Maten shares preseason honor at SEC Men's Basketball Media Day

Georgia senior forward Yante Maten was selected as one of three preseason co-players of the year by a panel of reporters attending this year's SEC Men's Basketball Media Day.

Maten tied for the top honor along with Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr. and Texas A&M sophomore Robert Williams. Maten, a 6-foot-8 senior power forward from Pontiac, Michigan, averaged 18.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game a year ago.

Maten has earned a couple of other preseason accolades to begin this season. Maten was named the preseason SEC player of the year by the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, which also listed him as a third-team All-American. NBCSports.com gave Maten an honorable mention tag on its preseason All-America teams.

Maten is healthy again after suffering a significant knee sprain early against Kentucky on Feb. 18. Maten was able to return for Georgia's two games in the SEC Tournament but did not play in a first-round NIT loss to Belmont.

Maten considered entering the NBA draft this past offseason and even initially entered the process. Maten ended up withdrawing before the deadline, with head coach Mark Fox saying Maten wanted to hit a certain benchmark before making that leap.

In September, he said he thought long and hard about the draft before making a final decision.

"At the end of the day it was really all left to prayer," Maten said. "That's how I got here in the first palce. I didn't hear what I needed to hear back."

By being a co-player of the year selection, Maten was also named to the All-SEC first team along with Porter, Williams, Florida guard KeVaughn Allen and Kentucky guard Hamidou Diallo.

As for as Georgia as a team, the Bulldogs were voted to finish eighth in the conference. Kentucky was once again tabbed as the favorite to win the SEC.

This story was originally published October 18, 2017 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Maten shares preseason honor at SEC Men's Basketball Media Day."