Entries Tagged 'SEC' ↓

Appropriately, UK plan to use a television timeout to recognize the announcers calling the Georgia game, Tom Hammond and Rupp Runt Larry Conley. During the third TV timeout of the first half, Hammond and Conley stood to be recognized by the crowd.
Hammond and Conley are in their last season calling games for the SEC network. ESPN assumes the television rights next season and is not expected to keep the venerable crew.
Conley is completing his 22nd year on the SEC telecasts. Hammond is working his 30th season as the play-by-play man.
To mark the crew’s final game in Rupp Arena, a UK delegation led by Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart took Hammond and Conley to dinner Tuesday night.
The only other school to salute Hammond and Conley in their final season was Florida. Director of Athletics Jeremy Foley and Coach Billy Donovan sent the two a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner the night before a Florida game.

UK also planned to honor Van Florence at halftime. Florence, the basketball program’s long-time Man Friday and president of the Committee of 101 service group, is retiring.

UK planned to give Florence a retired jersey,

LSU guard Marcus Thornton was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week.

Thornton helped LSU beat Kentucky and Florida last week. Against Kentucky, he made the pass to teammate Tasmin Mitchell for the game-winning shot. He also scored 15 of his team-high 23 points in the final 9:30.

Thornton scored 32 points in the victory over Florida.

For the week, he averaged 27.5 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

The SEC named Scotty Hopson of Tennessee as its Freshman of the Week. Hopson, a native of Hopkinsville, scored a career-high 21 points in a victory over Mississippi State, then sealed a victory at Florida with a blocked shot down the stretch.

During each SEC Tournament, the league honors former standout players at member schools.

For this year’s tournament, the SEC will honor former Kentucky All-American Louie Dampier.

Here’s a news release on the 12 former players being honored at this year’s SEC Tournament in Tampa.

Vanderbilt.

2009 Chick-fil-A SEC Basketball Legends

ALABAMA – Melvin Cheatum, Forward, 1987-91

Melvin Cheatum earned first-team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches and UPI in 1991 when he averaged 16.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He helped lead the Crimson Tide to three NCAA Tournaments, two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and three SEC Tournament titles. A member of the 1988 SEC All-Freshman Team, he was also a member of the SEC All-Tournament squads in 1990 and 1991. The Winnsboro, La., native finished his career ranking 12th on Alabama’s career scoring list with 1,575 points (12.4 ppg) and 14th with 785 rebounds (6.2 rpg). A starter in 114 of his 127 career games, he led the Crimson Tide in scoring (15.7 ppg), rebounding (6.7 rpg) and field goal percentage (.518) during the 1989-90 season.

ARKANSAS – Scotty Thurman, Guard/Forward, 1993-95

A freshman All-America in 1993 and Basketball Times All-America in 1995, Scotty Thurman was a three-time first-team All-SEC selection after helping his teams go 22-9, 31-3 and 32-7 with an SEC championship, a trip to the Sweet 16 and two appearances in the championship game of the Final Four. He finished his career ranking 10th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,650 points, averaging 16.2 points for his career. The Ruston, La., native was a career 43 percent shooter from three-pointer range, including an SEC-leading 42.7 percentage in 1995. He led the team in scoring as a freshman with 17.4 points a game and in three-point shooting all three seasons. Thurman is best remembered for hitting the game-winning three-pointer in the 1994 national championship game victory over Duke.

AUBURN – Doc Robinson, Guard, 1996-2000

One of only two first-team All-Americans in Auburn history, Doc Robinson also earned honorable mention All-America honors in 1999 from the Associated Press. A two-time first team All-SEC selection, he ranks 15th on Auburn’s career scoring list with 1,332 career points, he also ranks as one of the best setup men in school history as his 568 career assists ranked third in school history. A member of the winningest senior class in school history with 85 wins, he averaged 11.5 points and 5.0 assists per game in 1999 as the Tigers went 29-4, won the SEC title and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament after receiving the school’s only No. 1 seed. As a senior, the Selma, Ala., native led the Tigers to another NCAA Tournament appearance, this time advancing to the second round. The two-time SEC Player of the Week honoree was named the Tigers’ most valuable player three consecutive seasons.

