March 7, 2017

COLUMBIA, S.C. — University of South Carolina senior guard Sindarius Thornwell was named the 2017 SEC Player of the Year by the league coaches on Tuesday. The postseason awards were announced in advance of this week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville. Thornwell was also honored on the All-SEC First Team, as well as garnering All-Defensive Team accolades. Thornwell becomes the first Gamecock to earn SEC Player of the Year honors by either the league coaches or the media.

Thornwell has had an outstanding season thus far in 2016-17, posting double-digit points in every game of the season, which includes 15 20-point outings, with 11 of those in SEC action. He has led or shared the team lead in scoring 17 times, in rebounding 11 times, in assists 11 times and in steals 16 times. Thornwell fell just short of the overall SEC scoring title, but led the league in scoring in strictly conference games with 22.1 points per game. He ranks second in overall games at 21.2 points per game, he is sixth overall in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and leads the SEC and ranks 14th nationally with 2.2 steals per outing. He lifted his averages in league play in rebounds per game (7.5) and steals per outing (2.4) as well. His season averages of 43.9 percent from the floor, 39.1 percent from 3 and 84.1 percent from the free throw line, along with his points, rebounds, steals and minutes per game marks are all career highs.

Thornwell accounted for 30.2 percent of South Carolina’s scoring in SEC games this season. He set a career high with 34 points in the matchup at Kentucky in late January, before an historic 44-point, 21-rebound performance in the four overtime contest against Alabama on Feb. 7. In league games, Thornwell had nine games in which he posted at least 15 points, five rebounds and two steals. During his career at South Carolina, Thornwell earned six SEC weekly awards.

With the 2017 honors, during his career in the Garnet and Black Thornwell has been honored by the SEC coaches on the All-Freshman Team (2014), the All-Defensive Team (2016, 2017), First-Team All-SEC (2017) and this season’s SEC Player of the Year. Thornwell is also a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member.

South Carolina has earned the No. 4 seed in this week’s SEC Tournament and will face either No. 5 seed Alabama, 13^th-seeded LSU or No. 12 seed Mississippi State in quarterfinal action on Friday at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET. The contest will be televised on the SEC Network with Joe Tessitore, Sean Farnham and Kaylee Hartung on the call.

Below is a complete listing of the 2017 SEC Coaches Postseason Awards:

First Team All-SEC
KeVaughn Allen, Florida
J.J. Frazier, Georgia
Yante Maten, Georgia
De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky
Malik Monk, Kentucky
Sebastian Saiz, Ole Miss
Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina
Luke Kornet, Vanderbilt

Second Team All-SEC
Moses Kingsley, Arkansas
Kasey Hill, Florida
Bam Adebayo, Kentucky
Antonio Blakeney, LSU
Quinndary Weatherspoon, Mississippi State
Robert Hubbs III, Tennessee
Tyler Davis, Texas A&M
Robert Williams, Texas A&M

All-Freshman Team
Braxton Key, Alabama
Mustapha Heron, Auburn
Bam Adebayo, Kentucky
De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky
Malik Monk, Kentucky
Lamar Peters, Mississippi State
Grant Williams, Tennessee
Robert Williams, Texas A&M

All-Defensive Team
Moses Kingsley, Arkansas
Kasey Hill, Florida
Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina
Robert Williams, Texas A&M
Luke Kornet, Vanderbilt

Coach of the Year: Mike White, Florida
Player of the Year:Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Luke Kornet, Vanderbilt
Freshman of the Year: Malik Monk, Kentucky
Sixth-Man of the Year: Canyon Barry, Florida
Defensive Player of the Year: Robert Williams, Texas A&M