team, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-America Second Team, and the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year by both the league's coaches and the Associated Press...

[jbcarol]

2013 ESPN Top 100 Recruits Who Played in the SEC in '15-16

#10 Kasey Hill PG Florida
Averaged less than 24 mpg for Mike White as a junior while shooting 54% FT and 30% 3s.

#25 Marcus Lee PF Kentucky
Averaged less than 22 mpg for Calipari as a junior while shooting 40% FT and averaging 6.4 and 6.

#29 Robert Hubbs III SG Tennessee
Averages 10.6 ppg in 26.7 mpg while consistently frustrating Rick Barnes.

#41 Sin Thornwell SG SC
Averaged 13.4 ppg on 33% from 3 for Frank Martin's best team there to-date.

#43 Moses Kingsley PF Ark
Kingsley was consensus 2nd Team All-SEC

#64 John Egbunu C USF -> ... -> UF
Set Florida's dunks record. Played thru injured thumb in SEC-T over Arkansas.

#79 Wes Clark  G Mizzou
Was dismissed late in the season.

#80 Tim Quarterman G LSU
Averaged 11 ppg for an underachieving LSU team.

#81 Damian Jones PF Vandy
Projected 1st round pick was often in foul trouble. Coaches 1st Team All-SEC

#100 Shannon Hale PF Bama
Averaged just under 11 and 3 for new coach Avery Johnson.

[jbcarol]

2014 ESPN Top 100 Recruits Who Played in the SEC in '15-16

#23 Devin Robinson SF Florida
Averaged 9 and 5.7 in 23 mpg for Mike White

#25 Tyler Ulis PG Kentucky
SEC Player of the Year and Defensive POY

#35 Brandone Francis (Ramirez) SG Florida
Played about 10-12 mpg for Mike White averaging 2 and 1 while hitting 17% from 3.

#37 Craig Victor II PF Arizona -> LSU
The Arizona transfer averaged 11.5 and 5.6 in 27 mpg for Johnny Jones

#45 Chris Chiozza PG Florida
Averaged 7 ppg and 4.3 apg in 24 mpg for Mike White while hitting 32% from 3.

#53 Jakeenan Gant PF Mizzou
Averaged 5 and 4 for Mizzou in 15.6 mpg for Kim Anderson.

#60 Elbert Robinson III C LSU
Averaged 2 and 2 in almost 10-12 mpg for Johnny Jones.

#63 Alex Robinson PG A&M
Averaged 5.2 ppg and 2.6 apg for Billy Kennedy.

#68 Trayvon Reed C AU
The 7'2" big sat '15-16 out after doing some off-season jail time in Maryland.

#76 Justin Coleman PG Bama
Averaged 8 ppg and 3.2 apg for Avery Johnson

#90 Anton Beard PG Ark
Averaged 7 and 2 for Mike Anderson in 21 mpg after early suspension

#93 Riley Norris SF Bama
Averaged 7.5 ppg and 5.3 rpg

#96 Riley LaChance PG Vandy
All-SEC freshman with 12 ppg fell off in '15-16 with 7 ppg on 36% from 3 and 25 mpg.

[jbcarol]

2015 ESPN Top 50 Recruits Who Played in the SEC in '15-16

1 Ben Simmons PF LSU
All-SEC and SEC Freshman of the Year. Historic 19.2 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 4.8 apg, 2 spg.

2 Skal Labissiere C Kentucky
Averaged 6.6 and 3 for Calipari

10 Malik Newman SG Mississippi State
Averaged 11 and 3 for Howland.  Like Skal, did not make All-SEC Freshman Team.

13 Isaiah Briscoe PG Kentucky
Averaged 9.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1 spg, while hitting 13.5 3P% and 46% FT.
Like Newman and Skal, did not make All-SEC Freshman team.

