SEC Basketball: Ranking of top 25 players entering 2023-24 season
By Joey Loose
18. Tre Mitchell – Kentucky
Certainly well-traveled in the college basketball universe, Mitchell was A-10 Rookie of the Year and a fantastic forward at UMass before spending a season apiece at Texas and West Virginia these last two seasons. Things went poorly with the Longhorns before regaining some of his form with the Mountaineers, averaging 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season.
He’s off to school number four, though Kentucky certainly looks like the best situation of the bunch. After uncertainty at several of those programs, this tough power forward will play under John Calipari and provide a much-needed veteran presence. Mitchell has played over 100 games in his career and slides into an important frontcourt role for a Wildcats rotation that will be filled largely with underclassman.
17. Trevon Brazile – Arkansas
Brazile began his collegiate career with a very solid season at Missouri during Cuonzo Martin’s final year leading the Tigers. After those solid contributions as a freshman, he transferred over to Arkansas, staying in the SEC. Unfortunately for him, his season was cut short by injury after just nine games, though Brazile averaged 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds off the bench during that first month of the season.
Back from his torn ACL, Brazile slides into an even more important role with the Razorbacks. He’s a physical presence who will occupy plenty of space in the interior but who’s also shown the ability to step outside, hitting just under 36% of his 3-pointers in his first two collegiate seasons. When healthy, he has the potential to be one of Arkansas’s most deadly and most versatile pieces and he pairs nicely with those faces, both old and new, in the Razorbacks’ lineup.