South Carolina Basketball: Three Gamecocks make All-SEC teams

On Monday, the SEC announced its all-conference awards, and South Carolina basketball was well-represented.

Gamecock guards Ta'Lon Cooper and Meechie Johnson both were selected as 2nd-team All-SEC performers, and forward Collin Murray-Boyles made the SEC All-Freshman squad. Their head coach, Lamont Paris, was the easy choice for SEC Coach of the Year, as well.

Cooper, who transferred to the University of South Carolina last offseason, was one of the most underrated performers in the Southeastern Conference this season, so it was nice to see him honored on the All-SEC team. For the season, Cooper averaged 9.7 points, 4.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds while turning the ball over just 1.2 times per game. He also shot 45.1% from 3 and was one of the conference's top perimeter defenders.

Johnson, a 2nd-year Gamecock, was a bit inconsistent as a scorer this season, but his consistent efforts as a secondary creator and defender partnered with some really high-scoring games to earn him a spon on the All-SEC team. Johnson averaged 14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3 assists. He led the team with 16 games scoring over 15 points.

Murray-Boyles is a Columbia native, so making the All-Freshman team was extra special for the talented freshman. After missing time and then working his way back slowly from mononucleosis, Murray-Boyles made the Gamecocks a much better team when he joined the starting lineup. In February and March, he was the best overall player on the team, averaging 16 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.2 steals while shooting 70% from the field and being one of the most versatile defenders in the conference.

Gamecock wing Zach Davis, Murray-Boyles, and Cooper had real arguments for inclusion on the All-Defensive team. Murray-Boyles likely would have made the All-SEC 2nd-team had he played the entire season at full strength. Last week, Davis was the Gamecocks' representative on the SEC All-Community Service team.

South Carolina basketball will face off with the winner of Arkansas and Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament on Thursday afternoon.