These 15 players are the SEC Basketball stars you have to keep an eye on when the 2020-21 season commences this November.
SEC Basketball doesn’t always get its due out of the state of Kentucky, but it remains a perennial upper echelon conference. That will remain the same in the fall when the 2020-21 season tips off.
Last season was dominated by the Wildcats, who finished the regular season with a three-game advantage over the Auburn Tigers and LSU Tigers. We’ll never know if that dominance would’ve carried over to the postseason, as the coronavirus pandemic scuttled the SEC Tournament after the first round and resulted in the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament.
John Calipari’s squad had plenty of stars, but a new season means a new batch of high-caliber players will rise to the top of the SEC. The conference’s player of the year (voted upon by the coaches), Kentucky’s Immanuel Quickley, is off to the NBA. So is the conference’s freshman of the year, Georgia Bulldogs guard Anthony Edwards. Of the players who were voted to the All-SEC First Team by the Associated Press, none are expected to be back in college next season.
There’s a serious void that needs to be filled at the top of the conference in 2020-21 and plenty of candidates who are capable of filling it. Whether it be a top player from last season who has retained their college eligibility, a transfer, a breakout player, or a star freshman, there will inevitably be new faces who will be the toast of the SEC a year from now.
Next up are the 15 best players in the conference entering the 2020-21 season. But first …
Honorable Mentions: G Scotty Pippen Jr. (Vanderbilt), G Xavier Pinson (Mizzou), F Jeremiah Tilmon (Mizzou), G A.J. Lawson (South Carolina), G Devontae Shuler (Ole Miss), G Noah Locke (Florida), F Jordan Bruner (Alabama), F Darius Days (LSU), G Keon Johnson (Tennessee)
15. C Romello White, Ole Miss
Romello White arrives at Ole Miss as a senior graduate transfer from Arizona State, where he established himself as an elite defender, offensive rebounder, and finisher at the rim. He neared double-double average territory last season in Tempe, averaging 10.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. In Oxford, White should quickly establish himself as one of the SEC’s most dominant interior presences.
14. F John Fulkerson, Tennessee
John Fulkerson lacks pizzazz, but during his first season as a starter in 2019-20, the forward demonstrated how he can contribute to every facet of the game. Fulkerson averaged 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, finishing in the top ten in the SEC in both offensive and defensive win shares. At 23 years old, he’ll bring veteran leadership to a Vols team with high expectations.
13. G Jaden Shackelford, Alabama
All eyes are on Jaden Shackelford to break out after the departure of Kira Lewis Jr., but it’s difficult to break out when you’re already a star. Shackelford averaged 15.0 points per game as a freshman, finishing third in the conference with a 35.7 percent success rate from three. If his scoring increases further in 2020-21, he’ll garner a place on the All-SEC First Team by the end of the year.
12. G John Petty Jr., Alabama
This season, John Petty Jr. will have plenty of competition in his own backcourt, from Shackelford to Villanova transfer Jahvon Quinerly. But Petty should still be the alpha of the guard trio. He averaged 14.5 points per game last season and hit an SEC-leading 44.0 percent of his threes. He needs to cut down on his 75 turnovers, but he should be one of the conference’s best scorers again.
11. G Scottie Lewis, Florida
Scottie Lewis wasn’t bad as a freshman – he was just underwhelming when considering the hype that accompanied his commitment to the Gators. He still made the conference’s All-Freshman Team and demonstrated a willingness to work hard defensively, sporting a 3.9 defensive box plus/minus, good for second in the conference. This year, he should increase his scoring into the double-digit average and his reputation will follow.
10. G Moses Moody, Arkansas
Arkansas could’ve been in line for one of their best seasons in recent program history if all of the eligible players returned for another go-around. Instead, the Razorbacks will be relying on a freshman to play a major role, one Moses Moody should be ready to handle.
With Isaiah Joe and Mason Jones no longer around, a college basketball institution turns their weary eyes towards Moody. He’s the No. 45 prospect in the Class of 2020 and the most highly-touted recruit to step foot on campus since Daniel Gafford in 2017, according to 247 Sports.
The Little Rock native can become a rare one-and-done at Arkansas. He has great size and a shooter’s touch, with the ability to rebound well and the potential to defend well too. He has the talent to make the All-SEC Freshman Team and could push for a spot on the All-SEC Second Team – he wouldn’t be on this list if he couldn’t.
Of course, having the expectations of a fanbase craving success is never easy for a teenager. How he handles that burden will determine the success of the Razorbacks this year. The thinking here? Moody will be a name known across the nation by season’s end.
