South Carolina basketball: AJ Lawson earns All-SEC honors

South Carolina basketball’s AJ Lawson earns all-conference honors.

South Carolina struggled for a majority of the year, limping to a 6-14 overall record and 12th placed finish in the Southeastern Conference standings. Still, there were a couple of individual performers that excelled throughout the season.

One of those performers was junior guard AJ Lawson, who was named a second-team all-conference member after averaging leading the Gamecocks in scoring for a third straight year.

Lawson posted a career best 16.9 points per game on 40% shooting, while also adding 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals an outing. The Toronto native was South Carolina’s most consistent three-point threat, connecting on 35.6% of his attempts from beyond the arc.

This is the second time that Lawson has taken home SEC honors, after also being named to the All-Freshman team in 2018-19.

Find the rest of the league awards below.

First Team All-SEC

• Herbert Jones, Alabama
• John Petty Jr., Alabama
• Moses Moody, Arkansas
• Tre Mann, Florida
• Cameron Thomas, LSU
• Devontae Shuler, Ole Miss
• Dru Smith, Missouri
• Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt

Second Team All-SEC

• Jaden Shackelford, Alabama
• Colin Castleton, Florida
• Sahvir Wheeler, Georgia
• Javonte Smart, LSU
• Trendon Watford, LSU
• D.J. Stewart Jr., Mississippi State
• Jeremiah Tilmon, Missouri
• AJ Lawson, South Carolina

All-Freshman Team

• Joshua Primo, Alabama
• Moses Moody, Arkansas
• Sharife Cooper, Auburn
• KD Johnson, Georgia
• Isaiah Jackson, Kentucky
• Cameron Thomas, LSU
• Keon Johnson, Tennessee
• Jaden Springer, Tennessee

All-Defensive Team

• Herbert Jones, Alabama
• Isaiah Jackson, Kentucky
• Abdul Ado, Mississippi State
• Dru Smith, Missouri
• Yves Pons, Tennessee

Coach of the Year: Nate Oats, Alabama

Player of the Year: Herbert Jones, Alabama

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Dylan Disu, Vanderbilt

Freshman of the Year: Moses Moody, Arkansas

Sixth-Man of the Year: JD Notae, Arkansas

Defensive Player of the Year: Herbert Jones, Alabama

There are two notable absences from a South Carolina standpoint.

First, no Gamecock was named to the All-Defensive team. Frank Martin has had a player earn the honor in four of the last five seasons, but for a second straight year, no Gamecock was selected. This year’s defensive play was weakness, with South Carolina finishing dead last in the conference in scoring defense (79 ppg), and playing what Martin called selfish basketball.

Secondly, forward Keyshawn Bryant was snubbed from a nomination after averaging 14.4 points per game in 2020-21. That number jumped to 15.8 points per outing in conference play, as Bryant notched double figures in 13 of 15 SEC matchups. The junior did this on 48% shooting, and proved that he can be more than just a high-flying dunk highlight.

Frank Martin will lead Bryant, Lawson, and the rest of the team into the SEC Tournament this week, starting with a Thursday night matchup with sixth-seeded Ole Miss.