 |
| Heron (Auburn athletics) |
I rarely use this space as a place to rant, but what happened today in Southeastern Conference country needs to be written about. Because a former Sacred Heart star got screwed.
The All-SEC men’s basketball teams chosen by the coaches were announced today, and a big name was shockingly absent.
The SEC only has first and second teams, and Auburn sophomore Mustapha Heron was not on either of them. There is no honorable mention. Sixteen players get chosen, and Heron was not.
How is this possible? The reaction on Twitter came quickly with many expressing shock.
“16 players were named All-SEC first and second team and Auburn’s Mustapha Heron wasn’t one of them? That’s beyond comical. Inconceivable,” wrote college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl retweeted Rothstein’s comment, then had this to say.
“Pretty much sums up our season to this point,” Pearl wrote. “Mustapha averaged 17.1 Pts ranked 5th, 6th FT %, 10th steals, Top 25 Rebs and leads a Championship Team. Really?
Heron simply wrote: “Lol.”
Heron could have said more but didn’t. Good for him. He’s got us to rant for him.
Heron was one of the 16 best players in the SEC. Heck, he should have been one of the Top 8 on the first team.
The fact that Heron got nothing is a shame.
It reminds me of when UConn’s Kevin Freeman didn’t get first, second or third team All-Big East recognition before the 1999 tournament. All Freeman did was earn the Dave Gavitt Trophy for Most Outstanding Player.
The snub can serve as motivation for Heron, and Pearl is pretty likely to use it as such with his sophomore. The SEC Tournament better be ready for Auburn, which won a share of the regular season title yet didn’t have a single player on the first team.
The Tigers have had a chip on their shoulder since the preseason. And the SEC better be ready for Heron, who apparently wasn’t good enough to make All-SEC. We’ll see about that.
