Alabama basketball dominated the 2021 SEC awards, picking up three major honors, while the Kentucky Wildcats were conspicuously absent.
It’s been a big season for Alabama basketball, whose regular-season SEC title was enhanced with a sweep of major conference awards.
The SEC dubbed Herbert Jones the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for 2021. Head coach Nate Oats was also voted Coach of the Year.
As much of a celebration as there was for Alabama, Kentucky didn’t get to share in the fun.
Alabama basketball rose while Kentucky basketball plummeted in 2021
After producing last year’s SEC Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, the Wildcats were blanked this time around. For the first time since 1989, zero Kentucky players appeared on the All-SEC first or second team.
That’s not to say the Wildcats were totally unrepresented in the annual awards. Freshman Isaiah Jackson was voted to the All-Freshman and All-Defensive teams.
It’s a reflection of Kentucky’s recent slip that no other players from the squad were recognized. For the first time in John Calipari’s tenure, the Wildcats failed to produce a winning record, finishing the regular season 9-15 overall and 8-9 in conference. You have to go back to 1989 to find another losing record for the program.
Kentucky’s loss was Alabama’s gain.
Jones made the All-SEC First Team along with John Petty Jr. Teammate Jaden Shackelford appeared as a Second Team pick.
This year’s conference title was the first for the Tide since 2002. Jones was their first player of the year since Erwin Dudley that same year. Suffice it to say it’s been a long while since they’ve had this kind of success on the basketball court. They can no look forward to the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
Second-place Arkansas also turned up with SEC Freshman of the Year Moses Moody and SEC Sixth Man of the Year JD Notae.
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