Gators selected in top half of SEC in preseason media poll
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Colin Castleton has been named preseason first-team All-Southeastern Conference in a media vote, the league announced on Wednesday. The fifth-year forward opted to use his extra year of eligibility to return to Florida and build off his two previous All-SEC campaigns for Todd Golden’s inaugural season at the helm.
The media poll also placed the Gators in the upper half of a league projected to be among the nation’s toughest, placing UF at seventh in the vote.
Castleton averaged 17.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in SEC play last season (16.2 and 9.0 overall) on the way to earning coaches second-team All-SEC honors. He had 10 double-doubles last season, the most by a Gator since Marreese Speights had 10 in 2007-08.
The native Floridian has the opportunity to climb UF’s all-time blocked shots list, entering the year 10th with 116. He also sits 250 points away from 1,000 points as a Gator, a milestone only Dorian Finney-Smith has reached as an incoming transfer to Florida. Castleton has an opportunity to earn All-SEC honors in three straight seasons, which would mark the first Gator to accomplish the feat since Kenny Boynton did so in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
First Team All-SEC
Nick Smith Jr.
Arkansas
G
Fr.
6-5
185
Jacksonville, Ark.
Colin Castleton
Florida
F
5th
6-11
250
Deland, Fla.
Oscar Tshiebwe
Kentucky
F
Sr.
6-9
260
Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Sahvir Wheeler
Kentucky
G
Sr.
5-9
180
Houston, Texas
Santiago Vescovi
Tennessee
G
Sr.
6-3
192
Montevideo, Uruguay
Second Team All-SEC
Brandon Miller
Alabama
F
Fr.
6-9
200
Antioch, Tenn.
Jahvon Quinerly
Alabama
G
Sr.
6-1
175
Hackensack, N.J.
KJ Williams
LSU
F
5th
6-10
250
Cleveland, Miss.
Josiah-Jordan James
Tennessee
G
Sr.
6-6
224
Charleston, S.C.
Zakai Zeigler
Tennessee
G
So.
5-9
171
Long Island, N.Y.
SEC Player of the Year
Oscar Tshiebwe
Kentucky
F
Sr.
6-9
260
Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Predicted Order Of Finish
1.
Kentucky
2.
Arkansas
3.
Tennessee
4.
Auburn
5.
Alabama
6.
Texas A&M
7.
Florida
8.
LSU
9.
Ole Miss
10.
Mississippi State
11.
Missouri
12.
Vanderbilt
13.
Georgia
14.
South Carolina