FLORIDA – Eugene McDowell, Center, 1982-85

Unquestionably one of the greatest centers in the history of Florida basketball, Cross City, Fla., native Eugene McDowell is one of the most prolific scorer’s in school history. By the time his career at Florida had ended, McDowell became the 18th Florida Gator to pass the 1,000-point plateau. Today, he ranks ninth in school history in points (1,565), second in rebounds (1,063), sixth in blocked shots (150), first in double-doubles (43) and first in minutes played (4,100). A three-time AP All-SEC choice that started every game while in uniform for UF, McDowell owns the O’Connell Center record for both scoring (40) and rebounding (21) in a single game. In fact, no Florida player has scored 40 or more points in a game since the center tallied 40 vs. Biscayne on Dec. 21, 1982. After his illustrious career at UF, McDowell was a third-round NBA draft selection by Milwaukee in 1985 and enjoyed a successful career overseas for several years thereafter.

GEORGIA – Shandon Anderson, Forward, 1992-96

Shandon Anderson won All-SEC honors in 1995 and 1996 as a slashing, lightning-fast small forward for the Georgia Bulldogs. In his final season, he was the lynchpin of the second Bulldog team ever to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Today he remains the only player in school history to have amassed 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in a career. Anderson later played 12 seasons in the NBA, helping the Miami Heat win the world championship in 2006 and twice reaching the NBA Finals as a member of the Utah Jazz. After his NBA career, Anderson returned to Athens and completed his undergraduate degree in Sociology in May of 2007.

KENTUCKY – Louie Dampier, Guard, 1965-67

A two-time All-America in 1966 (first team Associated Press) and 1967 (second team Associated Press), Louie Dampier currently ranks 12th on Kentucky’s all-time scoring list with 1,575 points. A member of Rupp’s Runts, Dampier helped lead the 1966 Kentucky squad to the SEC Championship as well as a national runner-up finish, losing in the historical championship game to Texas Western (now UTEP). The following season, the 6-foot guard led the team in scoring (20.6 ppg) en route to the school’s second straight SEC Championship. Dampier was drafted in the fourth round (38th overall) of the 1967 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals.

LSU – Ethan Martin, Guard, 1978-81

A senior point guard for LSU in 1981, Ethan Martin helped lead the Tigers on a 26-game winning streak that included winning their first 17 SEC games and garnering a national ranking that reached as high as No. 2. A consensus first team All-SEC selection and a third team All-America pick by Basketball Times in 1981, Martin averaged 11.5 points while making LSU fans go “Silly in Philly” as they advanced to the Final Four. Martin’s 190 assists that season rank as the fourth-highest total in school history. An All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches and second team all-conference pick by the media as a junior in 1980, his 11.9 points per game were highlighted by a 29-point effort against Kentucky. He ranks second in school history with 638 career assists.

OLE MISS – Keith Carter, Guard, 1995-96; 1998-99

After four years wearing the Red and Blue, Keith Carter left Ole Miss with more than just fond memories. The 1999 Associated Press All-America honorable mention team member also left his name firmly placed in the Ole Miss record books. Carter finished his career strong in 1998-99, scoring 542 points and hitting 77 three-point field goals, still the fifth-highest season total in Rebel history. His 1,682 career points ranks sixth all-time, and his 249 three-pointers set a school record at the time and still ranks second in the Rebel records. His success on the court also garnered him All-SEC first team honors and a nomination for the Naismith Player of the Year award in 1999. Carter played professional basketball in Italy for six years until moving back to Oxford, Miss., last summer. This season he joined the Ole Miss Radio Network as a basketball analyst and sideline reporter.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Tony Watts, Guard, 1989-92

A member of the 1988-89 Freshman All-SEC squad and later a second-team All-SEC selection, Tony Watts scored 1,491 points during his career– the ninth-most in school history. A four-year letterman for the Bulldogs, he averaged 19.2 points his senior campaign and is currently third in the MSU record books with 166 made three-pointers. As a senior, he also led the SEC in free throw percentage (84.4 percent). The crowning moment of his career, however, came in 1990-91 when he led the Bulldogs to a share of the overall SEC title.

