By JACOB POLACHECK
After winning the SEC regular-season title by three games, the Kentucky Wildcats headlined the league’s end-of-the-season awards with Immanuel Quickley winning SEC Player of the Year and John Calipari earning the SEC Coach of the Year award Tuesday, as picked by the league’s coaches.
Quickley was joined on the All-SEC First Team by fellow Wildcat Nick Richards, while UK freshman guard Tyrese Maxey made the All-SEC Second Team. Maxey was also tabbed to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
UK guard Ashton Hagans, the 2019 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, made the SEC All-Defensive Team for a second consecutive season. Richards joined him on the five-man team.
“I’m so happy for Immanuel, Nick, Tyrese, Ashton and really all of our guys,” Calipari said. “This group has been so much fun to be around because they want to be coached and they’re all pushing one another to be better every day.”
With four players and a coach totaling eight SEC honors from the league’s coaches, UK won more league awards than any other school.
To me, these awards are as much about our team’s success than anything else,” Calipari said. “When the team succeeds, individuals benefit. When individuals sacrifice themselves for the team, everyone shares in the success. Congratulations to all of our award winners and their teammates.”
Kentucky head into the SEC tournament with a 26-5 record (15-3 SEC). They were ranked No. 8 nationally in the latest AP Poll.
Coaches SEC Awards
Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky
Player of the Year: Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Skylar Mays, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Sixth Man of the Year: Tyson Carter, Mississippi State
Defensive Player of the Year: Yves Pons, Tennessee
All-SEC First Team
Kira Lewis Jr., Alabama
Mason Jones, Arkansas
Samir Doughty, Auburn
Keyontae Johnson, Florida
Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky
Nick Richards, Kentucky
Skylar Mays, LSU
Breein Tyree, Ole Miss
Reggie Perry, Mississippi State
All-SEC Second Team
John Petty Jr., Alabama
Isaac Okoro, Auburn
Kerry Blackshear Jr., Florida
Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky
Maik Kotsar, South Carolina
John Fulkerson, Tennessee
Saben Lee, Vanderbilt
All-Freshman Team
Jaden Shackelford, Alabama
Isaac Okoro, Auburn
Scottie Lewis, Florida
Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky
Trendon Watford, LSU
Jermaine Couisnard, South Carolina
Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt
All-Defensive Team
Herbert Jones, Alabama
Isaac Okoro, Auburn
Ashton Hagans, Kentucky
Nick Richards, Kentucky
Yves Pons, Tennessee
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