Wall And Cousins Take Top SEC Honors

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The SEC has announced its post-season awards today and a pair of Kentucky freshmen took home the top honors among players… though there is something odd about the way it all broke down.

Point guard John Wall was the SEC coaches’ choice as the league’s “Player of the Year.”

Okay.  I can live with that.  While I think DeMarcus Cousins was a tad better (and the stats in our own “Total Package” awards back that up), Wall was a very special player.

But if Wall is the Player of the Year, how did Cousins win the coaches’ “Freshman of the Year” award?  If Wall was the best player in the league AND he’s a freshman, then it kind of stands to reason that he would also be the league’s top freshman.  Doesn’t it?

Obviously the league’s coaches were just trying to spread the wealth.  Joe the Plumber would not approve.

As for “Coach of the Year,” Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings took home that honor.  A good case could be made for either John Calipari or Bruce Pearl, but I have no problems with Stallings taking home the award.  All three coaches did stellar work this season.

Below are the SEC’s awards and honors as voted on by the coaches:



SEC Player of the Year:  John Wall, Kentucky

SEC Coach of the Year:  Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt

SEC Freshman of the Year:  DeMarcus Cousins

SEC Defensive Player of the Year:  Jarvis Varnado

SEC Sixth Man of the Year:  John Jenkins, Vanderbilt

SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year:  Ray Shipman, Florida



First Team All-SEC (complete with eight members?)

Jermaine Beal (Vanderbilt), Wayne Chism (Tennessee), DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky), Devan Downey (South Carolina), Patrick Patterson (Kentucky), Trey Thompkins (Georgia), Jarvis Varnado (MSU), and John Wall (Kentucky)



Second Team All-SEC (seriously, how are there eight members?)

Dee Bost (MSU), Courtney Fortson (Arkansas), Tasmin Mitchell (LSU), AJ Ogilvy (Vanderbilt), Jeffrey Taylor (Vanderbilt), Mikhail Torrance (Alabama), Erving Walker (Florida), and Chris Warren (Ole Miss)



All-Defensive Team

Patrick Patterson (Kentucky), Jarvis Varnado (MSU), Devan Downey (South Carolina), Sam Muldrow (South Carolina), and Jeffrey Taylor (Vanderbilt)



All-Freshman Team

Eric Bledsoe (Kentucky), Kenny Boynton (Florida), Reginald Buckner (Ole Miss), DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky), John Jenkins (Vanderbilt), Tony Mitchell (Alabama), Marshawn Powell (Arkansas), and John Wall (Kentucky)