Sestina, Roper to Attend SEC Basketball Leadership Council
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Leadership Council will convene Friday and Saturday for its annual meeting at SEC headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. Nate Sestina from the Kentucky men’s basketball team and Jaida Roper from the Kentucky women’s basketball team will be in attendance to represent the Wildcats.
The council consists of one male representative and one female representative from each of the SEC’s 14 institutions. The goal of the Leadership Council is for student-athletes to serve as a conduit of communication from their teams to the conference office on issues related to student-athlete experience, student-athlete wellness, and to provide feedback on proposed rules governing the SEC and NCAA.
Among the agenda items for the group is dinner and a conversation with Commissioner Greg Sankey, a review of NCAA and SEC legislative items, and the 28 student-athletes will also have an opportunity to engage with men’s and women’s basketball officials on rules of the game, student-athlete/referee interaction and careers in officiating. Keyon Dooling, former Missouri student-athlete, author, motivational speaker and former NBA player, will speak to the group on Saturday on the topic of mental wellness.
The Men’s Basketball Leadership Council and the Women’s Basketball Leadership Council comprise two components of the SEC Student-Athlete Leadership Council. The third component is the Football Leadership Council, which meets each January.
Sestina joined the Wildcats as a graduate transfer this offseason after a successful career at Bucknell where he was an All-Patriot Second Team honoree last season. The 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward emerged last season as a versatile big man for Bucknell who can impact the game both inside the paint and on the perimeter. In his first season as a starter, Sestina averaged 15.8 points per game, a team-high 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
Roper is entering her fourth and final season with the Wildcats and is coming off her best season yet for UK as a junior. The 5-foot-6 guard from Memphis, Tennessee, played in 33 games last season with two starts averaging 6.8 points per game. The guard finished second on the team last year with 77 assists while she had 27 steals and shot 34.6 percent from long range. A three-year member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Roper had some incredible performances last season including scoring 10 points in UK’s win at Tennessee, hitting a 3-pointer in the final minute of the game to seal the victory.
The student-athletes who serve on the SEC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Leadership Council are:
Men’s Basketball
Tyler Barnes, Alabama
Adrio Bailey, Arkansas
Anfernee McLemore, Auburn
Dontay Bassett, Florida
Rayshaun Hammonds, Georgia
Nate Sestina, Kentucky
Aundre Hyatt, LSU
Breein Tyree, Ole Miss
Mitchell Storm, Mississippi State
Mitchell Smith, Missouri
T.J. Moss, South Carolina
John Fulkerson, Tennessee
Josh Nebo, Texas A&M
Quentin Millora-Brown, Vanderbilt
Women’s Basketball
Jordan Lewis, Alabama
Jailyn Mason, Arkansas
Kiyae’ White, Auburn
Kiki Smith, Florida
Ari Henderson, Georgia
Jaida Roper, Kentucky
Jaelyn Richard-Harris, LSU
Milicia Reid, Ole Miss
Myah Taylor, Mississippi State
Jordan Chavis, Missouri
Elysa Wesolek, South Carolina
Kamera Harris, Tennessee
Ciera Johnson, Texas A&M
Jordyn Cambridge, Vanderbilt