15 Antonio Blakeney SG LSU
All-SEC Freshman, 12.6 ppg and 0.9 apg on 33.5 3P%. Tied up in UofL scandal.

19 PJ Dozier PG South Carolina
Did not make All-SEC Freshman. 6.7 ppg and 2.1 apg in 19 mpg

27 Tyler Davis C A&M
All-SEC Freshman, 11.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.1 bpg on 65.5 FG%

31 Elijah Thomas C A&M
Averaged almost 10-12 mpg and transferred in Dec. to Clemson

35 DJ Hogg SF A&M
All-SEC Freshman Team member averaged 6.2 ppg in 18 mpg and 33 3P%
Jeff Goodman thinks he's '16 A&M's NBA player

39 Brandon Sampson SG LSU
Averaged 4 ppg in 13.2 mpg with under 27 3P%.

42 Charles Matthews SG Kentucky
Averaged about 10-12 mpg in relief of Ulis-Murray-Briscoe.

49 Isaac Humphries C Kentucky
Australian 17-year-old who reclassified and played sparingly despite the Skal bust.
He is one of two Kentucky players to not declare for the draft along with fellow ANZ native Tai Wynward, as they are too young.

Note: 5-star Canadian SG Jamal Murray was also a junior in 2015 and was not ranked by ESPN.  He reclassified after big performances for the Canadian National Team last spring and got on with Kentucky.  He was 1st Team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/713556455429914624

https://twitter.com/Swipathef0x/status/713533487043575808

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 14h14 hours ago

Jeff Goodman Retweeted Bruin Life!

Best PG crop in a decade coming in next year. De'Aaron Fox, Dennis Smith, Lonzo Ball, Frank Jackson, Markelle Fultz.

[jbcarol]

Coaches First Team All-SEC ESPN Recruiting Ratings

Retin Obasohan, Alabama - G, 6-2, 210, Sr., Antwerp, Belgium '11 2-star, not ranked

Jamal Murray, Kentucky - G, 6-4, 207, Fr., Kitchener, Ontario '15/16 5-star, not ranked

Tyler Ulis, Kentucky - G, 5-9, 160, So., Chicago, Ill.                 '14 5-star, #25             
Ben Simmons, LSU - F, 6-10, 240, Fr., Melbourne, Australia      '15 5-star, #1

Stefan Moody, Ole Miss - G, 5-10, 179, Sr., Kissimmee, Fla. '11 not rated FAU, JuCo

Michael Carrera, South Carolina - F, 6-5, 214, Sr., Venezuela '12 2-star, not ranked

Jalen Jones, Texas A&M - G/F, 6-7, 220, Sr., Dallas, Texas '10 2-star SMU -> A&M

Damian Jones, Vanderbilt - C, 7-0, 245, Jr., Baton Rouge, La.   '13 4-star, #81

3 of 7 were Top 100 (Murray reclassified late and was not included in '15 Top 100)

4 of 8 are international players.

2 of 8 are transfers.

[jbcarol]

Gonzaga Basketball ‏@ZagMBB 15h15 hours ago

Tough end to a fantastic season. 28-8. #UnitedWeZag



Kyle Wiltjer was a 2011 #19, 5-star to Kentucky. 

He was a consensus All-American last season for Gonzaga.

[jbcarol]

Coaches Second Team All-SEC ESPN Recruiting Ratings

Second Team All-SEC
Moses Kingsley, Arkansas - F, 6-10, 230, Jr., Abuja, Nigeria       '13 #43, 4-star

Dorian Finney-Smith, Florida - F, 6-8, 220, Sr., Portsmouth, Va. '11 #18, 5-star to VPI

J.J. Frazier, Georgia - 5-10, 155, G, Jr., Glennville, Ga.              '13, NR 2-star

Yante Maten, Georgia - 6-8, 240, F, So., Pontiac, Mich.             '14, NR 3-star

Kevin Punter Jr., Tennessee - G, 6-2, 190, Sr., Bronx, N.Y.         '14, NR State Fair CC

Alex Caruso, Texas A&M - G, 6-5, 186, Sr., College Station, Texas '12, #100 4-star

Danuel House, Texas A&M - G, 6-7, 212, Sr., Fresno, Texas       '12, #19 5-star to UH

Wade Baldwin IV, Vanderbilt - G, 6-3, 194, So., Belle Mead, N.J. '13, #80 4-star

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts ‏@NextCats 2h2 hours ago

NEW: A player-by-player look at the 2012 McDonald's All-American Game. Where are they now? How many are in the NBA? http://bit.ly/1USBsa8

14 of 24 All-Americans from 2012 are still playing college basketball

Noel, Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield among 2012 recruits who weren't in game

More than half of the players from the McDonald's Game in 2012 are still in college four years later, some who made the early jump to the NBA are already out of the league, and none can be considered stars at the highest level.

