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Glen Davis/Ben Simmons
Glen Davis
Forward • 6-8 • Baton Rouge, La. 2006
Glen Davis was at his best during the Tigers’ 2006 season when he was named SEC Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American for the Wooden Award.
Davis starred as the Tigers captured the SEC regular-season championship with a 14-2 record and then went on to defeat four teams en route to the NCAA Final Four.
In the regional rounds, the Tiger magic and Davis’ personality was on display to the nation as he helped lead LSU to upsets over No. 1-ranked Duke and an overtime win over No. 9 Texas that got LSU to its first NCAA Final Four in 20 years.
Davis would earn all-region honors for his play in the NCAA Tournament in a year in which he led the SEC in both scoring (18.6) and rebounding (9.7). In 2007, in his junior season and despite injuries and intense pressure to perform, he again led the league in rebounding (10.2) and earned SEC First-Team honors. He was a second round pick of the NBA’s Seattle Supersonics in the 2007 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Boston Celtics and became an NBA champion in his first year with the team.
Ben Simmons
Forward • 6-10 • Melbourne, Australia 2016
Simmons, in his one season at LSU, earned first-team SEC honors and All-America honors after averaging 19.2 ppg, 11.8 rpg and 4.79 apg. He was the consensus national Freshman of the Year, including winning the prestigious Wayman Tisdale Award. He was named LSU’s ninth first-team A-A by the United States Basketball Writers Association.
Simmons was fourth in the SEC in points average, first in rebounds, third in field goal percentage (56.0%) and second in steals per game (1.97). His 199 made free throws was the most in a season since Pete Maravich and only Maravich and Bob Pettit made more in a year. He was the first player in the SEC in the top five in points-rebounds-assists. He finished the season with 23 double-doubles. He had six games of 20 points-15 rebounds and 5 assists and 17 games of 20 or more points.
Simmons was the school’s second No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in June 2016.