Three Gators were honored by the Southeastern Conference with Keyontae Johnson earning All-SEC First Team distinction.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Three Florida men’s basketball players were honored by the Southeastern Conference on Tuesday with the league’s end-of-season awards. Keyontae Johnson headlined the group, making the All-SEC First Team, while Kerry Blackshear Jr. was named to the All-SEC Second Team and Scottie Lewis earned a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team.
In his second season with the Gators, Johnson has been outstanding. The sophomore is averaging 14 points and 7.1 rebounds while ranking third among all SEC players in field goal percentage at 54.4 percent. Through 31 games, Johnson has scored in double figures 23 times, including eight double-doubles and six 20-plus point games.
Johnson’s dominant presence on the offensive end has made him the Gators’ leading scorer on 15 occasions. The Norfolk, Va., native has also been UF’s leading rebounder in 14 games.
His best overall performance came during the Gators’ home win against LSU where he posted a career-high 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five assists, making him the third Florida player since 1996 to post a 25/10/5 stat line.
Johnson becomes just the eighth Gator underclassman in the Donovan-White era to earn All-SEC First Team honors, joining Mike Miller (2000), Brett Nelson (2001), Anthony Roberson (2004), Joakim Noah (2006), Nick Calathes (2009), Bradley Beal (2012) and KeVaughn Allen (2017).
Blackshear, also made his presence known in his lone season in the Orange and Blue, earning a spot on the All-SEC Second Team.
Blackshear ranks fourth among all SEC players in rebounds, grabbing an average of 7.8 per game. The graduate transfer has led the Gators in rebounding through 14 games, including eight double-figure performances.
Complementing his efforts on the boards, Blackshear also scored in double figures 22 times with seven 20-plus point games. With those numbers, Blackshear averages 12.8 points per game and has recorded eight double-doubles during the regular season.
Additionally, Blackshear ranks fifth among league players in free throws attempted. Out his 396 points recorded this season, 145 of them have come from the charity stripe.
Scottie Lewis becomes the third freshman under head coach Mike White to be named to the All-SEC Freshman Team, joining KeVaughn Allen (2016) and current teammate Andrew Nembhard (2019).
During his freshman campaign, Lewis is averaging 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds. He currently leads the Gators in shots blocked, at 1.2 per game, and also ranks eighth in the league in that category.
Through his 30 appearances, Lewis has eight double-figure scoring games, including a career-high 19 points in the Gators’ home loss against No. 6 Kentucky. The freshman has also been reliable at the free throw line, shooting 81.7 percent in his 82 attempts.
Following his all-around performance against Alabama, Lewis earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Against the Tide, Lewis recorded his first-career double-double, notching 15 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Gators pull off one of the largest come backs in program history.
The Florida men’s basketball team begins postseason play on Thursday at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn. The Gators will face either Ole Miss or Georgia at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network).
Complete SEC All-Conference Honors
First Team All-SEC
Kira Lewis Jr., Alabama
Mason Jones, Arkansas
Samir Doughty, Auburn
Keyontae Johnson, Florida
Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky
Nick Richards, Kentucky
Skylar Mays, LSU
Breein Tyree, Ole Miss
Reggie Perry, Mississippi State
Second Team All-SEC
John Petty Jr., Alabama
Isaac Okoro, Auburn
Kerry Blackshear Jr., Florida
Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky
Maik Kotsar, South Carolina
John Fulkerson, Tennessee
Saben Lee, Vanderbilt
All-Freshman Team
Jaden Shackelford, Alabama
Isaac Okoro, Auburn
Scottie Lewis, Florida
Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky
Trendon Watford, LSU
Jermaine Couisnard, South Carolina
Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt
All-Defensive Team
Herbert Jones, Alabama
Isaac Okoro, Auburn
Ashton Hagans, Kentucky
Nick Richards, Kentucky
Yves Pons, Tennessee
Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky
Player of the Year: Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Skylar Mays, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Sixth-Man of the Year: Tyson Carter, Mississippi State
Defensive Player of the Year: Yves Pons, Tennessee