The 2012 game included two future Kentucky Wildcats — Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress — and other big-name high school players such as Shabazz Muhammad, Kyle Anderson, Isaiah Austin and Anthony Bennett.

Anthony Bennett
Kentucky seemed like a possible destination for Bennett late in the recruiting process, but he ended up at UNLV and averaged 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as a freshman. He then declared for the NBA Draft and was shockingly the No. 1 overall pick in 2013, chosen by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Pro ball: 1.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 4.4 mpg for Raptors this season

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/714881799730671617

[jbcarol]

HS Ratings for SEC AP Honorable Mention (not already honorably mentioned)

Armani Moore, Tennessee, F, 6-4, Sr.        '12 2-star, not ranked

Gavin Ware, Mississippi State, F, 6-9, Sr.   '12 3-star, not ranked

[jbcarol]

HS Recruiting Ratings for the SEC All-Freshman Team

KeVaughn Allen, Florida - G, 6-2, 183, Fr., Little Rock, Ark.  #56, 4-star

Jamal Murray, Kentucky - G, 6-4, 207, Fr., Kitchener, Ontario  5-star, not ranked (NR)

Antonio Blakeney, LSU - G, 6-4, 190, Fr., Sarasota, Fla.       #15, 5-star

Ben Simmons, LSU - F, 6-10, 240, Fr., Melbourne, Australia  #1, 5-star

Quinndary Weatherspoon, Miss. St. - G, 6-4, 202, Fr., Canton, Miss.  4-star, NR

Kevin Puryear, Missouri - F, 6-7, 236, Fr., Blue Springs, Mo.   NR

Tyler Davis, Texas A&M - C, 6-10, 265, Fr., Plano, Texas       #27, 4-star

DJ Hogg, Texas A&M - F, 6-8, 216, Fr., Plano, Texas              #35, 4-star


Notable absences:

#2 Skal Labissiere   UK

#10 Malik Newman  MS

#13 Isaiah Briscoe   UK

#19 PJ Dozier          SC

#31 Elijah Thomas   A&M

#39 Brandon Sampson  LSU

#42 Chaz Matthews  UK

#49 Isaac Humphries UK

#61 Horace Spencer AU

#66 Danjel Purifoy   AU

#68 Admon Gilder   A&M (Good performance in the NCAA-T comeback)

#70 Kevar. Hayes     UF

[jbcarol]

He's got game.

Was on fire against Buckeyes.

[jbcarol]

McDonald's All-American Game: fans of the other 13 Southeastern Conference schools didn't have much reason to pay attention

That's not great for a conference looking to improve its status nationally.

Last year, the SEC had Antonio Blakeney and Ben Simmons (Louisiana State), P.J. Dozier (South Carolina) and Malik Newman (Mississippi State) at the McDonald's game. (In addition to UK's Isaiah Briscoe).

Some good news for the league: There are nine players in the Scout.com Top 100 who have signed with SEC schools for next season. Auburn has the highest-rated of those prospects (Mustapha Heron at No. 23).

[jbcarol]

Coach John Lucas ‏@CoachJohnLucas1 19h19 hours ago

It really disappoints me watching these young players play. They don't understand how easy the game can b. Most of them try 2 do 2 much.

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio 11h11 hours ago

Thon Maker is declaring for the NBA Draft that he may not actually be eligible for instead of college which he also may not be eligible for

Fran Fraschilla ‏@franfraschilla 7h7 hours ago

Had Thon Maker at @UAbasketball AA Camp. Good kid, great energy, good length. No NBA skill to hang hat on yet.   ...

[jbcarol]

Some of the Top 100 recruits in the 2016 class who have committed to SEC schools:

4. Bam Adebayo      High Point Christian          UK

7. De'Aaron Fox       Cypress Lakes                  UK

8. Malik Monk          Bentonville                       UK

15. Wenyen Gabriel  Wilbraham & Monson        UK

25. Mustapha Heron  West Haven Sacred Heart  AU

27. Sacha Killeya-Jones  Virginia Episcopal        UK

33. Mario Kegler       Oak Hill                           MS

48. Robert Williams  North Caddo                     A&M

54. Braxton Key       Oak Hill                           Bama

56. Eli Wright           Owensboro 22ft Academy   MS

62. Schnider Herard  Prestonwood Christian       MS

73. Abdulhakim Ado  Hamilton Heights Christian  MS

80. Tyree Crump      Bainbridge                         UGa

83. Sedee Keita       Philadelphia 22ft Academy  SC

89. JJ Caldwell      Houston SATCH Homeschool  A&M

95. Jared Harper     Atlanta Pebblebrook            AU


Listing before Spring Signing period

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/ArRecruitingGuy/status/717412319647522816

