Missouri’s Phil Pressey and Laurence Bowers were named to the All-Southeastern Conference Team by the league coaches on Tuesday, with Pressey earning First Team accolades and Bowers being voted to the Second Team despite missing five of the first six league games due to injury.
Pressey leads the Southeastern Conference in assists this season and is on the cusp of breaking his own school record for single season dimes. Pressey is averaging a league-best 7.1 assists per game (No. 7 nationally) and has 221 dimes, needing just three more to surpass his 2011-12 total of 223.
Pressey’s 221 assists are already ninth in Southeastern Conference history and he is 39 assists shy of the all-time mark held by Sean Tuohy of Ole Miss in 1979-80. Tuohy is of course also well-known from to the Movie “The Blind Side” released in 2009. The junior is also just 14 assists short of the single-season top five in SEC history and Pressey has the most assists for an SEC player since John Wall dished 241 in 2009-10.
The Dallas native is also scoring and rebounding at a career rate this season. Pressey is third on the club with 11.9 points per game and his 3.4 rebounds per contest better the 3.3 he averaged last season.
He is already the career record holder for assists at Missouri with 561 and needs just five steals to surpass the career mark of 196 held by Anthony Peeler.
Pressey has topped 20 points in a game five times this season, including a 27-point, 10-assist double-double at Kentucky. He also turned in one of the nation’s more spectacular games at UCLA (Dec. 28) where he broke the school and Pauley Pavilion records with 19 points and 19 assists vs. the Bruins. The 19-points and 19 assists were the most by a high major college player since Mateen Cleaves (Michigan State) dished 20 in 2000 and it was the first 19 and 19 game since John Stockton with the Utah Jazz of the NBA in the 1990-91 season.
Bowers has earned a pair of awards from the league office over the past two days. In addition to being named a Second Team all-league performer, the Memphis, Tenn., native was named to the SEC Community Service Team for his efforts in the Columbia community and continues to be a shining example of the all-around student-athlete experience at Mizzou as he nears the completion of his Master’s degree this spring.
On the hardwood Bowers has definitely made up for lost time, finishing with three consecutive 20-point efforts in games against LSU, Arkansas and Tennessee. The forward leads the Tigers with seven 20-point games this season and is second with a career high seven double-doubles. He had back-to-back double-doubles down the stretch vs. LSU and Arkansas and he finished his home career with 24 points and 11 rebounds in a resounding 93-63 Senior Night win over Arkansas on March 5.
Bowers leads the SEC in field goal percentage (.558) and ranks seventh in scoring (14.8), No. 13 in rebounding (6.3) and is just outside the Top 10 in blocked shots.
Earlier this season Bowers scored his 1,000th career point in a win against South Carolina State and was named the National Player of the Week after a 23-point, 10-rebound performance in a Bud Light Braggin’ Rights win over No. 10 Illinois in St. Louis.
Bowers is currently 27th all-time at Mizzou in scoring with 1,222 points and joins Arthur Johnson as the lone Tigers ever to score 1,000 points and block 150 shots.
Missouri Basketball opens play at the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday night against the winner of the Texas A&M vs. Auburn contest. The Tigers will play at 9 p.m. CT on the SEC Network
First Team All-SEC
Trevor Releford, Alabama – G, 6-1, 195, Jr., Kansas City, Mo.
Erik Murphy, Florida – F/C, 6-10, 238, Sr., South Kingstown, R.I.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia – G, 6-5, 205, So., Greenville, Ga.
Nerlens Noel, Kentucky – F, 6-10, 228, Fr., Everett, Mass.
Johnny O’Bryant III, LSU – F, 6-9, 256, So., Cleveland, Miss.
Phil Pressey, Missouri – G, 5-11, 175, Jr., Dallas, Texas
Jordan McRae, Tennessee – G, 6-5, 178, Jr., Midway, Ga.
Elston Turner, Texas A&M – G, 6-5, 209, Sr., Sacramento, Calif.
Second Team All-SEC
Marshawn Powell, Arkansas – F, 6-7, 240, Jr., Newport News, Va.
BJ Young, Arkansas – G, 6-3, 180, So, St. Louis, Mo.
Kenny Boynton, Florida – G, 6-2, 190, Sr., Pompano Beach, Fla.
^Mike Rosario, Florida – G, 6-3, 183, Sr., Jersey City, N.J.
^Patric Young, Florida – C, 6-9, 249, Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.
Marshall Henderson, Ole Miss – G, 6-2, 175, Jr., Hurst, Texas
Murphy Holloway, Ole Miss – F, 6-7, 240, Sr., Irmo, S.C.
Laurence Bowers, Missouri – F, 6-8, 227, Sr., Memphis, Tenn.
Jarnell Stokes, Tennessee – F, 6-8, 270, So., Memphis, Tenn.
SEC All-Freshman Team
Michael Frazier II, Florida – G, 6-4, 200, Fr., Tampa, Fla.
Charles Mann, Georgia – G, 6-4, 205, Fr., Alpharetta, Ga.
^Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky – F, 7-0, 244, Fr., Olathe, Kan.
Archie Goodwin, Kentucky – G, 6-4.5, 198, Fr., Little Rock, Ark.
Nerlens Noel, Kentucky – F, 6-10, 228, Fr., Everett, Mass.
^Alex Poythress, Kentucky – F, 6-7, 239, Fr., Clarksville, Tenn.
Craig Sword, Mississippi State – G, 6-3, 189, Fr., Montgomery, Ala.
^Gavin Ware, Mississippi State – F, 6-9, 270, Fr., Starkville, Miss.
Michael Carrera, South Carolina – F, 6-5, 212, Fr., Anzoátegui, Venezuela
SEC All-Defensive Team
^Trevor Releford, Alabama – G, 6-1, 185, Jr., Kansas City, Mo.
Scottie Wilbekin, Florida – G, 6-2, 176, Jr., Gainesville, Fla.
^Patric Young, Florida – C, 6-9, 249, Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.
Nerlens Noel, Kentucky – F, 6-10, 228, Fr., Everett, Mass.
Anthony Hickey, LSU – G, 5-11, 178, So., Hopkinsville, Ky.
Reginald Buckner, Ole Miss – F, 6-9, 235, Sr., Memphis, Tenn.
^-Ties are not broken
SEC Coach of the Year: Billy Donovan, Florida
SEC Player of the Year: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Patric Young, Florida
SEC Freshman of the Year: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky
SEC Sixth-Man of the Year: Kyle Wiltjer, Kentucky
SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky
— MU Sports Information —