| SEC Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year | |
| Awarded For: | the most outstanding first-year male basketball player in the Southeastern Conference |
| Country: | United States |
| Year: | 1998-present |
| Holder: | Reed Sheppard, Kentucky (Freshman) Dalton Knecht, Tennessee (Newcomer) |
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year is an umbrella name for two awards given to the most outstanding basketball player in his first year at a Southeastern Conference school. One award, voted on and presented by SEC coaches, is currently called Freshman of the Year, and is open only to freshmen (i.e., those who are in their first season of college play, which is usually but not always their first year of college). The other award, presented by the Associated Press, is called Newcomer of the Year, and is open to any player in his first season at an SEC school, including those who transferred to SEC schools. (The coaches' award was not always restricted to freshmen, but now is.)
| † | Co-Rookies of the Year | |
| Awarded a Player of the Year award: the SEC Player of the Year | ||
| Italics | Player was not a freshman that season | |
| A | Associated Press selection | |
| C | SEC coaches selection |
| Season | Player | School | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98† | Georgia | Power forward | ||
| Tennessee | Point guard | |||
| 1998–99 | Auburn | Small forward | ||
| 1999–2000 | Arkansas | Small forward | ||
| 2000–01 | Ole Miss | Power forward | ||
| 2001–02† | C | Georgia | Power forward | |
| A | Alabama | Point guard | ||
| 2002–03 | Florida | Point guard | ||
| 2003–04† | C | LSU | Power forward | |
| A | Mississippi State | Power forward | ||
| 2004–05 | LSU | Center | ||
| 2005–06 | LSU | Power forward | ||
| 2006–07 | Arkansas | Point guard | ||
| 2007–08† | A | Florida | Point guard | |
| C | Kentucky | Power forward | ||
| 2008–09 | Ole Miss | Point guard | ||
| 2009–10 | Kentucky | Center | ||
| 2010–11 | Kentucky | Power forward | ||
| 2011–12* | Kentucky | Center | ||
| 2012–13† | C | Kentucky | Center | |
| A | Ole Miss | Shooting guard | ||
| 2013–14 | Kentucky | Power forward | ||
| 2014–15 | Kentucky | Center | ||
| 2015–16 | LSU | Forward[1] | ||
| 2016–17 | Kentucky | Shooting guard | ||
| 2017–18† | C | Kentucky | Guard | |
| A, C | Alabama | Guard | ||
| 2018–19† | C | Kentucky | Forward | |
| A | Kentucky | Guard | ||
| 2019–20 | A | Georgia | Guard | |
| 2020–21 | Arkansas | Guard | ||
| 2021–22 | Auburn | |||
| 2022–23* | Brandon Miller | Alabama | ||
| 2023–24† | Reed SheppardC | Kentucky | Guard | |
| bgcolor=#ffe6bd | Dalton KnechtA | Tennessee |
| School | Winners | Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 2008†, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013†, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018†, 2019†, 2024† | ||
| 4 | 2004†, 2005, 2006, 2016 | ||
| 3 | 2002†, 2018†, 2023 | ||
| Georgia | 3 | 1998, 2002, 2020 | |
| 3 | 2001, 2009, 2013† | ||
| Arkansas | 3 | 2000, 2007, 2021 | |
| 2 | 1999, 2022 | ||
| Florida | 2 | 2003, 2008† | |
| 2 | 1998†, 2024† | ||
| Mississippi State | 1 | 2004† | |
| 0 | — | ||
| 0 | — | ||
| 0 | — | ||
| 0 |
SEC Media guide provides the entire list on page 128