[jbcarol]

Skal Labissiere is signing with an agent and will remain in the NBA Draft

This is unequivocally the right decision, and understanding why is quite simple: Skal had a pretty bad year all things considered, and he's still projected in many spots as a lottery pick. That means that he's guaranteed to making many millions of dollars while he works out with coaches and trainers and professional teammates to get better at the things that he needs to improve on.

The other option?

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 7h7 hours ago Croton-on-Hudson, NY

With Tyler Ulis Headed to the NBA, De'Aaron Fox Now Has 'Keys to the Program'
https://www.sny.tv/college-recruiting/news/with-kentuckys-tyler-ulis-headed-to-the-nba-deaaron-fox-now-has-keys-to-the-program/170933574?tcid=tw_article_170933574 ...

"I'm happy for him of course," Fox, the 6-foot-3 guard out of Katy (TX) Cypress Lakes told Evan Daniels of Scout.com at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Ore. "He had a fantastic year this year but other than that, with him leaving that's basically just giving me the keys to the program. If Isaiah [Briscoe] comes back, we'll be the point guards next year. Tyler's a great player and it's big shoes to fill."

Sources said Briscoe, the former Roselle (N.J.) Catholic star, is expected to go through the NBA Draft evaluation process and then make a decision from there.

So far, Ulis, Jamal Murray and big man Skal Labissiere have declared for the Draft...

Fox is already projected as the No. 4 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com, but said he doesn't feel any pressure to follow in the line of Calipari point guards that includes Tyreke Evans, John Wall, Brandon Knight, Marquis Teague and now Ulis.

"No, I don't feel any pressure," he said...

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 4h4 hours ago

Josh Pastner recruited 15 Top 100 kids in 7 years at Memphis — and 10 of them were ranked in the Top 50. Also make some mistakes.

Georgia Tech is going to be terrible next season. Lose top four scorers. Major rebuilding job for Pastner.

What I will say about Josh Pastner to Georgia Tech is that it's a MUCH better fit for him than Memphis was. Not even close.

[jbcarol]

 Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio Apr 8

Aaron Harrison on the active roster and may play tonight for Charlotte Hornets

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 6h6 hours ago

John Calipari says four Wildcats shouldn't have left for NBA http://sec.news/22kpGod

Calipari's comments created plenty of speculation on social media as to who those four players were. According to Zagoria, Daniel Orton, Archie Goodwin, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Teague and Doron Lamb received the most mentions on Twitter.

[jbcarol]

HS Recruiting Ratings for the 2016 SEC All-Defensive Team

Retin Obasohan, Alabama - G, 6-2, 210, Sr., Antwerp, Belgium
'11 2-star, not ranked

Moses Kingsley, Arkansas - F, 6-10, 230, Jr., Abuja, Nigeria
'13 4-star, #43 in US

Tyler Ulis, Kentucky - G, 5-9, 160, So., Chicago, Ill.
'14 5-star, #25 in US

Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina - G, 6-5, 215, Jr., Lancaster, S.C.
'14 4-star, #41 in US

Alex Caruso, Texas A&M - G, 6-5, 186, Sr., College Station, Texas
'12 4-star, #100 in US

Luke Kornet, Vanderbilt - F, 7-1, 240, Jr., Lantana, Texas
'13 3-star, not ranked

[jbcarol]

Skal Alert:

Jonathan Givony
‏@DraftExpress

NBA scouts I've spoken to who have watched him extensively just don't see the incredible upside the internet claims Thon Maker possesses.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/722238732708012032

Calipari thinks Briscoe should shoot them underhanded like NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, who posted a career free-throw percentage of 89 percent in 14 seasons between the NBA and ABA.

Briscoe shot 43 percent from the line in his freshman season.

Barry's son, Canyon, is actually considering transferring to Florida and Ole Miss, among others, after three seasons at the College of Charleston.

Canyon, like his father, also shoots free throws underhanded.