Kotsar And Couisnard Earn Coaches Postseason Accolades

South Carolina senior forward Maik Kotsar and R-freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard were honored with SEC postseason accolades today from the league's coaches. Kotsar was named to the All-SEC Second Team, and Couisnard earned All-Freshman Team honors, marking the first postseason awards for both student-athletes.

Kotsar's selection to the Second Team marks the fifth straight season that Carolina has had a member of the coaches First or Second Team, and Couisnard's All-Freshman honor marks the second straight year Carolina has had a freshman selected to the squad (AJ Lawson in 2019), and the fourth time under the direction of head coach Frank Martin that a Gamecock has earned All-Freshman honors (Michael Carrera, 2011; Sindarius Thornwell, 2014; AJ Lawson, 2019).

Tbh this is the only thing you really need to know about Maik Kotsar and if he’d retired from basketball after this game he’d still be remembered forever. pic.twitter.com/EkT64TwIiO
— TRC (@RubrChickens) March 4, 2020

Kotsar has had the best year of his career in 2019-20, averaging 11.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.5 steals per game, all career highs. He's scored in double figures 20 times, with three 20-point scoring performances, while leading or sharing the team lead in scoring 10 times, in rebounding 16, and in steals and blocks 13 times. Entering SEC Tournament action, Kotsar is the only player nationally 6-10 or taller with 40 or more steals on the year, and he is the only player in the SEC with 40+ steals and 30+ blocks. Kotsar, who scored the 1,000th point of his career in the Feb. 29 contest vs. Alabama, had a career-best streak of nine-straight games in double figures earlier this season, and he is now in sole possession of second place all time at Carolina with 121 career starts. A four-year starter for Carolina, Kotsar helped lead the Gamecocks to 51 SEC victories during his career.

Kentucky ties it up but Jermaine Cousinard sends them home with the buzzer beater. South Carolina wins 81-78. pic.twitter.com/738q6b7TMt
— Chaunte'l Powell (@chauntelpowell) January 16, 2020

Couisnard led Carolina during SEC play with 14.8 points and 3.6 assists per game, while also posting 13 double-figure scoring games during conference action. He has 23 games with two or more assists during his freshman year, including dishing out a season high 10 in Carolina's March 3 home win over Mississippi State, becoming the first Gamecock since 2008 to collect 10 or more assists in a game. Couisnard was a two-time SEC Freshman of the Week in 2020, first after the buzzer beater 3-pointer to clinch the home win over No. 10/12 Kentucky, and later in the SEC campaign following a season high 28-point scoring performance at Ole Miss.

The Gamecocks are the sixth seed in this week's SEC Tournament in Nashville, and will play the winner of the 11th-seed Arkansas and 14th-seed Vanderbilt contest on Thursday at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. Continue to visit GamecocksOnline.com for updates on Carolina basketball.

The complete list of All-SEC honorees is below:

First Team All-SEC

Kira Lewis Jr., Alabama

Mason Jones, Arkansas

Samir Doughty, Auburn

Keyontae Johnson, Florida

Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky

Nick Richards, Kentucky

Skylar Mays, LSU

Breein Tyree, Ole Miss

Reggie Perry, Mississippi State

Second Team All-SEC

John Petty Jr., Alabama

Isaac Okoro, Auburn

Kerry Blackshear Jr., Florida

Anthony Edwards, Georgia

Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky

Maik Kotsar, South Carolina

John Fulkerson, Tennessee

Saben Lee, Vanderbilt

All-Freshman Team

Jaden Shackelford, Alabama

Isaac Okoro, Auburn

Scottie Lewis, Florida

Anthony Edwards, Georgia

Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky

Trendon Watford, LSU

Jermaine Couisnard, South Carolina

Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt

All-Defensive Team

Herbert Jones, Alabama

Isaac Okoro, Auburn

Ashton Hagans, Kentucky

Nick Richards, Kentucky

Yves Pons, Tennessee

Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Kentucky

Player of the Year: Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Skylar Mays, LSU

Freshman of the Year: Anthony Edwards, Georgia

Sixth-Man of the Year: Tyson Carter, Mississippi State

Defensive Player of the Year: Yves Pons, Tennessee

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