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Smart, Watford on Coaches' All-SEC First Team

by Kent Lowe | Sr. Assoc. Communications Director
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Smart, Watford on Coaches' All-SEC First Team

BATON ROUGE – LSU junior guard Javonte Smart and sophomore forward Trendon Watford were named on the league coaches’ All-SEC preseason first team announced on Thursday. 

This was part of the Southeastern Conference’s 17th annual men’s basketball coaches’ poll in preparation for the 2020-21 season. 

Earlier Thursday, Smart and Watford were on the Naismith Trophy Watch List for player of the year honors in college basketball. 

Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee each have multiple selections. In all, 34 different players received votes for the coaches’ teams.

The coaches’ preseason All-SEC first and second teams consist of a minimum of eight players on each squad, voted on by the SEC basketball coaches. No ties were broken and no predicted order of finish was made.

Smart also started 30-of-31 games a year ago, averaging 34.2 minutes a game with a 12.5 points per game averaged. The Baton Rouge native posted a 3.5 rebounds per game mark and has 129 assists in the course of the season.

Watford as a freshman started 30-of-31 games last season, averaging 31.5 minutes per game. He is the Tigers’ best returning scorer at 13.6 points per game and the team’s leading rebounder a year ago at 7.2 boards a game. Watford shot 48.9 percent from the floor overall with 18 three-point field goals. 

The 2020-21 campaign begins November 25, with conference play set to begin December 29. The 2021 SEC Tournament will be March 10-14 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

A list of the 2021 SEC Men’s Basketball Coaches Preseason All-SEC team follows:

First Team All-SEC
John Petty Jr. – Alabama
Keyontae Johnson – Florida
Brandon Boston Jr. – Kentucky
Javonte Smart – LSU
Trendon Watford – LSU

AJ Lawson – South Carolina
John Fulkerson – Tennessee
Yves Pons – Tennessee 

Second Team All-SEC
Herbert Jones – Alabama
Desi Sills – Arkansas
Scottie Lewis – Florida
Olivier Sarr – Kentucky
Devontae Shuler – Ole Miss
Dru Smith – Missouri
Jermaine Couisnard – South Carolina
Savion Flagg – Texas A&M
Scottie Pippen, Jr. – Vanderbilt