UK WBB: Makayla Epps Named Preseason Media All-SEC

With the annual Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Tipoff event beginning Thursday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., the league office has announced the 2016 Preseason Media All-SEC Team with University of Kentucky senior guard Makayla Epps being one of five players to earn the preseason recognition.

The preseason honor adds to Epps’ already lengthy list of recognition as she has been named to College Sports Madness’ and The Sporting News’ Preseason All-America First Team and Athlon Sports Preseason All-America Second Team. Last season, Epps was tabbed honorable-mention All-America by both The Associated Press and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
The native of Lebanon, Ky., had an amazing junior season for Kentucky, playing in 32 games and averaging 17.1 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game with 143 assists and 41 steals. The powerful guard scored 20-plus points 12 times during the season, while scoring in double digits in 29 of her 32 games played. Early in the season, Epps posted the second triple-double in program history with 21 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds against Morehead State. In conference play, Epps averaged 16.1 points per game and became the 31st member of Kentucky’s 1,000-point club, ending her junior season with 1,207 career points. She enters her senior season 19th all-time on Kentucky’s career scoring list.
Epps was a clutch performer against some of the best teams in the country last season. Against highly ranked Louisville, Duke, South Carolina (twice), Tennessee, Mississippi State and Texas A&M she averaged 18.4 points per game, hitting .486 from the field with 29 assists and 33 rebounds. In the SEC Tournament, Epps averaged 18.3 points per game, adding 12 assists and an impressive .553 shooting clip from the field.
Epps is joined on the Preseason All-SEC Team by South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson and Alaina Coates, Mississippi State’s Victoria Vivians and Tennessee’s Diamond DeShields. Epps, Coates and Vivians all received player of the year votes with Wilson being named the preseason honoree. The Wildcats were picked to finish fourth in the league.
Kentucky will begin the 2016-17 season on Nov. 11 against Miami (Fla.) at 7 p.m. ET inside Memorial Coliseum. Fans can reserve their seats to see the Wildcats play an exciting 18-game home schedule by purchasing season tickets for $65 online at ukathletics.com/tickets or by calling the UK Ticket Office at (859) 257-1818 or (800) 928-2287. Seats will be assigned in September after the season ticket renewal deadline. All single-game tickets will go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 9 a.m. ET through ticketmaster.com.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, or Kentucky Women’s Basketball on Facebook.
Southeastern Conference Preseason Media All-SEC
Makayla Epps, Kentucky
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State
Alaina Coates, South Carolina
A’ja Wilson, South Carolina
Diamond DeShields, Tennessee
Player of the Year
A’ja Wilson, South Carolina
Order of Finish
1. South Carolina
2. Mississippi State
3. Tennessee
4. Kentucky
5. Florida
6. Texas A&M
7. Auburn
8. Missouri
9. Vanderbilt
10. Georgia
11. Arkansas
12. LSU
13. Alabama
14. Ole Miss