Player of the Week
Cam Thomas (LSU) — In an astounding NCAA debut, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard from Chesapeake, Va., averaged 26 points, two assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (SIUE) and at Saint Louis. In the contest against SIUE, Thomas dropped 27 points and became the 13th LSU player in over 40 years to score at least 21 points in their first game. In Monday’s matchup with Southeastern Louisiana, he continued his scoring frenzy dropping four 3-Pointers and making 9-of-10 shots from the charity stripe. I think it is safe to say this kid is definitely someone to consider in frontrunning the Freshman of the Year race. Whether this Cam is a “one and done Go Pro” remains to be seen.
Who’s Hot
Tye Fagan (Georgia) — The 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior guard from Logtown, Ga., achieved not one but two career-highs with 21 points and 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes of time on the floor. After being ahead by just one point at halftime, the Bulldogs were led by a tremendous effort in Fagan who aided the 10-point season-opener victory against Florida A&M (85-75). Fagan shot 90% from the field, missing just one of his 10 attempts. Fagan, alongside teammates Sahvir Wheeler Christian Brown and Jaykwon Walton have larger-than-life sized shoes to fill looking forward: How can we avoid mentioning that UGA has lost No. 1 NBA draft pick Anthony Edwards, as well as four of the team’s six most efficient scorers from last season. As a result, Coach Tom Crean has added eight new players to his roster for this year including Virginia Tech transfer P.J. Horne.
Arkansas Razorbacks — After losing six of their top seven scorers from last season, this Arkansas team knew the 2020-21 season was going to be an uphill battle. Fortunately, though, they’re off to a great start this year with an early No. 1 conference ranking. They lead the conference in average scoring offense (105.5 PPG) and scoring margin (+47.5). They also come in at No. 1 in the SEC for offensive rebounding (49 RPG) as well as total 3-Point FG made (26).
Who’s Not:
Kentucky Wildcats — Naturally, Kentucky was marked in the top 10 of nearly everyone’s preseason rankings per usual (2nd in SEC). As always, there is lots of hype and hope surrounding John Calipari and his squad year in and year out. The intro to this season is a little different than what the Wildcats have been used to though. They dropped a tough one in their season opener against No. 7 Kansas as they suffered a three-point loss on some clutch last-second free throws by the Jayhawks; Ochai Agbaji. More significantly, in their ensuing matchup with Richmond, they were just not the same team. After playing a very subpar first half, they still led by a few points. They only got more out-of-sync as the game progressed and ended up losing by 12 points. The Wildcats have dropped to No. 20 in the recent AP Polls.
Alex Reese (Alabama) — After upholding a solid role-player type season in his junior year, the 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward has been experiencing somewhat of a slow start in his senior campaign. Compared to last season where he averaged 8.8 PPG playing 22.8 min per game, it can be argued that either Reese is underperforming or maybe it’s him being underplayed this go-around: So far this season, he’s averaging 14.5 minutes time on the floor and just 2.6 PPG including a zero-point performance in the Tide’s first outing. I have a feeling the program’s addition of junior James Rojas has something to do with Reese’s recent gameplay; or rather the lack of it. Rojas has come onto the scene for his first season after being redshirted last year due to a torn ACL.
Top 5 SEC Players to Watch
5. John Fulkerson, F, Tennessee
Fulkerson took on a much larger role last season, going from 3.1 PPG to 13.7. This isn’t the guy whose athleticism will make your jaw drop, but his positioning on the floor allows for easy mid-range jumpers as well as being a strong finisher around the rim. I feel that with having more threats surrounding him on this new Volunteers team, he will have even a larger opportunity to have another breakout season.
4. Trendon Watford, F, LSU
I love that Watford chose to return to Baton Rouge for his sophomore campaign. He’s super solid on both ends of the floor as he upheld averages of 13.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 1.7 APG as a true freshman last year. Depending on how coach Will Wade decides to utilize Watford, he can easily become the 15-point, 10-rebound guy, solidifying his stock in the running for SEC POTY.
3. BJ Boston, G, Kentucky
Looking like the Wildcats’ next one-and-done, and a potential top-10 selection in the 2021 NBA Draft, Boston is without question the top freshman in Calipari’s high-rated recruiting class, so like the rest, the pressure is on. I don’t think there will be much of an issue though as Boston displays all signs pointing to an elite player in the very near future.
2. Yves Pons, G/F, Tennessee
The reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Pons’ body positioning severely helps the Vols team defense. It also helps that the kid can usually out-jump anyone on the court. In addition, he’s also built up his 3-Point game adding to his array of athleticism and intelligence. As long as his shooting continues to develop, his chances of being selected in the first-round of the 2021 NBA Draft will only grow.
1. Keyontae Johnson, F, Florida
After averaging 14.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals last season, Johnson is highly expected to be even better this season. Even though he’s considered a one of the shorter forwards at only 6-foot-5, his strength makes up for it on the rebounding end. Also, he’s got some of the smoothest, most confident ball-handling I have seen out of a forward. He does not pose many weaknesses in his game, and if his teammates can rally around him it could be a huge year for Johnson and the Gators.