SEC releases preseason poll, team. Here’s where the Gamecocks, Chris Silva come in

Last year, he was named the league’s co-defensive player of the year. This year, he starts with preseason recognition.

The SEC on Wednesday released both its preseason media poll and All-SEC selections. First, the good news with South Carolina: Chris Silva is on the preseason All-SEC team. He was one of 10 players to preseason player of the year votes.

The senior forward, who decided to return to the Gamecocks after testing the NBA waters, enters 2018-19 with a chance to finish among the school’s all-time top 10 in points, rebounds, blocks, free throw attempts, free throws made and games played. The SEC coaches voted Silva as the co-defensive player of the year and on the eight-player first-team in 2017-18 after he averaged 14.3 points, eight rebounds and 1.4 rebounds per game.

Silva is the first Carolina player to make the media-voted preseason All-SEC team since Devan Downey in 2009-10. (Sindarius Thornwell made the coach-voted preseason team in 2016-17.)

Silva’s Gamecocks were picked in the 11th in the preseason poll. USC returns four starters from a team that went 17-16 and finished 11th in the league.

First Team All-SEC

Daniel Gafford – Arkansas

Reid Travis – Kentucky

Tremont Waters – LSU

Chris Silva – South Carolina

Grant Williams – Tennessee

Second Team All-SEC

Bryce Brown – Auburn

Jared Harper – Auburn

Jalen Hudson – Florida

PJ Washington – Kentucky

Quinndary Weatherspoon – Mississippi State

Jontay Porter – Missouri

Admiral Schofield – Tennessee

SEC Player of the Year

Grant Williams – Tennessee

Preseason Media Poll

1. Kentucky

2. Tennessee

3. Auburn

4. Mississippi State

5. Florida

6. LSU

7. Alabama

8. Vanderbilt

9. Missouri

10. Arkansas

11. South Carolina

12. Texas A&M

13. Georgia

14. Ole Miss

This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 9:05 AM.