FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Tom Collen has enjoyed his best season with the Razorbacks, leading his team to a 21-7 record.
But it got even better Wednesday.
Collen was named the Southeastern Conference’s Coach of the Year when the league unveiled its awards leading into the SEC Tournament. It’s the first SEC Coach of the Year honor for Collen, who also became just the second Arkansas basketball coach — men’s or women’s — to earn the honor (former men’s coach Nolan Richardson was named SEC Coach of the Year in 1998).
“Wow, what a wonderful honor,” Collen said in a statement released by the Razorbacks. “It’s been a great year so far and I’m really proud of this team and our accomplishments. This award is a reflection of all of their hard work and I’m honored to have been selected.”
Collen has led the Razorbacks to a 10-2 record in the past 12 games, bouncing back from an 0-4 start in conference play. The stretch includes a school-record eight-game SEC win streak. The 10 SEC wins also is a single-season school record.
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It helped Arkansas finish fifth in the SEC standings. The Razorbacks will play 12th-seed Ole Miss (12-17, 2-14) in the first round of the SEC Tournament at 6 p.m. tonight.
Collen wasn’t the only Razorback recognized by the SEC on Wednesday morning.
Guard C’eira Ricketts, who is averaging 11.3 points a game, earned first-team All-SEC honors. Sarah Watkins (10.8 points, 4.7 rebounds) was named to the second team. And Calli Berna (3.8 points) earned Freshman All-SEC honors.
“All three of these young women are very deserving of these honors,” Collen said. “In fact, we have a team full of players who have been keys to our success.”