9. G Sharife Cooper, Auburn
There are a lot of talented freshmen joining the SEC this season. That has allowed Sharife Cooper to slip under the radar, at least nationally.
That being said, the point guard joins Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers with a big role waiting for him. He’s the No. 24 ranked recruit in the class according to 247 Sports and he’s a big reason why Auburn finished with a top ten class nationally.
While Cooper is a good scorer, his best skill is his passing and he’s highly proficient at finding ways to get the ball to his teammates. Nevertheless, he’s going to need to score for an Auburn team returning very little from a year ago.
None of the returning players from last year’s squad averaged even five points per game. No upperclassmen are expected to be in the starting lineup and Cooper is very unlikely to be the only freshman starting on opening night. While that brings a lot of scrutiny, it can also bring a lot of opportunity for Cooper.
Auburn has finished with a winning record in each of the last four seasons under Pearl. The only way they’re extending that streak in a competitive SEC this year is if Cooper lives up to expectations from the jump.
8. G Ja’Vonte Smart, LSU
It was probably a smart decision for Ja’Vonte Smart to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to LSU for his junior season (pretty clever, huh?). He’ll now have the opportunity to establish himself as one of the best guards in both the SEC and the country.
Smart became a full-time starter as a sophomore in 2019-20. He averaged 12.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game, proving himself to be a strong all-around player. He was also durable, playing in 1,061 minutes over the course of the season.
Still, it was easy for Smart to get lost in the shuffle, at least from the perspective of a narrative – after all, senior Skylar Mays was one of the best players in the conference last season. Sharing a backcourt with Mays makes everybody look good.
When comparing the sophomore seasons of Smart and Mays, however, it’s the former that begins to show a higher ceiling. Mays was Second Team All-SEC as a junior, so that should be considered a potential floor for Smart this year.
Smart may not even be the best player on his own roster again in 2020-21 (more on that in a second). But it seems he’s just fine developing into a superstar away from the national spotlight.
7. G Jaden Springer, Tennessee
Most of the freshmen on this list tend to be Wildcats residing in Lexington, Kentucky. There will be some of those to come, but the third non-Kentucky freshman in the top ten demonstrates just how good of a job the SEC is doing recruiting in basketball.
The Vols have the potential to win the SEC based solely on their returning players, but Jaden Springer could threaten to be the top Vol by season’s end. Springer is the No. 16 prospect in the Class of 2020 and Tennessee’s best recruit in a decade (though only a hair above fellow Class of 2020 guard Keon Johnson in the rankings). Together, they help form the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation.
Springer will produce right away for Rick Barnes’ team. He should be able to pick his shots around the court and is adept at rebounding, despite being just 6-foot-4. He’s almost certainly going to spend just one year in Knoxville – odds are, he’s going to make it count.
Tennessee is a team that’s never even made the Final Four in program history. But with recruits like Springer, along with the team’s wealth of veteran returnees, this could be the year the Vols finally break their drought.
6. C Olivier Sarr, Kentucky
When Olivier Sarr announced his decision to leave Wake Forest and ultimately transfer to Kentucky, it wasn’t immediately clear if he would be eligible for the 2020-21 season. Well, he is and the SEC should be in fear of the new best big man in the conference.
Many around the country weren’t aware of Sarr over recent years because he played for some rough Demon Deacons teams, but Sarr has developed into one of the best big men in the nation. Last year, he was an All-ACC performer after averaging 13.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He was also one of the best shot blockers and best free throw shooters in the ACC, the latter a rarity for a man of his size.
Kentucky is a young team (again), so the fact that Sarr is immediately eligible is a huge boon for a squad that would’ve been in need of veteran leadership. Additionally, 7-footers don’t grow on trees, so he’s bound to make an immediate impact in the paint on both ends of the court.
A big key for the Wildcats this season will be keeping Sarr out of foul trouble, something he struggled with last season; the Wildcats don’t have a lot of big men who can spell Sarr when he can’t stay on the court.
5. G Terrence Clarke, Kentucky
Terrence Clarke is the kind of once-in-a-generation talent that can make this ranking look foolish, that would certainly come with even more hype if he wasn’t recruited by a program that will enroll an even better freshman alongside him. Regardless, Clarke’s likely lone collegiate season should be a good one.
Clarke is the No. 8 prospect in the Class of 2020 and one of the two best freshmen shooting guard prospects in the country. He has the ability to explode on offense and help as both a passer and shooter, while he has the length to be one of the top defenders in the conference. Clarke is a shooting guard by trade, but his massive 6-foot-7 stature means he can play up one or even two positions while making life difficult for opposing shooting guards who try to shoot over his outstretched arms.
