Hill Named SEC Defensive Player of the Year Beverley Freshman of the Year

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas junior Steven Hill and freshman Patrick Beverley have each earned awards from the Southeastern Conference’s coaches, the league announced on Wednesday.

Beverley, who was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press and All-District VII by the United States Basketball Writers Association on Tuesday, has been named the league’s Freshman of the Year by the SEC coaches. Hill, the league leader in blocked shots, has been named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

Last week, Beverley, who was also named second-team All-SEC and to the SEC All-Freshman Team, was named the league’s Freshman of the Year by CollegeHoops.net and second-team All-District 9 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The Chicago native is ranked among the individual league leaders in a league-high tying eight of 13 categories.

He leads the team and is 13th overall in the SEC in scoring (14.3), leads the team and is second overall in free-throw shooting (.835), leads the team and is fourth in minutes played (1,033), leads the team and is fifth in steals (1.90), leads the team and is sixth in three-point shooting (.415), leads the team and is ninth in three-point buckets per game (2.20), is second on the team and 11th in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.52), and is fifth on the team and 29th in the league in rebounding (4.4).

Among all freshmen in the SEC, he is first in scoring, free-throw percentage (60 or more attempts), three-point percentage (90 or more attempts), field-goal percentage (190 or more attempts), steals, three-point goals per game and minutes played; fourth in rebounding, second in assists and second in three-point goals.

Hill leads the SEC with 3.0 blocked shots per game while also averaging 6.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. In league play, he averaged 7.0 points, was 21st with 5.1 rebounds and first with 3.13 blocked shots.

He has 90 blocked shots on the season after finishing with a school sophomore record 91 last year, becoming the first Razorback to have 90 or more in more than one season.

The Branson, Mo., native has made 80-of-121 shots this year, 66.1 percent. His 80 shots made and 187 points scored more than double his career totals in those categories entering the season (73 shots made, 167 points).

The seven-footer has shot 50 percent or better in 21 of 30 games, including six games when he was perfect from the floor and 10 others when he missed just one shot. He’s had five or more rebounds 11 times, is fourth on the team with 31 steals, has had three or more blocked shots 16 times and scored six or more points 14 times.

A sampling of his defensive work includes helping limit Alabama’s Jermareo Davidson to five points on two-of-nine shooting and 12 points on three-of-nine shooting; Florida’s Al Horford to 10 points with three turnovers; and LSU’s Glen Davis to six-of-16 shooting with three turnovers. The coaches All-SEC first team includes Florida’s Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah, LSU’s Davis, Kentucky’s Randolph Morris, Mississippi State’s Jamont Gordon, Tennessee’s Chris Lofton and Vanderbilt’s Derrick Byars.

Joining Beverley on the second team are Taurean Green of Florida, Alabama’s Davidson and Richard Hendrix, Sundiata Gaines of Georgia, Todd Abernethy and Clarence Sanders of Ole Miss, MSU’s Charles Rhodes and Shan Foster of Vanderbilt.

Joining Beverley on the All-Freshman Team are Tennessee’s Wayne Chism, Duke Crews and Ramar Smith, Auburn’s Dwayne Reed, Kentucky’s Derrick Jasper and Jodie Meeks, Mississippi State’s Ben Hansbrough and Barry Stewart, and South Carolina’s Dominique Archie.

Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings is the Coach of the Year, Byars the Player of the Year, Florida’s Lee Humphrey the Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Chris Richard of Florida the Sixth Man of the Year.