SOUTH CAROLINA – Grady Wallace, Forward, 1955-57

The owner of the No. 42 jersey that hangs from the rafters of Colonial Life Arena, Grady Wallace was the first South Carolina player to have his jersey number retired. A consensus second team All-America selection in 1957, Wallace averaged an amazing 28.0 points per game in his career and led the NCAA with 31.3 points per tilt, edging out Kansas’ Wilt Chamberlain. Wallace holds down four of the top six scoring games in school history, scoring 54 points versus Georgia during his senior year.

TENNESSEE – Paul “Lefty” Walther, Forward, 1945, 1947-49

Paul Walther was a 1945 first-team All-America who also earned second-team All-America honors in 1949 by The Sporting News. A showman on the court, he was a three-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection (1945, 1948 and 1949). He helped lead the Vols to the 1945 SEC championship with an 18-5 overall record and an 8-2 mark in league play. He captained the 1949 team that went 19-7 and finished third in the SEC. He was named to the 1945 All-Madison Square Garden team after displaying skills against Rhode Island in the NIT. Nicknamed “Lefty”, he led the Vols in scoring as a junior and senior with 334 and 462 points, respectively. The Covington, Ky., native went on to play six seasons in the NBA.

VANDERBILT – Phil Cox, Guard, 1982-85

Playing in an era before the three-point shot, Phil Cox was a four-year star who set the school scoring record and still ranks third among all-time Commodore scorers with 1,724 points. The sharp-shooting guard was twice a first-team All-Southeastern Conference performer and three-times made the Academic All-SEC team. He once made 47 free throws in a row to set an SEC record.

If adversity builds character, then Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey should be much admired.

His Arkansas team fell to 1-10 in the Southeastern Conference Wednesday night. In losing to LSU 72-69, the Hogs blew an 18-point first-half lead and a 68-61 margin with five minutes to go.

Pelphrey would have suffered through the game no matter what. A case of bronchitis took his voice. So assistants filled in the speaking roles (pre- and post-game radio shows, talking to the team, post-game news conference).

Pelphrey was not expected to participate in Thursday’s SEC coaches teleconference. Associate Coach Rob Evans was scheduled to take his place.

During the LSU game, Pelphrey picked up a technical foul. That was his fifth of the season and 11th in two seasons as Arkansas coach.

Arkansas also fell to 1-5 in home SEC games. That clinched only the sixth time in 86 years that the Hogs will have had a losing home record in conference play.

As if there was any other choice, the SEC announced Monday that Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks its Player of the Week for last week.

Of course, he hit the game-winning shot against Florida and then scored 45 points (a Bud Walton Arena record) in Saturday’s victory at Arkansas.

Meeks averaged 34.0 points and 6.0 rebounds for the week.

He also became the 56th UK player to reach the 1,000 point milestone, finishing the week with 1,037 career points.

The Southeastern Conference’s modest Ratings Percentage Index should not adversely affect individual teams’ chances of receiving a NCAA Tournament bid.

That was SEC Commissioner Mike Slive’s stated view on a teleconference on Tuesday. And his view counts for a lot considering he will serve as chairman of the tournament’s Selection Committee this year.

“The committee is not going to consider Conference RPI,” Slive said. “It’s not going to be a factor.”

That’s a good thing for member schools like Kentucky since the SEC has the worst RPI of any of the six so-called “major” conferences. The league also has a losing record against the other five top conferences and a losing record against ranked teams.

Slive, who according to the rules isn’t allowed to lobby for a team in his conference, said each team will be judged on its entire season.

Slive downplayed the importance of a fast finish. Over the year, much discussion has centered on how a team fares in its last 10 games going into the post-season.

While noting that each committee member is free to give as much importance to the last 10 games as he or she wants, Slive saw nothing magical in the home stretch.

“The last 12 games can’t outweigh what a team did, particularly if successful, earlier in the season,” he said.

Since the SEC expanded to 12 schools in 1991-92, the league has received at least four NCAA Tournament bids each season. That standard might be put to the test this year, most college basketball observers believe.

Players who led their teams to victories over Kentucky won the Southeastern Conference’s Player and Freshman of the Week awards.

