Coach Tubby Smith presents Tayshaun Prince with the game ball in honor of Prince reaching the 1,000 point milestone in his career

(Mar. 1, 2001) — UK junior forward Tayshaun Prince has been named the 2001 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year by collegeinsider.com. Nominees were selected by Division I basketball coaches and the final decision was made by a panel from collegeinsider.com.

This adds to many honors already received this season for the Compton, Calif., native. In February, Prince was named one of the 15 finalists for USBWA All-America honors, a finalist for the John Wooden Award and has been named the SEC Player of the Week twice. He currently leads the Cats in scoring with 16.1 points per game and leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.1 boards per game.

On Feb. 14, his career-high 30 points in the Cats’ upset of Tennessee in Knoxville made him the 48th member of UK’s prestigious 1,000-point club. He’s averaging 17.8 ppg in SEC contests, which places him second in the league. His play also has led the Cats to their second consecutive SEC Championship.