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LSU Takes Four Top Honors From SEC Coaches

by LSUsports.net (@LSUsports)
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LSU Takes Four Top Honors From SEC Coaches

BATON ROUGE — The champions of the Southeastern Conference, the LSU Tigers, were honored Wednesday by the league coaches who honored the team with four of the major post-season honors on its All-SEC team.

LSU Coach John Brady, who led the Tigers to a 14-2 record and his second SEC Championship with a team that included seven freshman and two sophomores, was named the SEC Coach of the Year. Brady also was a consensus choice as Coach of the Year in the league in 2000 when his Tigers won their other SEC title. He is a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award as selected by Collegeinsider.com.

LSU sophomore forward Glen Davis was honored as the SEC Player of the Year, while freshman forward Tyrus Thomas was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and shared with Corey Brewer of Florida the honors as the league’s Defensive Players of the Year.

In addition, Davis and senior Darrel Mitchell were named to the All-SEC first team as chosen by the coaches (Davis was a unanimous selection) and Thomas was named to the All-SEC second team. Thomas and Tasmin Mitchell were unanimous selections to the SEC All-Freshman team.

Davis, who enters the SEC Tournament as the second leading scorer in the league and the league’s leading rebounder, adds the 2006 Player of the Year award to his 2005 Freshman of the Year selection. It marks the 10th time and the second straight year that an LSU players was chosen as the Player of the Year by one of the two major selection groups — coaches or the Associated Press media voting (scheduled to be release next Tuesday).

Davis joins Pete Maravich (1968, 1969, 1970), Chris Jackson (1989, 1990), Shaquille O’Neal (1991, 1992), Stromile Swift (2000) and Brandon Bass (2005) as players from LSU who have captured the SEC’s top honor.

In winning the Freshman of the Year honor, Thomas has kept going a unique streak that has seen LSU freshman win the award three straight years with all three being from Baton Rouge and local high schools. In 2004, Brandon Bass from Capitol High School was the league’s top freshman, followed by Davis in 2005 (University High) and now Thomas for his play that ranked him as the top scorer in the league among freshman and second overall in the league in rebounds. Thomas prepped at McKinley High before coming to Baton Rouge.

Other top honors were Lee Humphrey of Florida who was named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Eric Ferguson of Arkansas was named the SEC Sixth Man of the Year.

Besides Davis and Mitchell on the Coaches First-Team were: Jermareo Davidson and Ronald Steele of Alabama, Ronnie Brewer of Arkansas, Joakim Noah of Florida, Chris Lofton of Tennessee and Shan Foster of Vanderbilt.

On the second team with Thomas were: Jonathon Modica of Arkansas, Taurean Green and Al Horford of Florida, Rajon Rondo of Kentucky, Charles Rhodes of Mississippi State, Tarence Kinsey of South Carolina and C. J. Watson of Tennessee.

The freshman team with Tasmin Mitchell and Thomas were Alonzo Gee and Richard Hendrix of Alabama, Quantez Robertson and Rasheem Barrett of Auburn, Mike Mercer of Georgia and Jamont Gordon of Mississippi State.

The Tigers open play in the SEC Tournament at Nashville’s Gaylord Entertainment Center on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals against the winner of Thursday’s first-round game between Vanderbilt and Auburn. The game will be regionally televised by JP Sports and on the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network and in the “Geaux Zone powered by USAgencies”.

Coaches’ All-SEC Team
First Team

Jermareo Davison, Alabama — F, 6-10, 220, Jr., Atlanta, Ga.
Ronald Steele, Alabama# — G, 6-3, 185, So., Birmingham, Ala.
Ronnie Brewer, Arkansas# — G, 6-7, 217, Jr., Fayetteville, Ark.
Joakim Noah, Florida — F/C, 6-11, 227, So., New York, N. Y.
Glen Davis, LSU# — F, 6-9, 310, So., Baton Rouge, La.
Darrel Mitchell, LSU — G, 5-11, 178, Sr., St. Martinville, La.
Chris Lofton, Tennessee# — G, 6-2, 197, So., Maysville, Ky.
Shan Foster, Vanderbilt — G/F, 6-6, 190, So., Kenner, La.

Second Team
Jonathon Modica, Arkansas — G/F, 6-5, 208, Sr., Smackover, Ark.
Taurean Green, Florida — G, 6-0, 177, So., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Al Horford, Florida — F, 6-8, 235, SO., Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Rajon Rondo, Kentucky — G, 6-1, 155, So., Louisville, Ky.
Tyrus Thomas, LSU — F, 6-9, 215, Fr., Baton Rouge, La.
Charles Rhodes, Mississippi State — F, 6-8, 240, So., Jackson, Miss.
Tarence Kinsey, South Carolina — G, 6-6, 190, Sr., Tampa, Fla.
C. J. Watson, Tennessee — G, 6-2, 176, Sr., Las Vegas, Nev.

SEC All-Freshman Team
Alonzo Gee, Alabama — F, 6-6, 215, Palm Beach, Fla.
Richard Hendrix, Alabama# — F, 6-8, 265, Athens, Ala.
Quantez Robertson, Auburn — G, 6-3, 190, Cincinnati, Ohio
Rasheem Barrett, Auburn — G, 6-5, 220, Atlanta, Ga.
Mike Mercer, Georgia — G, 6-4, 195, Snellville, Ga.
Tasmin Mitchell, LSU# — F, 6-7, 230, Denham Springs, La.
Tyrus Thomas, LSU # — F, 6-9, 215, Baton Rouge, La.
Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State# — G/F, 6-4, 225, Nashville, Tenn.

SEC Coach of the Year
John Brady, LSU

SEC Player of the Year
Glen Davis, LSU

SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Lee Humphrey, Florida

SEC Freshman of the Year
Tyrus Thomas, LSU

SEC Sixth Man of the Year
Eric Ferguson, Arkansas

CO-SEC Defensive Players of the Year
Corey Brewer, Florida
Tyrus Thomas, LSU

#Unanimous Selection; Ties are not broken