SEC men's basketball awards: Full list of winners announced ft. Bruce Pearl, Johni Broome, and more

The SEC men's basketball awards for the 2024-25 regular season have been officially announced and some incredible talents were recognized. The SEC has six different individual awards they give out annually to recognize some of the best players throughout the regular season.

Let's take a deeper dive into the award winners and discuss what they did to get the recognition.

SEC MBB Awards

Player of the Year

Senior forward Johni Broome of the Auburn Tigers was named the SEC Player of the Year this season. He finished 55th in the NCAA in scoring and eighth in rebounding as he recorded 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 50.6% from the floor, 29.7% from the 3-point line, and 61.6% from the free-throw line.

Broome played in 29 of the team's 31 games and was one of the top forces in the entire conference. He finished third in the conference in points per game as well as first in both rebounds and blocks.

Newcomer of the Year

Chaz Lanier was one of the most effective players as he finished fifth in the SEC in scoring and led the entire conference with 3.4 made 3-pointers per game as well. After spending four years with the North Florida Ospreys, Chaz Lanier decided to transfer to the Tennessee Volunteers and made an instant impact.

Lanier stepped up as he played in all 31 games (all starts) and averaged 17.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.9 steals per game.

Freshman of the Year

Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson won the SEC Freshman of the Year as he stepped up big time for the program. The 6-foot-6 guard finished the season 15th in the NCAA in scoring and averaged 20.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.

Johnson also showcased an ability to shoot the basketball incredibly well as he had a 43.4/39.5/88.3 shooting split in 29 games.

Sixth Man of the Year

The Missouri Tigers saw their senior guard Caleb Grill be named the SEC Sixth Man of the Year as he came off the bench in 25 of the 26 games he played and certainly made his mark.

He was able to shoot the ball at an incredible level as he connected on 49.6% of his shot attempts, 42.3% from the 3-point line, and 84.9% from the free-throw line while posting 14.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.7 steals in 25.7 minutes per game.

Defensive Player of the Year

The Tennessee Volunteers had senior guard Zakai Zeigler step up and be named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year as he would take the top scoring option and neutralize them. Zeigler played in all but one game for the Vols this season and had 13.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 0.3 blocks, and 1.9 steals per game.

It was more than just the numbers that he put up, but also the sinking feeling that the opposing team had when they saw Zakai Zeigler switch to their leading offensive player.

Coach of the Year

Auburn Tigers coach Bruce Pearl has been named the SEC Coach of the Year. There is reportedly an incentive in his contract, which awarded him an additional $500,000 for the feat. The Tigers finished the regular season as the third-ranked team in the nation and the top seed in the SEC Tournament as they recorded a 27-4 (15-3 SEC) record.