The SEC released its All-Conference teams voted on by the league’s coaches on Wednesday afternoon with three Tennessee players represented.
Point guard Zakai Zeigler was a First Team All-SEC selection while shooting guard Chaz Lanier landed on the Second Team. Both Zeigler and senior guard Jahmai Mashack landed on the All-SEC Defensive Team.
Zeigler and Lanier each earned additional honors with the league’s coaches naming Zeigler the Defensive Player of the Year and Lanier the SEC Newcomer of the Year. This is the first year that the SEC has honored a newcomer of the year in addition to a freshman of the year.
Tennessee’s senior point guard was one of five first team selections and it is the second straight season that he’s been a First Team All-SEC selection.
Zeigler finished the regular season averaging 13.1 points, 7.5 assists, three rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. He was equally as good, if not a little bit better in SEC play, averaging 14.1 points, seven assists and 2.1 steals per game.
Lanier was the best transfer in the SEC this season after returning to his home state school after four seasons at North Florida. Making a major jump up in competition, Lanier starred. The senior shooting guard averaged 17.9 points per game on 40.5% shooting from three-point range.
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard wasn’t as good in SEC play but was still effective, averaging 16.7 points on 36.5% three-point shooting while grabbing 4.6 rebounds per game. Over the course of the season, Lanier scored 20-plus points 12 times including six times in SEC play.
Mashack joined Zeigler on the SEC All-Defensive Team the same day that Field of 68 named Mashack its national defensive player of the year. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game but his impact on the defensive end is far greater than the numbers.
The senior guard has an ability to take opposing offensive stars out of the game while also having incredible versatility with an ability to defend players one through four. Here’s a look at all of the All-SEC honors
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First Team All-SEC
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
Mark Sears, Alabama
Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M
Walter Clayton Jr, Florida
Johni Broome, Auburn
Second Team All-SEC
Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State
Tre Johnson, Texas
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
Otega Oweh, Kentucky
Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
Third Team All-SEC
Jason Edwards, Vanderbilt
Sean Pedulla, Ole Miss
Chad Baker-Mazara, Auburn
Mark Mitchell, Missouri
Alex Condon, Florida
All-Defensive Team
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
Denver Jones, Auburn
Anthony Robinson II, Missouri
Jahmai Mashack, Tennessee
Cameron Matthews, Mississippi State
All-Freshman Team
Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
Tre Johnson, Texas
Labaron Philon, Alabama
Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
Asa Newell, Georgia
Of The Year Winners
Coach: Bruce Pearl, Auburn
Player: Johni Broome, Auburn
Scholar-Athlete: Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk, South Carolina
Newcomer: Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
Freshman: Tre Johnson, Texas
Sixth-Man: Caleb Grill, Missouri
Defensive: Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
