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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Friday / November 22.
  • Kentucky Picked to Win SEC; Randle Preseason Player of the Year

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    To the surprise of virtually no one, Kentucky was picked to win the SEC, while Kentucky freshman forward Julius Randle was named the league’s Preseason Player of the Year.

    Kentucky coach John Calipari has said he plans to play the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Randle away from the basket to help prepare him for the NBA. Randle is projected as the No. 2 pick in next year’s draft behind Andrew Wiggins of Kansas by DraftExpress.com.

    “Well, what’s happening right now, we’re playing him in a position as though he’s a two or a three,” Calipari said at UK media day. “So he’s just now getting comfortable being — starting from 20 feet out.”

    Calipari added: “He’s 6-9, 250, and he’s skilled. But I don’t want to play him under the basket. That’s not preparing him for what’s ahead for him. I could play him at seven feet and try to win college games, tell him, I’m really helping you, or I can make him play out on the floor like we did Patrick Patterson. Do you remember Patrick went from standing under the basket to playing at the top of the key offensively? So it’s going to take him time.”

    Playing alongside a slew of future first-round picks, Randle is still getting used to the new role after dominating down low for much of his career.

    “In workouts I pretty much work on everything from shooting the ball, shooting the ball off the dribble, coming to one-two stops, shooting floaters right- and left-handed,” Randle said. “Just have to keep working on that stuff and be patient enough to know it will work out.”

    Randle said he trusts Calipari will point him in the right direction.

    “He is not going to tell you everything you want to hear,” Randle said. “But at the end of the day you know it is what is best for you. I came here because I trusted him so I am going to do what he says. It can be difficult because you want to do things your own way, but from what I have learned so far in practice if you keep working on it and working on it the way he teaches you to do it then it starts to work out and you start getting good at it.”

     

    First Team All-SEC
    Trevor Releford – Alabama, G, 6-0, 190, Sr., Kansas City, Mo.
    Julius Randle – Kentucky, F, 6-9, 250, Fr., Dallas, Texas
    Johnny O’Bryant III – LSU, F , 6-9 , 256 , Jr. , Cleveland, Miss.
    Marshall Henderson – Ole Miss, G, 6-2, 177, Sr., Hurst, Texas
    Jordan McRae – Tennessee, G, 6-6, 185, Sr., Midway, Ga.
    Second Team All-SEC
    Scottie Wilbekin – Florida, G, 6-2, 176, Sr., Gainesville, Fla.
    Patric Young – Florida, C, 6-9, 240, Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.
    Willie Cauley-Stein – Kentucky, F, 7-0, 244, So., Olathe, Kan.
    Andrew Harrison – Kentucky, G, 6-6, 215, Fr., Richmond, Texas
    Dakari Johnson – Kentucky, C, 7-0, 265, Fr., Brooklyn, N.Y.
    Jabari Brown – Missouri, G, 6-5, 214, Jr., Oakland, Calif.
    Jeronne Maymon – Tennessee, F, 6-8, 260, Sr., Madison, Wis.
    Jarnell Stokes – Tennessee, F, 6-8, 260, Jr., Memphis, Tenn.
    SEC Player of the Year: Julius Randle, Kentucky
    Preseason Media Poll                    Pts
    Kentucky (21)…………………………….. 371
    Florida (5)…………………………………. 353
    Tennessee (1)……………………………320
    LSU…………………………………………… 270
    Missouri……………………………………. 262
    Alabama…………………………………… 257
    Ole Miss…………………………………….216
    Arkansas……………………………………197
    Texas A&M……………………………….. 139
    Vanderbilt…………………………………. 125
    Georgia…………………………………….. 119
    South Carolina……………………………108
    Mississippi State…………………………59
    Auburn……………………………………….. 39
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    Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.

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