Brewer Modica Townes Named Preseason All-SEC by League?s Coaches
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas junior guard Ronnie Brewer, senior guard Jonathon Modica and sophomore forward Darian Townes were each named to the preseason All-Southeastern Conference basketball team selected by league coaches and released by the league office on Friday.
Arkansas tied Alabama for the most selections on the team with three each.
Brewer is on the first team along with Alabama senior forward Chuck Davis and sophomore guard Ronald Steele, Florida sophomore guard/forward Corey Brewer, Kentucky sophomore guard Rajon Rondo, LSU sophomore forward Glen Davis, Tennessee senior guard C.J. Watson and Vanderbilt sophomore guard/forward Shan Foster.
Joining Modica and Townes on the second team are Alabama junior forward Jermareo Davidson, Florida sophomore forward Al Horford, Kentucky senior guard Patrick Sparks, LSU senior guard Darrel Mitchell, Tennessee sophomore guard Chris Lofton and Vanderbilt senior guard Mario Moore.
Brewer, Davis, Steele and Rondo were unanimous selections.
Brewer is the top returning scorer (16.2) and field goal percentage leader (.475) in the SEC this year.
He also led the team last year in rebounding (4.8), was eighth in the league in scoring, second in steals (2.53) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.66) while also averaging 3.4 assists per game.
Named to the preseason watch list for the Wooden Award, which goes to the top collegian in the nation, the All-SEC award is the latest in a long line for Brewer this fall.
He has been listed as a third-team preseason All-American by Athlon Sports, CBSSportsline.com and The Sporting News, and a fourth-teamer by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
He has been named the SEC’s preseason player of the year by Blue Ribbon, CBSSportsline.com and The Sporting News; the third-best slasher in the nation by Athlon, the fourth-best shooting guard by Lindy’s Basketball and the fourth-best wing/small forward by The Sporting News; first-team All-SEC by Athlon, Blue Ribbon, CBSSportsline.com, Lindy’s, Street & Smith’s and The Sporting News; and the SEC’s most versatile by Lindy’s and The Sporting News, the SEC’s best athlete by Street & Smith’s and the league’s top NBA prospect by Lindy’s.
Last year, Brewer scored 20 or more points eight times, had five or more rebounds 13 times, four or more assists 11 times, three or more steals 15 times, led the team in scoring 15 times, led the team in rebounding eight times and led the team in assists seven times.
Modica averaged 9.6 points and 2.8 rebounds as a junior after earning second-team All-SEC honors as a sophomore when he was eighth in the conference in scoring (16.5), seventh in field goal percentage (.462) and ninth in free throw shooting (.782). His field goal percentage improved from 46 percent as a sophomore to .520 last year, which led the team, and his three-point percentage jumped from .325 to .429, which is the fourth-best among all SEC returnees.
Modica became the 28th Razorback to score 1,000 career points last year and he enters the season 24th on UA’s all-time list with 1,074 points.
The Smackover native has also earned preseason All-SEC honors from Athlon and Lindy’s.
Townes was second on the team in five categories last year – scoring (10.2), rebounding (4.6), shooting (.519), free throw percentage (.698) and blocked shots (1.6). His 17 double-figure scoring games are the fourth-most for a Razorback post player since 1995 and the most since Derek Hood reached double-digits 26 times in 1999.
An honorable mention freshman All-American and a member of the SEC’s All-Freshman squad, he led the team in scoring seven times, also second-best on the club. In SEC play, his averages improved to 11.4 points and 5.1 rebounds while his numbers over the final 12 games of the year were even better – 12.8 points and 5.5 rebounds.
Townes earlier earned preseason all-conference honors from CBSSportsline.com and Athlon, and was listed by The Sporting News as an SEC player on the rise.
The Razorbacks take the court for the first Saturday, Oct. 29, for the Red-White Game at 4:05 p.m. Gates open at 1 p.m. The first 10,000 fans receive a 2005-06 schedule poster and players will be available to sign autographs at tables around the concourse from 1-3 p.m. Various contests previously associated with Midnight Madness will take place prior to the game and at halftime. Tickets are $5 at the door or at the UA Ticket Office.
Season tickets are also available. They can be purchased online atHogwired.com, or by calling the UA Ticket Office at 800-982-4647 or 575-5151.
