SEC Basketball: Top 15 players entering 2020-21 season

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 21: Keyontae Johnson #11, Tre Mann #1, and Scottie Lewis #23 of the Florida Gators look on against the Utah State Aggies during the second half of the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic at BB&T Center on December 21, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

6 of 12

Jaden Springer SEC Basketball Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images /

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.

Home/SEC