After missing one, South Carolina’s AJ Lawson makes this preseason All-SEC team
A.J. Lawson wasn’t shut out after all.
The South Carolina sophomore guard, who didn’t make the media-voted preseason All-SEC team, is one of nine players on the preseason coach-voted All-SEC team. That squad was released by the league Monday.
Lawson made the league’s all-freshman team last season after averaging over 13 points per game. He’s trending toward becoming USC’s first first round NBA draft pick since Renaldo Balkman in 2006.
“A.J.’s one of the better players in the conference, he was voted All-Rookie, one of the top five freshmen in the league. I was disappointed that he was omitted,” Martin said last month after the media-voted All-SEC team was released. “You go back, that’s four years in a row ... where we had a first-team all-league player, sixth man of the year, defensive player of the year, player of the year. I would think our guys have earned based on past results, even with A.J., his being acknowledged as one of the better freshmen in the league, I would’ve wished that he would have gotten a little more publicity and a little more respect, for lack of better words.”
Lawson led the Gamecocks with 23 points in USC’s rout of CIU in last week’s exhibition game. The regular season begins Wednesday against North Alabama.
A list of the 2020 SEC Men’s Basketball Coaches Preseason All-SEC team follows:
First Team All-SEC
Kira Lewis Jr. – Alabama
Kerry Blackshear – Florida
Andrew Nembhard – Florida
Anthony Edwards – Georgia
Ashton Hagans – Kentucky
Skylar Mays – LSU
Breein Tyree – Ole Miss
Reggie Perry – Mississippi State
A.J. Lawson – South Carolina
Second Team All-SEC
Isaiah Joe – Arkansas
Austin Wiley – Auburn
Tyrese Maxey – Kentucky
EJ Montgomery – Kentucky
Javonte Smart – LSU
Devontae Shuler – Ole Miss
Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. – Missouri
Jordan Bowden – Tennessee
Lamonté Turner – Tennessee
Savion Flagg – Texas A&M
Aaron Nesmith – Vanderbilt
