BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (KFSM)–After an explosive freshman year, Daniel Gafford elected to return to Arkansas as a sophomore. The national media took notice.
Gafford was name Preseason 1st Team All-SEC before SEC Media Day in Birmingham on Wednesday. The El Dorado native averaged 11.8 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game and ranked second in the SEC with 76 blocks. Gafford set a single season school record with 75 dunks as a freshman.
In what will be Mike Anderson’s 8th season, Arkansas was picked to finish 10th out of 14 teams in the league. Among players that saw more than ten minutes per game, the Razorbacks lost eight of ten from last year’s squad including Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford. Gafford and Adrio Bailey are the lone returners to average more than ten minutes per game.
The season gets underway with Friday’s Red-White game which tips off at 7:00 p.m. inside Bud Walton Arena.
Preseason First Team All-SEC
Daniel Gafford – Arkansas
Reid Travis – Kentucky
Tremont Waters – LSU
Chris Silva – South Carolina
Grant Williams – Tennessee
Preseason Second Team All-SEC
Bryce Brown – Auburn
Jared Harper – Auburn
Jalen Hudson – Florida
PJ Washington – Kentucky
Quinndary Weatherspoon – Mississippi State
Jontay Porter – Missouri
Admiral Schofield – Tennessee
SEC Preseason Player of the Year
Grant Williams – Tennessee
Preseason Media Poll
1. Kentucky
2. Tennessee
3. Auburn
4. Mississippi State
5. Florida
6. LSU
7. Alabama
8. Vanderbilt
9. Missouri
10. Arkansas
11. South Carolina
12. Texas A&M
13. Georgia
14. Ole Miss
!["This program, [when] you talk about some of the best jobs in the country in basketball, this is one of them," Calipari said.](https://media.tegna-media.com/assets/KFSM/images/cf0926fc-f855-401b-9c52-091fa843e8c1/cf0926fc-f855-401b-9c52-091fa843e8c1_1920x1080.jpg)