By CHARLIE PARENT & ADAM ZAGORIA
Despite chaos and controversy, Alabama star freshman Brandon Miller has been named the SEC Player of the Year.
He is the sixth Alabama player to win SEC Player of the Year and the first player since Anthony Davis to win both SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year.
Miller has been at the height of scrutiny over the last two weeks after it was reported that he was the one who brought the gun that ultimately led to the murder of Jamea Jonae Harris last month near the Alabama campus.
The 6-foot-9 forward, is averaging 18.7 points and 8.0 rebounds and is a projected NBA lottery pick. He has not been charged with any crime — and there is no evidence he will be.
Miller’s now former teammate Darius Miles and 20-year-old Michael “Buzz” Davis are facing capital murder charges.
The week after the report came out Miller scored 41 and 24 points in back-to-back games, but was not named SEC Player of the Week.
Miller continued to spark controversy in the games following, as his “pat-down” pregame handshake caused an uproar.
“I think that’s something that’s been going on all year,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. “I don’t really know. I don’t watch our introductions, I’m drawing up plays during that time. Regardless, it’s not appropriate, it’s been addressed and I can assure you it will not happen again the remainder of this year.”
Alabama (26-5, 16-2 SEC) is currently the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, and should be a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament barring any drastic losses.
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