KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced the 2019 NABC Coaches’ Division I All-America teams Tuesday, and Tennessee’s Grant Williams was tabbed to the first team.
Williams, who was also named a First-Team All-American by Sporting News and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), has been one of the nation’s most all-around players this year, averaging 18.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. He is also shooting 57 percent from the field and an impressive 82 percent from the charity stripe.
Williams ranks in the top 10 of the SEC in scoring (1st), field-goal percentage (2nd), free-throw percentage (4th) and rebounding (7th). He has moved into the top 10 of UT’s all-time career lists for blocks (3rd/158), free-throw attempts (4th/656), free throws made (5th/498) and offensive rebounds (8th/254).
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native helped the Vols (31-5) earn their first Sweet Sixteen bid since 2014 with an 83-77 win over Iowa in overtime on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Williams finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks to fuel UT on both ends of the floor.
Williams’ list of postseason honors is already impressive. He has been named SEC Player of the Year and a first-team All-SEC performer—both for the second straight season. He was also named to the SEC Community Service Team, SEC All-Tournament Team and the USBWA District IV Player of the Year.
Williams was the first player to win SEC Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons since 1995-96. Only 10 players have ever achieved the feat, including VFLs Bernard King and Dale Ellis and all-time greats like Pete Maravich, Shaquille O’Neal and Corliss Williamson.
Williams is also up for consideration for several other player of the year honors, being tabbed to the Men’s National Ballot for the John R. Wooden Award, a Citizen Naismith Trophy finalist, an Oscar Robertson Trophy finalist and a Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year finalist.
The junior forward is joined by Duke’s freshman duo of Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett along with Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura and Murray State’s Ja Morant. Kentucky’s PJ Washington was the only other SEC player to be selected, earning a spot on the third team.
Located in Kansas City, MO, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches.
2019 NABC COACHES’ DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
RJ Barrett, Duke, 6-7, 202, Freshman, Forward, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga, 6-8, 230, Junior, Forward, Toyama, Japan
Ja Morant, Murray State, 6-3, 175, Sophomore, Guard, Dalzell, S.C.
Grant Williams, Tennessee, 6-7, 236, Junior, Forward, Charlotte, N.C.
Zion Williamson, Duke, 6-7, 285, Freshman, Forward, Spartanburg, S.C.
SECOND TEAM
Carsen Edwards, Purdue, 6-1, 200, Junior, Guard, Atascocita, Texas
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin, 6-10, 237, Senior, Forward, Milan, Ill.
Markus Howard, Marquette, 5-11, 175, Junior, Guard, Chandler, Ariz.
De’Andre Hunter, Virginia, 6-7, 225, Sophomore, Guard, Philadelphia, Pa.
Cassius Winston, Michigan State, 6-1, 185, Junior, Guard, Detroit, Mich.
THIRD TEAM
Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech, 6-6, 195, Sophomore, Guard, Lubbock, Texas
Mike Daum, South Dakota State, 6-9, 235, Senior, Forward, Kimball, Neb.
Kyle Guy, Virginia, 6-2, 175, Junior, Guard, Indianapolis, Ind.
Dedric Lawson, Kansas, 6-9, 235, Junior, Forward, Memphis, Tenn.
PJ Washington, Kentucky, 6-8, 228, Sophomore, Forward, Dallas, Texas
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