SEC basketball: All-SEC teams, preseason honors released

Nikki Chavanelleby:Nikki Chavanelle•10/19/21•

NikkiChavanelle

Ahead of the 2021-22 basketball season, the Southeastern Conference has released the preseason All-SEC teams and conference awards.

The 2021 season officially begins on Tuesday, Nov. 9. Kentucky gets the action going with a top-25 game versus Duke in primetime on ESPN.

Kentucky leads the SEC with four first and second-team selections. However, the Alabama Crimson Tide is the only team with two first-team picks.

Preseason All-SEC Team

First Team

Jaden Shackelford – Alabama
Jahvon Quinerly – Alabama
Colin Castleton – Florida
Sahvir Wheeler – Kentucky
Iverson Molinar – Mississippi State
Scotty Pippen Jr. – Vanderbilt

Second Team

Davonte Davis – Arkansas
Jabari Smith – Auburn
Keion Brooks Jr. – Kentucky
Kellan Grady – Kentucky
Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
Darius Days – LSU

Player of the Year

Scotty Pippen Jr. – Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt sophomore guard Scotty Pippen Jr. was the choice of the media for confernce Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. Pippen has been an All-SEC selection both years of his career so far. He was an All-SEC freshman in 2019 and All-SEC first-team in 2020.

Pippen is also an AP All-American for his 2020-21 performance. He finished the season second in the conference and 16th in the NCAA with 20.8 points per game. He scored at least 15 points in 11 straight games from Dec. 13 – Jan. 30 ­— the longest streak by a Vanderbilt player since John Jenkins in 2011-12.

Pippen makes Vitale’s All-American preseason list

ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale released his preseason All-American picks last week, which included Vanderbilt star Scotty Pippen Jr. amongst the group of 25.

In a controversial move, Vitale opted to exclude freshmen from his preseason All-American team in favor of veterans.

“A lot of people put freshmen on their preseason All-America teams,” Vitale wrote for ESPN. “I believe we have to see them on the collegiate court before we name them All-Americans. I’m sure you will see players like Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga, Jalen Duren of Memphis and Michigan’s Caleb Houstan on the postseason team.”