Oscar Tshiebwe named AP SEC Player of the Year

We have entered the postseason awards circuit of the college basketball calendar. After the coaches released their honors, the Associated Press dropped their edition on Tuesday.

Not surprisingly, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe was named Player of the Year in the SEC. The West Virginia transfer enters the postseason averaging 17.3 points and 15.3 rebounds a game for the Wildcats who sit at 25-6 (14-4) and ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 under head coach John Calipari. Tshiebwe is a legitimate consensus All-American and National Player of the Year candidate. The rest of the league has been enamored with Tshiebwe’s performance on the glass this season.

“I mean, he’s arguably the best rebounder in the history of modern college basketball,” said Alabama coach Nate Oats.

Tshiebwe was a unanimous first-team All-SEC selection along with JD Notae (Arkansas) and Scotty Pippen Jr. (Vanderbilt). Meanwhile, Auburn’s Bruce Pearl took home Coach of the Year honors after leading the Tigers to their first outright regular-season conference title since 1999.

The AP did it right by only having five players on each all-conference team.

All-SEC honors

First Team

Guard — JD Notae (Arkansas)

Guard — Scotty Pippen Jr. (Vanderbilt)

Center — Walker Kessler (Auburn)

Forward — Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky)

Forward — Jabari Smith (Auburn)

Second Team

Guard — Kennedy Chandler (Tennessee)

Guard — Iverson Molinar (Mississippi State)

Center — Colin Castleton (Florida)

Forward — Tari Eason (LSU)

Forward — Jaylin Williams (Arkansas)

Individual Honors

SEC Player of the Year: Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky)

SEC Coach of the Year: Bruce Pearl (Auburn)

SEC Newcomer of the Year: Jabari Smith (Auburn)

Transfers make a splash

We are officially in the transfer portal era in college athletics. That remains 100 percent true in men’s college basketball as teams are using the waiver wire as a major tool in roster building. The All-SEC teams prove that programs must be utilizing the portal effectively.

Fifty percent of the 10 players listed all came from the transfer portal. The best players at Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, and LSU were all transfers. Meanwhile, five-star true freshmen — Kennedy Chandler and Jabari Smith — were also included.

There are now multiple ways to build a team in college basketball. However, signs are telling us that the portal better be a big part of your construction process. Especially if you are unable to successfully recruit top-20 talent.