As mentioned, Clarke isn’t even the best Kentucky recruit making his collegiate debut in the coming weeks. He might be the most important, though. His floor is lower than his fellow star recruit, but his ceiling may ultimately be higher if he plays his cards right. Any finish that doesn’t have an All-SEC banner attached to it will be disappointing for Clarke.
4. F Trendon Watford, LSU
Trendon Watford turned 19 years old just a few days ago. He’ll still be a teenager at the end of the season, but he’ll be a teenager with an All-SEC First Team accolade to his name.
As a freshman, Watford quickly emerged as Will Wade’s next star for the Tigers, averaging 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, earning a spot on the conference’s All-Freshman Team. The forward did all of that while being very efficient from the field, finishing sixth in the SEC with a 48.9 field goal percentage.
Watford was far from perfect as a freshman, though. He struggled immensely with turnovers, coughing the ball up 82 times over the course of the season. He also hit just 26.9 percent of his three-pointers, which is a problem when he launched 2.2 three-pointers per game – that’s not going to work again this season.
If Watford can improve upon those two problems, he’ll be arguably the best player in the conference. He already experienced a high usage last season and now there will be even more opportunities for him to make a name for himself in Baton Rouge. As he goes, the Tigers will follow; he and Smart should create a top tandem in the league.
3. G/F Yves Pons, Tennessee
If Yves Pons was put on this kind of list at this time last year, the proprietor of said list would likely be out of a job. What had Pons done to that point of his collegiate career, other than largely ride the bench in Knoxville?
Everything changed during Pons’ junior year. The Frenchman from Haiti started all 31 games he played and proved to be a durable member of the team’s core, averaging 33.9 minutes per game. On offense, Pons averaged 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, shooting 34.9 percent from three-point range. He also shot 55.5 percent from the field, finishing tenth in the SEC.
But it’s on the defensive end where Pons truly broke out. He led the SEC in blocks, swatting 2.4 shots per game. He also contributed 1.6 defensive win shares to the Vols and won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award.
Pons is never going to be the most dynamic offensive player in the world. On Tennessee, he doesn’t have to be. He’ll have Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson picking up all of the offensive slack on the roster, along with John Fulkerson’s unheralded support. Pons can simply continue to patrol the defensive end and jack up a few highly efficient shots on his way to being the most important player on one of the country’s most intriguing teams.
2. G BJ Boston, Kentucky
The hopes of Wildcat Nation rest on a highly-touted freshman, which has NEVER been the case in all of John Calipari’s years at Kentucky. This year, that freshman is BJ Boston, who appears poised to step out of the shadow of his younger high school teammate, Bronny James.
Boston is the No. 5 prospect in the country, which might be a disappointment compared to the top Kentucky prospects of recent yore, but he will likely prove to be undervalued by the end of the season. The shooting guard will likely emerge as one of the best scorers in the country, able to put the ball in the bucket in all facets of the game.
Whether or not he becomes a strong defender will likely be the biggest storyline to watch out for with the Wildcats this season. He’s long, athletic, and has a strong feel for the game. He can defend at either shooting guard or small forward, though he’ll need to get bulkier to defend against the 3 on a consistent basis. If he does so, he’ll be one of the best all-around players in the country.
Boston is only going to spend one year in college before becoming a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. If he’s going to make his lone collegiate season count, he needs to emerge as one of the best players in the sport and take Kentucky back to the Final Four.
1. F Keyontae Johnson, Florida
There’s a half-decent shot Boston occupies this space by the end of the season. But Keyontae Johnson is the best returning player in the SEC in 2020-21, so he gets the nod as the best player in the conference entering the season.
As a sophomore, Johnson emerged as a two-way star for the Florida Gators. The forward averaged 14.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, shooting 54.4 percent from the field (3rd in the SEC) and 38.0 percent from three-point range. Johnson finished in the top 15 of the SEC in both offensive rating and defensive rating.
Florida already relied on Johnson heavily. He averaged 31.3 minutes per game, which ticked up to 32.5 minutes per game during conference play. That should only increase in the coming year for the reigning All-SEC First Team forward.
The Gators did not live up to expectations last year, but that was through no fault of Johnson. He did his part and then some on both ends of the floor. That’s what was asked of him.
This season, he will be asked to lead the Gators and be not just the best player on the roster, but the best player in the conference. It should be an accomplishable task for Keyontae Johnson.