Gators F/C Tyrese Samuel named to AP All-SEC team

The regular-season accolades are beginning to pile up now that the 2023-24 campaign is in the books, though there is plenty of basketball remaining with the March Madness currently kicking in.

On Tuesday, Florida’s graduate transfer frontcourt player Tyrese Samuel was named to the Associated Press All-SEC Second Team, representing the only Gator among the two team tiers; he also received votes as the top newcomer.

Tennessee Volunteers guard Dalton Knecht took home both the AP SEC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards — the former a unanimous decision — in addition to a first-team mention.

Samuel averaged 13.8 points while starting in all 31 games, leading the team with 7.5 rebounds per game and 36 steals. He recorded 10 double-doubles this season, a mark that only Gators greats Al Horford, David Lee and Udonis Haslem surpassed back in the 2000s.

The graduate transfer earned SEC Player of the Week honors and NIT Tip-Off All-Tournament Team honors back in November, thanks in large part to 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots effort against the Pitt Panthers.

The Gators starter leads the SEC in field goal percentage (.573) and ranks third in offensive rebounds (2.97), fourth in rebounds (7.52), ninth in defensive rebounds (4.55) and 11th in blocked shots (1.06) as the regular-season comes to a close.

Samuel joins Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton Jr. as All-SEC honorees who got their call from the coaches on Monday. Alex Condon — part of UF’s frontcourt rotation alongside Samuel — also earned SEC All-Freshman honors Monday.