Mays, Watford Earn Postseason Accolades

On the eve of the SEC basketball tournament, two LSU Tigers earned postseason recognition from the conference.

Senior guard Skylar Mays and freshman forward Trendon Watford were both named to All-Conference teams as voted on by the league’s coaches. Mays made First Team All-SEC and was named the league’s scholar athlete of the year for the second year in a row.

In his senior season Mays is near the top of several categories among all SEC players. He is tied for eighth in the league with 16.7 points per game, fifth in both field goal percentage and free throw percentage, and fourth in steals.

Mays’ academic achievements were also recognized Monday when the College Sports Information Directors of America named him the Academic All-American for Division 1 basketball. Mays is a kinesiology major with a concentration in human movement and has a 3.93 GPA.

Watford was named to the all-freshman team. His 13.6 points per game and 7.2 rebounds puts him in the top-20 in the SEC. He is 20th in the league in scoring and sixth overall in rebounds.

Other awards handed out by the league include Kentucky coach John Calipair being named the coach of the year, while his point guard Immanuel Quickley was named player of the year; Georgia’s Anthony Edwards was voted freshman of the year; Tyson Carter of Mississippi State was named the sixth man of the year and Tennessee’s Yves Pones is the defensive player of the year.

The SEC Tournament begins Wednesday with 14-seed Vanderbilt playing 11-seed Arkansas and 13-seed Georgia playing 12-seed Ole Miss. LSU has a double bye and will play in the quarterfinals against either Vanderbilt, Arkansas or South Carolina Friday night.