Young earns SEC awards

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Freshman BJ Young of the University of Arkansas men’s basketball team earned a pair Southeastern Conference post-season accolades when he was named to the All-SEC Second Team and the SEC All-Freshman team by the league’s coaches it was announced on Tuesday.

Young is the first Razorback since the 2007-08 season to earn multiple SEC awards by the league coaches in a single season and just the fifth in school history to garner accolades on both the SEC All-Freshman Team and one of the All-SEC teams.

“This recognition of BJ by the conference speaks highly of the things he has done this year to help our basketball team,” Arkansas Head Coach Mike Anderson said.  “BJ is consistently one of the first guys in the gym and the last to leave.  This kind of dedication has paid off, allowing him to achieve the freshman year that he has had.  I am certainly happy for him.”

Young is averaging a team leading 15.3 points per game for the Razorbacks as they prepare for the Southeastern Conference Tournament.  The 6-3 guard ranks sixth in the Southeastern Conference in scoring and leads all SEC freshmen in the category while shooting 50.6 percent from the field, a total that ranks sixth in the league.  He is the leading scorer in the nation who has not started at least half of his team’s games and ranks 69th in the country in shooting percentage and 167th in scoring.

The All-SEC honor is the ninth straight season that a Razorback has been placed on either the coaches first or second team and the freshman team accolades is the third in the last four years for an Arkansas player.  Young joins former Razorbacks Patrick Beverley (2007), Joe Johnson (2000), Scotty Thurman (1993) and Corliss Williamson (1993) as the only Arkansas players to earn all-freshman team and all-conference honors in the same season.

The Razorbacks begin the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday at noon against the LSU Tigers in New Orleans, La.