COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Associated Press named Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams as the SEC Coach of the Year and standout guard Wade Taylor IV as one of two unanimous selections to all-league first team on Tuesday.
Williams, in his fourth season at Texas A&M, orchestrated a historic regular season, winning 15 conference games for the first time in exactly 100 years when the original 12th Man, E. King Gill, was earning All-Southwest Conference honors on the hardwood. Just over a year earlier, Gill came out of the stands at the 1922 Dixie Classic in Dallas in case he was needed in the Aggie football team's win over mighty Centre College, thus beginning one of the most famous traditions in all of sports.
Taylor IV, a sophomore from Dallas, Texas, averaged 16.3 points, which ranked No. 5 in the SEC for the full season, while leading the league in free throws made with 152 and FT percentage with an 86.9 success rate at the line. Taylor ranked fourth in assists (126) and fifth in steals (56). Taylor IV joined Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, last year’s College Player of the Year, as the lone unanimous first-teamers.
It was Williams’ second AP SEC Coach of the Year honor in four seasons at Texas A&M. He also received the honor in his first season in Aggieland in 2019-20. Williams has now overseen the program’s top two highest AP Top 25 victories with last Saturday’s win over No. 2 Alabama and last year’s win over No. 4 Auburn at the SEC Tournament. The win over Alabama marked Texas A&M’s first-ever top-five win on its home court and the fourth-ever over a top 10-ranked opponent on its home floor.
Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference Teams
FIRST TEAM
Guard — Kobe Brown, Missouri, Sr., 6-8, 250, Huntsville, Alabama.
u-Guard — Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M, So., 6-0, 185, Dallas.
Forward — Brandon Miller, Alabama, Fr., 6-9, 200, Antioch, Tennessee.
Forward — Tolu Smith, Mississippi St., Sr., 6-11, 245, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
u-Forward — Oscar Tshiebwe, Sr., 6-9, 260, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
SECOND TEAM
Guard — Ricky Council IV, Arkansas, Jr., 6-6, 205, Durham, North Carolina.
Guard — Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee, So., 5-9, 171, Long Island, New York.
Forward — Colin Castleton, Florida, Sr., 6-11, 250, Deland, Florida.
Forward — Liam Robbins, Vanderbilt, Sr., 7-0, 250, Davenport, Iowa.
Forward — KJ Williams, LSU, Sr., 6-10, 250, Cleveland, Mississippi.
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Coach of the year — Buzz Williams, Texas A&M.
Player of the year — Brandon Miller, Alabama.
Newcomer of the year — Brandon Miller, Alabama.
___ AP All-SEC Voting Panel: Rick Bozich, WDRB-TV, Louisville, Kentucky; Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun; Travis Brown, Bryan-College Station Eagle; David Cloninger, Post & Courier; Adam Cole, Opelika-Auburn News; Clayton Collier, WATN-TV, Memphis, Tennessee; Robbie Faulk, Starkville Daily News; Aria Gerson, The Tennessean; Bob Holt, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Stefan Krajisnik, Clarion-Ledger; Dave Matter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Sheldon Mickles, Baton Rouge Advocate; Mike Rodak, al.com; Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner-Herald.
