The following is a release from Auburn Athletics.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Auburn’s Allen Flanigan and Jabari Smith earned preseason All-SEC honors as voted on by the 14 coaches in the Southeastern Conference, the league announced Tuesday. Flanigan was a First Team selection while Smith made Second Team.
Flanigan, who will miss the beginning of the 2021-22 season due to injury, is coming off a season in which he averaged 14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. The junior was the most improved scorer in the SEC last year and scored in double figures in 22 of the team’s 27 games, including six games with 20 or more points.
Flanigan was one of three players in the SEC to average at least 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game and was the only guard in the league to rank in the top 15 in both points and rebounds per game during conference play.
Smith is the only freshman to be voted All-SEC by the coaches. He was the highest-rated player to sign with Auburn in the history of the program and was the fourth player in program history to make the McDonald’s All-American Team. He was a Naismith First Team All-American and was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Georgia in 2021.
Last week, the 6-foot-10 Smith was named Second Team All-SEC by the media. He was also one of 20 players to make the 2021 Karl Malone Award Watch List.
The coaches preseason All-SEC first and second teams consist of a minimum of eight players on each squad. Auburn was one of six teams with multiple selections.
The 2021-22 campaign begins Nov. 9, with conference play set to begin Dec. 29. The 2022 SEC Tournament will be held March 9-13 at Amalie Arena in Tampa.
First Team All-SEC
Jaden Shackelford – Alabama
Jahvon Quinerly – Alabama
JD Notae – Arkansas
Allen Flanigan – Auburn
Colin Castleton – Florida
Sahvir Wheeler – Kentucky
Darius Days – LSU
Iverson Molinar – Mississippi State
John Fulkerson – Tennessee
Scotty Pippen Jr. – Vanderbilt
Second Team All-SEC
Davonte Davis – Arkansas
Jabari Smith – Auburn
Keion Brooks Jr. – Kentucky
Kellan Grady – Kentucky
Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
Xavier Pinson – LSU
Garrison Brooks – Mississippi State
Keyshawn Bryant – South Carolina