Kentucky preseason pick to win SEC men’s basketball title
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Kentucky's PJ Washington says coach John Calipari has "chilled out" at practice leading up to the season.
It doesn't take as much yelling from coaches when you have a little seasoning and maturity on the roster, qualities that the Wildcats and other top Southeastern Conference teams are banking on to match — or even better — the league's strong 2017-18 season. Calipari says he hasn't had to raise his voice yet in practice.
"Last year it was pretty much every day but this year he's kind of chilled out a little bit," Washington said Wednesday at SEC media day. "We have experience obviously."
Seriously? No yelling?
"I'm shocked, too," Washington said. "He's usually screaming every five seconds. Now, he's just stopping practice and trying to teach young guys what to do."
It helps when they're not all young guys. Stanford grad transfer Reid Travis , a two-time All-Pac-12 performer, brought a wealth of experience to the lineup.
There are plenty of highly touted freshmen in Lexington and around the league, of course. But a number of standouts returned, too, including reigning SEC player of the year Grant Williams at Tennessee, Arkansas' Daniel Gafford, Auburn's Jared Harper, Florida's Jalen Hudson and LSU's Tremont Waters.
The SEC proved its back as a basketball power last season, sending a record eight teams to the NCAA Tournament. Optimism abounds again going into this season, with coaches not being shy about trumpeting the league's strength.
"The league top to bottom has probably never been stronger," Calipari said. "Top-heavy, too. Crazy."
Added Mississippi State's Ben Howland: "I can't say enough about our league. This league is going to be so good this year. As good as it was last year, this year's group is going to be even better."
LSU coach Will Wade said last year there were a number of good teams, and now there are some that can be "elite."
Plenty of players explored entering the NBA draft after last season but opted to return.
Tennessee and Auburn shared the SEC regular season title and return most of their top players. The Volunteers return all five starters and are led by Williams and senior Admiral Schofield. That experience prompts Howland to proclaim: "There's no doubt they're the team to beat in our conference."
Auburn lost leading scorer Mustapha Heron, who transferred to St. John's. Harper and Bryce Brown returned while center Austin Wiley and forward Danjel Purifoy are back after being ineligible last season.
"Austin is as big, as strong, as fast and as mobile as any big guy in the country," said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, whose team is no longer undersized.
Wiley is recovering from a foot injury that could sideline him early in the season. Purifoy is still ineligible for the first nine games.
The Tigers snapped a 15-year NCAA Tournament drought last season.
Then there's Kentucky. Washington, Quade Green and Nick Richards are among the returnees.
Travis is the Wildcats' only preseason first-team All-SEC pick.
The Wildcats are the preseason league favorites — as usual. But teams like Tennessee and Auburn are potential preseason top 10 teams, too.
For all the returning veterans, there's also a strong wave of incoming talent.
Kentucky brought in the nation's No. 2 recruiting class with four five-star recruits, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
LSU was ranked No. 4, led by five-star forwards Nazreon Reid and Emmitt Williams, and teams like Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Florida also had highly rated classes. The Gators (Andrew Nembhard) and Commodores (Darius Garland) both signed five-star point guards.
"I think we have some really good incoming freshmen and I think we have some terrific veterans that have had a big impact on the league," Calipari said. "The teams that won the league last year have most of their players back.
"We finally have a couple of returning players. It's been awhile."