The SEC named South Carolina guard Devan Downey its Player of the Week. He hit the game-winning shot to give the Gamecocks a 78-77 victory over Kentucky on Saturday. He averaged 20.5 points and four assists and 3.5 steals for the week.

The SEC named Ole Miss guard Terrico White its Freshman of the Week. He led the Rebels to victories over Kentucky and Mississippi State in the week. For the week, he averaged 19.5 points and 5.0 rebounds.

Georgia plans to announce Dennis Felton is no longer its men’s basketball coach. The announcement will come at an 11 a.m. news conference.

Felton joins Alabama’s Mark Gottfried as Southeastern Conference coaches who were dismissed at mid-season.

Felton made his biggest splash last spring when he guided the underdog Bulldogs to the SEC Tournament championship.

However, Georgia never finished higher than fifth place in the SEC Eastern Division in his six seasons.

On Monday, Gottfried resigned as Alabama coach amid growing complaint.

Although Kentucky is the lone unbeaten team in Southeastern Conference play, Coach Billy Gillispie pooh-poohed the idea of being in the best position for a championship.

“We’re not in any driver’s seat,” he said. “I feel great about it. . . . (but) it means nothing to Alabama or us.”

Gillispie noted that the SEC schedule is only one-quarter played as Kentucky heads to Alabama for a game Saturday afternoon.

Alabama faces the difficult chore of replacing point guard Ronald Steele at mid-season. Steele announced earlier this week that he would not play the rest of the season because of a foot injury.

“Nobody wants to lose a main guy,” Gillispie said. But the UK coach suggested teams can rise to the occasion as Kentucky did last season when an ankle injury sidelined Patrick Patterson.

“You never know,” Gillispie said. “You never know. That’s what happens in the course of a season. Different things trigger enthusiasm.”

When it comes to Saturday’s conference opener, familiarity breeds fiercer competition.
That’s when Kentucky expects in playing Vanderbilt in Rupp Arena.
For UK, that means Southeastern Conference opponents will try to make someone other than Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks win the game.
“If you’re playing Kentucky, you’re going to do your best not to let Patrick and Jodie beat you,” UK Coach Billy Gillispie said at a Friday news conference.
While identifying a third scorer has become a frequent topic, Gillispie said he’d prefer to have several players chipping in seven or eight points a game rather than a third option contributing, say, 16 points.
“We had three scorers last year and (opponents) didn’t have to guard some players,” the UK coach said. “I wanted all five guys to have to be guarded.”
Statistically, Vanderbilt presents a difficult defensive nut to crack. The Commodores have held opponents to 35.6-percent shooting, the fourth best number in the country. Opponents average 58.4 points, which ranks 21st.
“They really do a good job not letting you have very many easy baskets,” Gillispie said. “They stay between you and the basket. That sounds simple. You have to shoot over their defense. You usually have to earn baskets.”
Meeks and Patterson expect that defense directed that them, first and foremost.
“For this team to be good, we need others (to score),” Meeks said.
The possibility of a trick defense — say a box-and-one or a triangle-and-two — has been a topic of practice conversation, Patterson said.
Patterson mentioned several teammates as possible third or fourth or fifth scorers: Ramon Harris, DeAndre Liggins, Michael Porter, Perry Stevenson, Josh Harrellson.
“It’s third time to step up and shine,” he said.
This rise-and-shine time figures to come almost daily.
While noting such games as North Carolina and Miami served as good preparation for SEC intensity, Gillispie said, “You’ve got 16 in a row now. You can’t take a day off or you get bombarded.”
Speaking of bombardment, Vanderbilt put a 93-52 whipping on Kentucky the last time the teams played.
The Cats haven’t forgotten.
“You’ve got to think about it a little bit,” Porter said. “Losing by that much is never pretty.
“Yeah, we want to get them back. But we want to win anyway.”
Wide-open SEC
Kentucky wants to get off to a good start, in part, because the SEC race appears wide open, so each victory and defeat could make a big difference.
“Anybody can get first and anybody can get last,” Porter said.
With four of the next five games on the road, UK feels added incentive to start 1-0 by beating Vanderbilt.