Quickley Named SEC Player of the Year; Calipari Selected Coach of the Year

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After winning the Southeastern Conference regular-season cro­­wn by three games, the Kentucky men’s basketball team headlined the league’s end-of-the-season awards with Immanuel Quickley winning SEC Player of the Year and John Calipari earning SEC Coach of the Year distinction, as picked by the league’s coaches.

Four Kentucky players and Calipari were decorated with SEC honors following a 26-5 regular season that included a 15-3 league record, an 8-2 record on the road and a top-10 national ranking.

Quickley was joined on the All-SEC First Team by Nick Richards while freshman guard Tyrese Maxey made the All-SEC Second Team. Maxey was also tabbed to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Ashton Hagans, the 2019 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, made the SEC All-Defensive Team for a second consecutive season. Richards joined him on the five-man team.

With four players and a coach totaling eight SEC honors, UK won more league awards than any other school.

All 14 conference head coaches voted on the league’s All-SEC squads. Ties were not broken.

Quickley and Richards were joined on the nine-man All-SEC First Team by Kira Lewis Jr. (Alabama), Mason Jones (Arkansas), Samir Doughty (Auburn), Keyontae Johnson (Florida), Skylar Mays (LSU), Breein Tyree (Ole Miss) and Reggie Perry (Mississippi State).

Maxey was a member of the eight-man All-SEC Second Team, which included John Petty Jr. (Alabama), Isaac Okoro (Auburn), Kerry Blackshear Jr. (Florida), Anthony Edwards (Georgia), Maik Kotsar (South Carolina), John Fulkerson (Tennessee) and Saban Lee (Vanderbilt).

A list of the conference’s SEC awards is below.

Quickley is the ninth players in school history to win the coaches’ SEC Player of the Year award and the fifth in 11 seasons under Calipari, who captured his fourth SEC Coach of the Year award at Kentucky. It’s Calipari’s 10th season in 28 years as a college head coach he’s won conference coach of the year honors.

With three Wildcats on the coaches’ All-SEC teams, Calipari has now coached 28 players (29 total honors) who have earned All-SEC first or second team accolades. At least one player has been named to the All-SEC Freshman Team in each of Calipari’s 11 seasons, including 27 total.

Nine players have earned 11 SEC All-Defensive honors under Calipari’s watch.

Nate Sestina was named to the SEC Community Service Team last week for his exemplary service in the community.

All-SEC First Team

Kira Lewis Jr., Alabama

Mason Jones, Arkansas

Samir Doughty, Auburn

Keyontae Johnson, Florida

Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky

Nick Richards, Kentucky

Skylar Mays, LSU

Breein Tyree, Ole Miss

Reggie Perry, Mississippi State

All-SEC Second Team

John Petty Jr., Alabama

Isaac Okoro, Auburn

Kerry Blackshear Jr., Florida

Anthony Edwards, Georgia

Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky

Maik Kotsar, South Carolina

John Fulkerson, Tennessee

Saben Lee, Vanderbilt

All-Freshman Team

Jaden Shackelford, Alabama

Isaac Okoro, Auburn

Scottie Lewis, Florida

Anthony Edwards, Georgia

Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky

Trendon Watford, LSU

Jermaine Couisnard, South Carolina

Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt

All-Defensive Team

Herbert Jones, Alabama

Isaac Okoro, Auburn

Ashton Hagans, Kentucky

Nick Richards, Kentucky

Yves Pons, Tennessee

Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky

Player of the Year: Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Skylar Mays, LSU

Freshman of the Year: Anthony Edwards, Georgia

Sixth Man of the Year: Tyson Carter, Mississippi State

Defensive Player of the Year: Yves Pons, Tennessee