He may be small, but he has a big game and a big heart.
Kentucky sophomore guard Tyler Ulis , who is 5-foot-9, became the shortest player ever to win SEC Player of the Year honors on Tuesday. LSU’s Chris Jackson, at 6-feet, was the previous smallest winner (1989 and ’90), per Kyle Tucker of the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Kentucky freshman sharpshooter Jamal Murray joined Ulis on the All-SEC First Team, while also earning All-SEC Freshman Team honors. In addition to the SEC Player of the Year honors and First Team All-SEC honors, Ulis headlined the All-Defensive Team.
Ulis is the eighth Wildcat to win SEC Player of the Year honors as voted on by the league’s coaches and first since Anthony Davis took home the hardware in 2012. He’s the program’s fifth player selected as the top defender. Willie Cauley-Stein captured the same honor a season ago. Ulis and Davis, the former national player of the year and No. 1 overall draft pick, are the only players in league history to earn player of the year and defensive player of the year in the same season.
The 6-5 Murray is projected as the No. 7 pick in the NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com, while Ulis is projected at No. 47.
Texas A&M’s Billy Kennedy earned SEC Coach of the Year honors. LSU’s Ben Simmons was tabbed SEC Freshman of the Year and South Carolina’s Duane Notice was voted SEC Sixth Man of the Year.
A complete list of the 2016 SEC Men’s Basketball postseason awards follows:
First Team All-SEC
Retin Obasohan, Alabama – G, 6-2, 210, Sr., Antwerp, Belgium
Jamal Murray, Kentucky – G, 6-4, 207, Fr., Kitchener, Ontario
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky – G, 5-9, 160, So., Chicago, Ill.
Ben Simmons, LSU – F, 6-10, 240, Fr., Melbourne, Australia
Stefan Moody, Ole Miss – G, 5-10, 179, Sr., Kissimmee, Fla.
Michael Carrera, South Carolina – F, 6-5, 214, Sr., Anzoátegui, Venezuela
Jalen Jones, Texas A&M – G/F, 6-7, 220, Sr., Dallas, Texas
Damian Jones, Vanderbilt – C, 7-0, 245, Jr., Baton Rouge, La.
Second Team All-SEC
Moses Kingsley, Arkansas – F, 6-10, 230, Jr., Abuja, Nigeria
Dorian Finney-Smith, Florida – F, 6-8, 220, Sr., Portsmouth, Va.
J.J. Frazier, Georgia – 5-10, 155, G, Jr., Glennville, Ga.
Yante Maten, Georgia – 6-8, 240, F, So., Pontiac, Mich.
Kevin Punter Jr., Tennessee – G, 6-2, 190, Sr., Bronx, N.Y. A
lex Caruso, Texas A&M – G, 6-5, 186, Sr., College Station, Texas
Danuel House, Texas A&M – G, 6-7, 212, Sr., Fresno, Texas
Wade Baldwin IV, Vanderbilt – G, 6-3, 194, So., Belle Mead, N.J.
SEC All-Freshman Team
KeVaughn Allen, Florida – G, 6-2, 183, Fr., Little Rock, Ark.
Jamal Murray, Kentucky – G, 6-4, 207, Fr., Kitchener, Ontario
Antonio Blakeney, LSU – G, 6-4, 190, Fr., Sarasota, Fla.
Ben Simmons, LSU – F, 6-10, 240, Fr., Melbourne, Australia
Quinndary Weatherspoon, Mississippi State – G, 6-4, 202, Fr., Canton, Miss.
Kevin Puryear, Missouri – F, 6-7, 236, Fr., Blue Springs, Mo.
Tyler Davis, Texas A&M – C, 6-10, 265, Fr., Plano, Texas
DJ Hogg, Texas A&M – F, 6-8, 216, Fr., Plano, Texas
SEC All-Defensive Team
Retin Obasohan, Alabama – G, 6-2, 210, Sr., Antwerp, Belgium
Moses Kingsley, Arkansas – F, 6-10, 230, Jr., Abuja, Nigeria
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky – G, 5-9, 160, So., Chicago, Ill.
Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina – G, 6-5, 215, Jr., Lancaster, S.C.
Alex Caruso, Texas A&M – G, 6-5, 186, Sr., College Station, Texas
Luke Kornet, Vanderbilt – F, 7-1, 240, Jr., Lantana, Texas
SEC Coach of the Year: Billy Kennedy, Texas A&M
SEC Player of the Year: Tyler Ulis, Kentucky
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Retin Obasohan, Alabama
SEC Freshman of the Year: Ben Simmons, LSU
SEC Sixth-Man of the Year: Duane Notice, South Carolina
SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Tyler Ulis, Kentucky
