Make room in the trophy case, UK. Your Wildcats have just won a ton of awards. Freshman guard John Wall was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and freshman forward DeMarcus Cousins was named SEC Freshman of the Year, just one of several awards the SEC announced UK won on Tuesday. Wall, who was named the Yahoo! Sports National Player of the Year on Monday, averaged 16.8 points, 6.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds for the 29-2 Wildcats. The first-year point guard becomes just the second freshman in league history to win SEC Player of the Year, joining Chris Jackson, who did it in 1989. Cousins, who posted 18 double-doubles on the season, averaged 15.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in the regular season.And that’s just the start of the hardware.Wall and Cousins joined junior forward Patrick Patterson (14.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg) on the All-SEC first team. Patterson was also named to the All-SEC Defensive Team after blocking 40 shots and swiping 21 steals.Freshman guard Eric Bledsoe (10.4 ppg, 3.0 apg) was named to the All-Freshman Team, which Wall and Cousins made as well.I could go on and on with this year’s awards, but fortunately we already have a release on the homepage with the full details. Check back here later this afternoon for videos of the award winners. Also, the SEC has a highlight video of Wall in honor of his SEC Player of the Year award.
UPDATE: Even more awards have rolled in for the Cats. Wall was named National Freshman of the Year by FOXSports.com and joins Cousins on its All-America first team. Also, John Calipari was named the 2009-10 USBWA District Coach of the Year and Wall was tabbed Player of the Year. The awards should continue to roll in as the week progresses.For the complete SEC award winners, check below: First Team All SEC*Trey Thompkins, Georgia – F, 6-10, 247, So., Lithonia, Ga.*DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky – F 6-11, 270, Fr., Mobile, Ala.Patrick Patterson, Kentucky – F 6-9, 235, Jr., Huntington, W.Va.*John Wall, Kentucky – G 6-4, 195, Fr., Raleigh, N.C.Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State – F, 6-9, 230, Sr., Brownsville, Tenn.*Devan Downey, South Carolina – G, 5-9, 170, Sr., Chester, S.C.Wayne Chism, Tennessee – C, 6-9, 246, Sr., Jackson, Tenn.*Jermaine Beal, Vanderbilt – G, 6-3, Sr., 205, DeSoto, Texas Second Team All-SECMikhail Torrance, Alabama – G, 6-5, 210, Sr., Eight Mile, Ala.Courtney Fortson, Arkansas – G, 5-11, 180, So., Montgomery, Ala.Erving Walker, Florida – G, 5-10, 171, So., Brooklyn, N.Y.Tasmin Mitchell, LSU – F, 6-7, 238, Sr., Denham Springs, La.Chris Warren, Ole Miss – G, 5-10, 168, Jr., Orlando, Fla.Dee Bost, Mississippi State – G, 6-2, 170, So., Concord, N.C.A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt – C, 6-11, Jr., 255, Sydney, AustraliaJeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt – F, 6-7, So., 210, Norrkoping, Sweden SEC All-Freshman TeamTony Mitchell, Alabama – F, 6-6, 185, Fr., Swainsboro, Ga.*Marshawn Powell, Arkansas – F, 6-7, 220, Fr., Newport News, Va.Kenny Boynton, Florida – G, 6-2, 183, Fr., Pompano Beach, Fla.*Eric Bledsoe, Kentucky – G, 6-1, 190, Fr., Birmingham, Ala.*DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky – F 6-11, 270, Fr., Mobile, Ala.*John Wall, Kentucky – G 6-4, 195, Fr., Raleigh, N.C.Reginald Buckner, Ole Miss – F, 6-8, 233, Fr., Memphis, Tenn.*John Jenkins, Vanderbilt – G, 6-4, 215, Hendersonville, Tenn. SEC All-Defensive TeamPatrick Patterson, Kentucky – F 6-9, 235, Jr., Huntington, W.Va.*Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State – F, 6-9, 230, Sr., Brownsville, Tenn.Devan Downey, South Carolina – G, 5-9, 170, Sr., Chester, S.C.Sam Muldrow, South Carolina – F, 6-9, 220, Jr., Florence, S.C.Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt – F, 6-7, So., 210, Norrkoping, Sweden SEC Coach of the Year: Kevin Stallings, VanderbiltSEC Player of the Year: John Wall, KentuckySEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ray Shipman, FloridaSEC Freshman of the Year: DeMarcus Cousins, KentuckySEC Sixth-Man of the Year: John Jenkins, VanderbiltSEC Defensive Player of the Year: Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State* *-Unanimous selection^-Ties are not broken