In March the SEC ended in improbable fashion with Vanderbilt knocking off Kentucky for the conference title. The world was righted when Kentucky once again assumed juggernaut form in the NCAA tourney on their way to the national title. After they cut down the nets Kentucky went home with the trophy, and now the conference seeks a new identity. The SEC is primed for a shakeup the likes of which they haven’t seen in many years.
THE TEAMS
The new guys: Missouri and Texas A&M will be making their SEC debuts. Of course Missouri – who was knocked off by No. 15 seed Norfolk State – is entering having lost five of their top seven players to graduation. And adding to the new look will be a slew of transfers into the program. A&M, for their part, loses three starters from what was a very disappointing team.
THE PLAYERS
The early exits: No conference lost as much as the SEC in terms of players jumping early to the NBA draft. In all, twelve players left, which is four more than any other conference. Kentucky lost their entire starting lineup. Mississippi State lost their best player (Arnett Moultrie) and their most-famous-for-all-the-wrong-reasons player (Renardo Sidney). Florida (Brad Beal) and Vanderbilt (John Jenkins) both lost their best players. LSU lost Justin Hamilton. Bama lost Tony Mitchell. And Texas A&M lost Khris Middleton.
The transfers: Anthony Gill and Damontre Harris (South Carolina), Kadeem Green (Mizzou), Charles Hankerson (Bama), Naji Hibbert (A&M), Rodney Hood (Mississippi State), Jamal Jones and Dundrecous Nelson (Ole Miss),Willy Kouassi and Josh Langford and Cedric McAfee and Bernard Morena (Auburn), Julysses Nobles (Arkansas), Walter Pitchford (UF), Ralston Turner (LSU), Wes Washpun and Renaldo Woolridge (UT)
The seniors: Those that played at least 40% of their team’s minutes: Darius Miller (UK), Erving Walker (UF), Jeffery Taylor, Lance Goulbourne, Brad Tinsley, Steve Tchiengang and Festus Ezeli (Vanderbillt), Cameron Tatum (Tennessee), JaMychal Green (Bama), Terrance Henry (Ole Miss), Dee Bost and Brian Bryant (Mississippi State), Storm Warren (LSU), Michael Sanchez (Arkansas), Gerald Robinson and Dustin Ware (Georgia), Kenny Gabriel (Auburn) and Malik Cooke (South Carolina).
All-SEC teams:
1st Team (returning players in bold)
Anthony Davis, Kentucky
John Jenkins, Vanderbilt
Kenny Boynton, Florida
Dee Bost, Mississippi State
Brad Beal, Florida
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky
2nd Team
BJ Young, Arkansas
JaMychal Green, Alabama
Trevor Releford, Alabama
Erving Walker, Florida
Doron Lamb, Kentucky
Terrance Jones, Kentucky
Jerron Maymon, Tennessee
Justin Hamilton, LSU
Terrance Henry, Ole Miss
All-Freshman Team
Brad Beal, Florida
BJ Young, Arkansas
Anthony Hickey, LSU
Rodney Hood, Mississippi State
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia
Anthony Davis, Kentucky
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky
Jarnell Stokes, Tennessee
All-Defensive Team
Anthony Davis, Kentucky
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
Reginald Buckner, Ole Miss
Damontre Harris, South Carolina
THE COACHES
LSU: Trent Johnson (OUT), Johnny Jones (IN)
Mississippi State: Rick Stansbury (OUT), Rick Ray (IN)
South Carolina: Darrin Horn (OUT), Frank Martin (IN)
