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Lady Vols Burrell, Key picked for Preseason All-SEC Team

The Tennessee Lady Vols are projected to finish third in the league in 2021-22 and have two players named to the All-SEC Team.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. β€” The Southeastern Conference announced its Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches Poll and All-Conference Teams on Tuesday.

The Tennessee Lady Vols are projected to finish third in the league in 2021-22 and have two players named to the All-SEC Team, according to a release.

UT Athletics said this is the highest projection by the coaches by the Big Orange program since the 2016-17 squad, which was predicted to finish third in the SEC.

Senior guard/forward Rae Burrell and junior center Tamari Key earned Coaches Preseason All-SEC acclaim with Burrell on the first team and Key on the second team.

Burrell was an All-SEC Second Team performer in 2020-21, averaging 16.8 ppg. and 4.6 rpg. and hitting double figures in 22 of 25 contests, according to UT Athletics. Burrell is the fifth-best returning scorer in the SEC and is No. 1 in free throw percentage, No. 2 in three-point field goal percentage and No. 7 in field goal percentage.

Key, meanwhile, put up 8.9 ppg., 5.6 rpg. and 2.9 bpg. in 2020-21, while shooting 62.8 percent from the field and earning a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team. She ranked No. 11 in the NCAA in blocks (72) and blocks per game (2.9) and was No. 2 in the SEC. Her 72 blocked shots ranked as the No. 8 all-time Lady Vol season total, while her career tally (158) ranks No. 8 as well, according to UT Athletics.

UT, which finished third the past two seasons in SEC play, welcomes back nine total letterwinners and six players who were in the starting lineup a year ago, according to a release. Third-year Lady Vol head coach Kellie Harper and her staff also brought onboard the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year via the transfer portal and signed a freshman class ranked No. 9 by ProspectsNation.com and No. 15 by espnW.

ORDER OF FINISH

  1. South Carolina
  2. Texas A&M
  3. Tennessee
  4. Georgia 
  5. Kentucky
  6. Ole Miss
  7. Arkansas
  8. LSU 
  9. Mississippi State
  10. Missouri
  11. Florida
  12. Alabama
  13. Auburn
  14. Vanderbilt

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Rhyne Howard, Kentucky   

ALL-SEC FIRST TEAM

Lavender Briggs, Florida

Rhyne Howard, Kentucky

Khayla Pointer, LSU

Shakira Austin, Ole Miss

Rickea Jackson, Mississippi State

Aliyah Boston, South Carolina

Zia Cooke, South Carolina

Rae Burrell, Tennessee

ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM

Amber Ramirez, Arkansas

Kiara Smith, Florida

Que Morrison, Georgia

Jenna Staiti, Georgia

Aijha Blackwell, Missouri

Destanni Henderson, South Carolina

Tamari Key, Tennessee

Jordan Nixon, Texas A&M

Kayla Wells, Texas A&M

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