Feb. 16, 2012

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –
Featuring former greats from all 12 Southeastern Conference member institutions, the 2012 Allstate® SEC Basketball Legends will be honored at the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament March 8-11 at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, La. Henry Martin (1943, 1947-49), the first 1,000 point scorer in South Carolina history, will be honored at this year’s SEC Tournament as a 2012 Legend.

Martin played basketball at Carolina during the 1943 season and again from 1947-49. He was the first Carolina basketball player to score 1,000 career points, finishing his career with 1,082 points, an average of 12.2 points per game. He scored at a clip of 16.0 points per game during his senior season. He capped off his career with a 32-point performance as the Gamecocks defeated archrival Clemson in 1949. Martin was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2008.

“The Allstate® SEC Basketball Legends Program allows us to honor our past and show everyone why the SEC is one of the nation’s premier basketball conferences,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.

The 2012 class includes Jack Kubiszyn, Alabama; Nolan Richardson, Arkansas; Chris Morris, Auburn; Mike Miller, Florida; Willie Anderson, Georgia; Adrian “Odie” Smith, Kentucky; Jack Waters, Ole Miss; Chuck Evans, Mississippi State; Henry Martin, South Carolina; Gene Tormohlen, Tennessee; Drew Maddux, Vanderbilt.

Each SEC Basketball Legend will be recognized at halftime of his institution’s first game at the tournament. Highlighting the schedule of events at the Sunkist Soda SEC FanFare will be appearances by selected legends. FanFare will be open Thursday-Saturday, March 8-10. This marks the 14th year of the SEC Basketball Legends program.

Last year’s group included Robert Horry, Alabama; George Kok, Arkansas; Jimmy Fibbe, Auburn; Craig Brown, Florida; Walter Daniels, Georgia; Kevin Grevey, Kentucky; Howard Carter, LSU; Bob Weltlich, Ole Miss; Darryl Wilson, Mississippi State; BJ McKie, South Carolina; Jimmy England, Tennessee and Jeff Turner, Vanderbilt.