LSU’s Angel Reese and Alexis Morris were named All-SEC first team and Flau’jae Johnson was voted the Freshman of the Year by the league’s 14 head women’s basketball coaches it was announced Tuesday.
No. 1 ranked South Carolina (29-0), No. 4 LSU (27-1) and unranked Tennessee (21-10), which finished the regular season in order as the league’s top three teams, each had two players on the eight-player All-SEC first team.
LSU was the only school to place two players on the All-SEC first team and the All-SEC Freshman team (Johnson and S’mayah Smith). It's also the 10th time in Lady Tigers history and first since 2008 that two LSU players are on the coaches All-SEC first team.
Reese and Morris became the 26th and 27th Lady Tigers to win All-SEC first team honors. Prior to this season, 25 LSU players were named All-SEC first team 43 times including five three-time first team honorees Joyce Walker (1982-83-84), Pokey Chatman (1989-90-91), Cornelia Gayden (1993-94-95), Seimone Augustus (2004-05-06) and Sylvia Fowles (2006-07-08).
Reese, a sophomore who leads the SEC in scoring (23.7 points per game) and rebounding (16 rpg) and who has 27 double-doubles this season, was also named to the All-SEC Defensive team.
However, despite Reese being named the SEC Player of the Week seven times this season (a league record), she was not voted the league’s Player of the Year.
South Carolina senior forward Aliyah Boston, last season’s national Player of the Year who averages 13.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game for the No 1 nationally ranked Gamecocks, was named the SEC Player of the Year for the second straight season. She also again won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Morris, a senior who took over the LSU starting point guard duties this season, is averaging 14.5 points (13th in the SEC) and 4.2 assists (5th in the SEC).
Johnson, the fourth LSU player to ever win SEC Freshman of the Year, was also named to the All-SEC Freshman team. Named SEC Freshman of the Week three times this season, she averages 11.6 points and 5.9 rebounds.
Smith, a reserve, averages 5.3 points, 4.5 assists and 1.4 blocks (9th in the SEC).
Here’s the complete list of conference honors:
All-SEC 1st team
Angel Reese and Alexis Morris, LSU
Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke, South Carolina
Jordan Horston and Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
Brittany Davis, Alabama
All-SEC 2nd team
Erynn Barnum, Arkansas
Aicha Coulibaly, Auburn
Diamond Battles, Georgia
Madison Scott, Ole Miss
Jessika Carter, Mississippi State
Hayley Frank, Missouri
Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina
Ciaja Harbison, Vanderbilt
All-SEC Freshman team
Flau’jae Johnson and Sa’Myah Smith, LSU
Janiah Barker and Sydney Bowles, Texas A&M
Saylor Poffenbarger, Arkansas
Debreasha Powe, Mississippi State
Ashton Judd, Missouri
Raven Johnson, South Carolina
All-SEC Defensive team
Angel Reese, LSU
Brea Beal and Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Diamond Battles, Georgia
Madison Scott, Ole Miss
Jessika Carter, Mississippi State
Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year – Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Freshman of the Year – Flau’jae Johnson, LSU
6th Woman of the Year – Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina
Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Hannah Barber, Alabama
Coach of the Year – Dawn Staley, South Carolina
