GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida men’s basketball team won big this season, earning just the third outright SEC regular-season title in school history.
As a result, the Gators made more history on Tuesday when the SEC announced its regular-season awards.
Billy Donovan, the dean of SEC coaches in his 15th season at UF, won his first SEC Coach of the Year honor in voting by league coaches. Meanwhile, senior forward Chandler Parsons became the first Gator to ever win SEC Player of the Year.
Donovan has led the Gators to two national titles and four SEC titles during his tenure, but SEC Coach of the Year had somehow eluded him until Tuesday.
“I am extremely humbled to be named SEC Coach of the Year by my peers. This league has outstanding coaches and a number of deserving candidates to win the award,’’ Donovan said. “I’m fortunate and blessed to have a great group of players, assistant coaches and staff – this honor is more a reflection of their work and effort than anything that I have done.’’
The Gators finished the regular season with an 86-76 win at Vanderbilt on Saturday, capping a 24-6 season, including a 13-3 record in the SEC. The 13 conference wins match the school record set in 2007 when the Gators won the second of back-to-back national titles.
Donovan coached in his 500th game at UF on Saturday. He now has a 355-145 record, the second-best winning percentage (.710) in league history behind legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp (.842).
Alabama coach Anthony Grant, a former assistant under Donovan, said last week that Donovan was long overdue to be named the league’s top coach.
“I think he’s been deserving for a lot of years,’’ Grant said. “I think Billy will be the first to tell you he’s not into individual accomplishments. What motivates him is his team competing for championships.”
Picked by many to win the SEC in the preseason, the Gators suffered early losses to UCF and Jacksonville. However, once the SEC schedule started, the Gators played their best basketball of the season, winning eight of their final nine conference games to edge Alabama for the league title by a game.
While Donovan pushed the right buttons from the bench, Parsons often made it happen on the court.
A versatile 6-foot-10 small forward, Parsons finished the season averaging 11.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Parsons was often at his best after missing a game due to a deep-thigh bruise at LSU on Feb. 20, averaging 15.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the final four games with the SEC title on the line.
In the final game of his home career, Parsons scored 19 points and had 11 rebounds in a 78-51 win over Alabama on Senior Night.
“I’m honored to be named the SEC Player of the Year,’’ he said. “It’s really not something I ever spent a lot of energy on and in time I may be able to process winning the award, but right now I’m focused on staying grounded and helping our team understand what we have to do to get better everyday.
“Obviously this award is handed out to a single player, but I share it proudly with my teammates and coaching staff.”
While the Gators featured three NBA lottery picks – Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah – on their back-to-back national title teams, neither of the trio captured SEC Player of the Year. All three were first team All-SEC in 2007, but Vanderbilt’s Derrick Byars was the coaches’ choice for player of the year, and Tennessee’s Chris Lofton was named player of the year by the Associated Press.
Three other Gators were honored on Tuesday. Guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton were both named All-SEC Second Team, and freshman forward/center Patric Young was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team.
Walker led the Gators in scoring at 14.5 points a game, including a 30-foot three-pointer to force a second overtime in a 104-91 win at Georgia on Jan. 25. Boynton was second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.7 points a game. Walker (60) and Boynton (63) combined to hit 123 of Florida’s 181 three-pointers during the regular season.
In his first season, Young averaged 3.3 points and 3.4 rebounds. Beyond his modest stats, Young proved to be an effective low-post defender and led all Florida freshmen by averaging 18.1 minutes per game.
The Gators return to action on Friday night in Atlanta at the SEC Tournament. Florida faces the Arkansas-Tennessee winner at 7:30 p.m. in the Georgia Dome.
First Team All-SEC
JaMychal Green, Alabama – F, 6-8, 228, Jr., Montgomery, Ala.
Chandler Parsons, Florida – F, 6-1, 218, Sr., Casselberry, Fla.
Trey Thompkins, Georgia – F, 6-10, 245, Jr., Lithonia, Ga.
Terrence Jones, Kentucky – F, 6-8, 244, Fr., Portland, Ore.
Brandon Knight, Kentucky – G, 6-3, 185, Fr., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Chris Warren, Ole Miss – G, 5-10, 168, Sr., Orlando, Fla.
Scotty Hopson, Tennessee – G, 6-7, 200, Jr., Hopkinsville, Ky.
John Jenkins, Vanderbilt – G, 6-4, 215, So., Hendersonville, Tenn.
Second Team All-SEC
Tony Mitchell, Alabama – F, 6-6, 210, So., Swainsboro, Ga.
Rotnei Clarke, Arkansas – G, 6-0, 184, Jr., Verdigris, Okla.
Kenny Boynton, Florida – G, 6-2, 183, So., Pompano Beach, Fla.
Erving Walker, Florida – G, 5-8, 171, Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Travis Leslie, Georgia – G, 6-4, 205, Jr., Decatur, Ga.
Dee Bost, Mississippi State – G, 6-2, 176, Jr., Concord, N.C.
Tobias Harris, Tennessee – F, 6-8, 226, Fr., Dix Hills, N.Y.
Festus Ezeli, Vanderbilt – C, 6-11, 255, R-Jr., Benin City, Nigeria
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt – F, 6-7, 225, Jr., Norrkoping, Sweden
SEC All-Freshman Team
Trevor Releford, Alabama – G, 6-1, 180, Fr., Shawnee Mission, Kan.
Patric Young, Florida – F/C, 6-9, 245, Fr., Jacksonville, Fla.
Terrence Jones, Kentucky – F, 6-8, 244, Fr., Portland, Ore.
Brandon Knight, Kentucky – G, 6-3, 185, Fr., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Doron Lamb, Kentucky – G, 6-4, 195, Fr., Queens, N.Y.
Ralston Turner, LSU – G, 6-6, 193, Fr., Muscle Shoals, Ala.
Bruce Ellington, South Carolina – G, 5-9, 194, Fr. Moncks Corner, S.C.
Tobias Harris, Tennessee – F, 6-8, 226, Fr., Dix Hills, N.Y.
SEC All-Defensive Team
Delvon Johnson, Arkansas – F, 6-9, 220, Sr., Chicago, Ill.
DeAndre Liggins, Kentucky – G, 6-6, 210, Jr., Chicago, Ill.
Reginald Buckner, Ole Miss – F, 6-8, 233, So., Memphis, Tenn.
Sam Muldrow, South Carolina – F/C, 6-9, 222, Sr., Florence, S.C.
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt – F, 6-7, 225, Jr., Norrkoping, Sweden
SEC Coach of the Year: Billy Donovan, Florida
SEC Player of the Year: Chandler Parsons, Florida
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Riley Benock, Mississippi State
SEC Freshman of the Year: Terrence Jones, Kentucky
SEC Sixth-Man of the Year: Brian Williams, Tennessee
SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Sam Muldrow, South Carolina
