BY AARON BRENNER | abrenner@ledger-enquirer.com
@WarEagleExtra
AUBURN, Ala. — Thirty names were listed with the SEC men’s basketball coaches postseason awards, honoring the league’s top players, freshmen, defenders, sixth man, scholar-athlete and head coach. Not one represented Auburn.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (18.0 points, 2.1 steals) becomes the first Georgia Bulldog named SEC Player of the Year by the coaches, while Florida’s Billy Donovan earned head coach honors for the second time in three years. The league’s dean as Florida’s coach since 1996-97, Donovan hadn’t won the award in his first 14 years in Gainesville.
The SEC champion Gators had a league-leading six representatives, including Donovan, on the coaches’ postseason honors. Forward/center Erik Murphy was one of eight first-teamers, while Patric Young was named scholar-athlete of the year.
Kentucky equaled Florida’s total of five players, including four on the all-freshman team. Nerlens Noel (10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.4 blocks in 24 games before a season-ending knee injury) was named SEC Freshman and SEC Defender of the year, while sophomore Kyle Wiltjer is Sixth Man of the Year.
Auburn, who finished last place in the SEC standings, did not have a player ranked in the top seven in any major individual category. The Tigers’ top statistical player, senior guard Frankie Sullivan, was 10th in overall scoring (but 19th when factoring out non-conference games) and eighth in free-throw shooting.
The entire SEC coaches postseason awards for 2012-13:
First Team All-SEC
Trevor Releford, Alabama – G, 6-1, 195, Jr., Kansas City, Mo.
Erik Murphy, Florida – F/C, 6-10, 238, Sr., South Kingstown, R.I.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia – G, 6-5, 205, So., Greenville, Ga.
Nerlens Noel, Kentucky – F, 6-10, 228, Fr., Everett, Mass.
Johnny O’Bryant III, LSU – F, 6-9, 256, So., Cleveland, Miss.
Phil Pressey, Missouri – G, 5-11, 175, Jr., Dallas, Texas
Jordan McRae, Tennessee – G, 6-5, 178, Jr., Midway, Ga.
Elston Turner, Texas A&M – G, 6-5, 209, Sr., Sacramento, Calif.
Second Team All-SEC
Marshawn Powell, Arkansas – F, 6-7, 240, Jr., Newport News, Va.
BJ Young, Arkansas – G, 6-3, 180, So, St. Louis, Mo.
Kenny Boynton, Florida – G, 6-2, 190, Sr., Pompano Beach, Fla.
^Mike Rosario, Florida – G, 6-3, 183, Sr., Jersey City, N.J.
^Patric Young, Florida – C, 6-9, 249, Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.
Marshall Henderson, Ole Miss – G, 6-2, 175, Jr., Hurst, Texas
Murphy Holloway, Ole Miss – F, 6-7, 240, Sr., Irmo, S.C.
Laurence Bowers, Missouri – F, 6-8, 227, Sr., Memphis, Tenn.
Jarnell Stokes, Tennessee – F, 6-8, 270, So., Memphis, Tenn.
SEC All-Freshman Team
Michael Frazier II, Florida – G, 6-4, 200, Fr., Tampa, Fla.
Charles Mann, Georgia – G, 6-4, 205, Fr., Alpharetta, Ga.
^Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky – F, 7-0, 244, Fr., Olathe, Kan.
Archie Goodwin, Kentucky – G, 6-4.5, 198, Fr., Little Rock, Ark.
Nerlens Noel, Kentucky – F, 6-10, 228, Fr., Everett, Mass.
^Alex Poythress, Kentucky – F, 6-7, 239, Fr., Clarksville, Tenn.
Craig Sword, Mississippi State – G, 6-3, 189, Fr., Montgomery, Ala.
^Gavin Ware, Mississippi State – F, 6-9, 270, Fr., Starkville, Miss.
Michael Carrera, South Carolina – F, 6-5, 212, Fr., Anzoátegui, Venezuela
SEC All-Defensive Team
^Trevor Releford, Alabama – G, 6-1, 185, Jr., Kansas City, Mo.
Scottie Wilbekin, Florida – G, 6-2, 176, Jr., Gainesville, Fla.
^Patric Young, Florida – C, 6-9, 249, Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.
Nerlens Noel, Kentucky – F, 6-10, 228, Fr., Everett, Mass.
Anthony Hickey, LSU – G, 5-11, 178, So., Hopkinsville, Ky.
Reginald Buckner, Ole Miss – F, 6-9, 235, Sr., Memphis, Tenn.
^-Ties are not broken
SEC Coach of the Year: Billy Donovan, Florida
SEC Player of the Year: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Patric Young, Florida
SEC Freshman of the Year: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky
SEC Sixth-Man of the Year: Kyle Wiltjer, Kentucky
SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky