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Conference awards, tourney outlooks

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By Seth Traub, Special to CNNSI.com

The regular season is over, and although there were a few surprises in the end -- namely Tennessee almost losing to Louisiana State and Vanderbilt -- everything played out relatively harmlessly.

The conference handed out its annual awards today, and surprisingly upstart Florida did not log any of the player/coach/freshman of the year awards.

Here are the first and second teams, along with those awards, and what follows is a breakdown -- by seedings -- of all 12 SEC teams heading into the tournament this weekend in Memphis, Tenn.

Player of the Year: Kelly Miller, Georgia
Freshman of the Year: Christi Thomas, Georgia
Coach of the Year: Pat Summit, Tennessee

First Team: Brandi McCain, Florida; Coco Miller, Georgia (unanimous); Kelly Miller, Georgia (unanimous; Marie Ferdinand, Louisiana State (unanimous); LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State; Kara Lawson, Tennessee; Gwen Jackson, Tennessee; Michelle Snow, Tennessee; Chantelle Anderson, Vanderbilt; Zuzana Klimesova, Vanderbilt

Second Team: Shondra Johnson, Alabama; Tombi Bell, Florida; Naomi Mobley, Florida; Tawana McDonald, Georgia; Deanna Nolan, Georgia; Jennifer Fambrough, Mississippi; Teresa Geter, South Carolina; Shaun Gortman, South Carolina; Tamika Catchings, Tennessee; Semeka Randall, Tennessee

SEC tournament

No. 1 Tennessee
2000-01 record: 27-1, 13-0 SEC
Coach: Pat Summit (755-151, 27th season)
Key Players: Gwen Jackson, C, 6-2, So, 12.4ppg, 6.8rpg; Michelle Snow, C, 6-5, Jr, 11.4ppg, 6.7rpg
Outlook: Undefeated in the SEC for the second time in four years, the Lady Vols are heavy favorites to win their fifth-straight tournament, despite losing all-American Tamika Catchings early on.

No. 2 Florida
2000-01 record: 23-4, 11-3 SEC
Coach: Carol Ross (238-108, 11th season)
Key Players: Brandi McCain, G, 5-3, Jr, 19.8ppg, 2.6rpg; Tombi Bell, G, 5-5, Sr, 12.5ppg, 5.0rpg
Outlook: Coming off their best regular season in history, the Gators are out to prove to the NCAA they can compete with the best in the country.

No. 3 Georgia
2000-01 record: 23-5, 11-3 SEC
Coach: Andy Landers (541-157, 22nd season)
Key Players: Coco Miller, G, 5-10, Sr, 16.4ppg, 4.2rpg; Kelly Miller, G, 5-10, Sr, 16.2ppg, 5.4rpg
Outlook: With the return of Deanna Nolan, and the Miller twins continuing to dominate opponents, the Bulldogs are looking to revenge their SEC losses to Florida and Tennessee

No. 4 Vanderbilt
2000-01 record: 19-8, 8-6 SEC
Coach: Jim Foster (221-90, 10th season)
Key Players: Chantelle Anderson, C, 6-6, So, 20.8ppg, 6.3rpg; Zuzana Klimesova, F, 6-2, Jr, 16.3ppg, 8.0rpg
Outlook: Perhaps the league's hottest team, the Commodores almost beat Tennessee and then defeated Georgia to secure themselves a first-round bye.

No. 5 Louisiana State
2000-01 record: 18-9, 8-6 SEC
Coach: Sue Gunter (365-195, 19th season)
Key Players:Marie Ferdinand, G, 5-9. Sr, 20.7ppg, 5.3rpg; DeTrina White, F, 5-11, Jr, 9.5ppg, 7.2rpg
Outlook: The Tiger seniors are the most successful in school history with Elite Eight and two Sweet 16 appearances, but they have yet to win an SEC tournament game.

No. 6 Arkansas
2000-01 record: 17-11, 6-8 SEC
Coach: Gary Blair (153-95, 8th season)
Key Players: Wendi Willits, G, 5-8, Sr, 13.2ppg, 3.0rpg;Lonniya Bragg, G, 5-11, Sr, 11.2ppg, 6.7rpg
Outlook: The Razorbacks have played their best games of the season towards the end of conference play. If they want to get into the Big Dance, they will need to go deep into the SEC tournament.

No. 7 South Carolina
2000-01 record: 11-16, 6-8 SEC
Coach: Susan Walvius (48-62, 4th season)
Key Players: Teresa Geter, F, 6-4, Jr, 11.6ppg, 6.5rpg; Shaun Gortman, G, 6-1, Jr, 11.3ppg, 5.2rpg
Outlook: The Gamecocks come in with their highest seed ever. They have been hurt by injuries that caused inexperienced players to take on roles they were not ready for during a tough non-conference schedule.

No. 8 Alabama
2000-01 record: 17-10, 5-9 SEC
Coach: Rick Moody (251-116, 12th season)
Key Players: LaNisha Cartwell, C, 6-2, Jr, 11.4ppg, 5.9rpg; Beth Vice, G, 5-11, So, 10.3ppg, 2.5rpg
Outlook: The Tide have played only two games this season with a full roster, and that misfortune will continue. Guard Shandra Johnson dislocated her shoulder Feb. 18 and is out for the tournament.

No. 9 Auburn
2000-01 record: 17-11, 5-9 SEC
Coach: Joe Ciampi (507-168, 22nd season)
Key Players: Tasha Hamilton, G, 5-10, Sr, 13.5ppg, 6.8rpg; Lori Nero, F, 6-2, Jr, 12.7ppg, 6.5rpg
Outlook: The Tigers look to repeat their 1997 performance, when they were a nine seed and became tournament champions. They need to win at least two games for a chance at an NCAA bid.

No. 10 Mississippi State
2000-01 record: 15-12, 4-10 SEC
Coach: Sharon Fanning (94-76, 6th season)
Key Players: LaToya Thomas, G, 6-2, So, 23.3ppg, 8.7rpg; Jennifer Fambrough, G, 6-0, Jr, 14.7ppg, 5.8rpg
Outlook: The Bulldogs are a young team that has gelled late in the season, winning their last three games, and five of the last six. Keep an eye on this team, as it has a chance to win a few.

No. 11 Mississippi 2000-01 record: 16-11, 4-10 SEC
Coach: Ron Aldy (55-59, 4th season)
Key Players: Becky Myatt, G, 5-8, Sr, 11.4ppg, 4.1rpg; Von Kirk, F, 5-10, Jr, 9.6ppg, 3.8rpg
Outlook: The Rebels' three conference road wins were a first for the team since 1994. Led by Kirk and Myatt, Mississippi is a dangerous team, but probably one that will be going home early.

No. 12 Kentucky
2000-01 record: 6-20, 2-12 SEC
Coach: Bernadette Maddox (71-98, 6th season)
Key Players: LaTonya McDole, F, 6-1, Jr, 12.6ppg, 7.1rpg; SeSe Helm, C, 6-4, Fr, 12.5ppg, 4.7rpg
Outlook: The Wildcats have advanced to at least the second round in the past two SEC tournaments. In 1999, their trip to the semifinals included a win over LSU -- their first opponent this year.

Seth Traub is a reporter for the Independent Florida Alligator, the student paper that serves the University of Florida.

 

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