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LOFTON FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC; CHISM, CREWS, SMITH ALL-FRESHMAN SQUAD
March 7, 2007
Tennessee has won seven of its eight games since Lofton returned to the lineup from an ankle injury, with four of those victories coming against ranked teams. He leads the SEC with 20.6 points per game and 3.33 3-pointers per game. He also ranks fourth in the league with 81.0 free throw percentage.
Lofton was named SEC Player of the week three times and has won the award six times in his career which is tied with Alabama's Kennedy Winston for most in SEC history. He was named first team NABC All-District 7 and ESPN.com National Player of the Week (Dec. 26)and Dick Vitale's co-National Player of the Week (Dec. 11).
On the season, the 6-foot-2 Smith is averaging 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. He was twice named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 8 after he had 13 points, seven assists (one turnover), six rebounds and two blocks in the SEC opener against Mississippi State and again on Feb. 5 after he scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting against Georgia (1/31/07). In league games, he led all SEC freshmen in assists (3.13) and steals (1.50) and is second in scoring (13.0 ppg).
A 6-9 native of Boliver, Tenn., Chism became the first Vols freshman to record a double-double since Vincent Yarbrough (22 points and 11 rebounds vs. Georgia) did it during the 1998-99 season when he had 11 points and 11 rebounds against Coppin State (11/19/06). He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 12 after he recorded his third career double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds in UT's win over 23rd-ranked Vanderbilt (2/10/07). Chism leads the Vols with 5.5 rebounds and is fourth on the squad with 9.2 points per game.
Crews, a 6-foot-7 forward, earned a starting assignment in the Vols season-opener and has won over Tennessee fans with his hustle and athleticism. He was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year by Lindy's and Athlon, the Hampton, Va., native is averaging 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Crews earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Dec. 24 after averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in victories over No. 15 Oklahoma State and Texas.
Vanderbilt University doubled up on 2007 SEC coaches' postseason awards as Kevin Stallings was chosen SEC Coach of the Year by his peers and senior guard/forward Derrick Byars was selected SEC Player of the Year by the league's coaches. Florida teammates Lee Humphrey and Chris Richard earned SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and SEC's Sixth Man of the Year honors, respectively. Arkansas' duo of Patrick Beverley and Steven Hill earned the SEC Freshman of the Year award and SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors, respectively.
Stallings led Vanderbilt (20-10, 10-6) to a second place finish in the SEC East Division and a first-round bye at the SEC Tournament. Its the Commodores first bye in the tournament since winning the overall SEC crown with a 14-2 league mark in 1993. The Commodores are a No. 2 seed for the first time since the league expanded prior to 1992. Vanderbilt won 10 league games this year for the first time since 1993.
Byars garnered SEC Player of the Year honors in leading Vanderbilt to a 20 win season and a 10-6 mark in SEC play. Byars was also a unanimous All-SEC First Team selection. Byars finished second in scoring during SEC play with 19.1 ppg.
Humphrey earned the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the second straight year, sporting a 3.68 grade-point average in Applied Physiology. He is a 2006-07 First Team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America selection. Humphrey helped SEC Champion Florida to a 26-5 mark, 13-3 in league play.
Richard won the SEC's Sixth Man of the Year award. UF's first man off the bench, Richard has been a rock for the Gators, providing defense when necessary or even giving them an offensive boost when needed. Known for being a solid post-defender, Richard also chimes in with 5.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He is hitting 66.0 percent from the floor.
Beverley was awarded the SEC Freshman of the Year award. Beverley leads all SEC freshmen in scoring, steals and minutes played. He also ranked among SEC individual leaders in eight of 13 categories, tying LSU's Glen Davis for the most in the league. Beverley was one of four unanimous picks for the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Hill earned the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award. Hill leads the league in blocked shots (3.0). Defensively, he helped limit Jermareo Davidson to 2-of-9 and 3--of-9 shooting, Glen Davis to 6-of-16, Brandon Wallace to 2-of-8 and Dwayne Curtis to 4-of-10.
A complete list of the 2007 SEC Men's Basketball postseason awards follows.
SEC COACH OF THE YEAR SEC PLAYER OF THE YEAR SEC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR SEC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR SEC SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR SEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR #-Unanimous Selection; Ties are not broken
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 Manning Scholarship Ceremony - 6/22 J.J. Clark Press Conference - 6/22 Tyler Smith Press Conference - 6/11 Bruce Pearl Press Conference - 6/11 |
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