Scotty Pippen Jr. Named SEC Preseason Player Of The Year, Cousy Award Watch List

Scotty Pippen Jr. Photo: Courtesy of the Vanderbilt Athletics.

Vanderbilt men’s basketball’s Scotty Pippen Jr. has been recognized prior to his junior season as the SEC Preseason Player of the Year and has been named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List. Pippen decided to stay with the Commodores for another year instead of entering the NBA Draft after a successful sophomore year.

In the 2020-21 season Pippen was named to the NABC First-Team All-District and All-SEC Team by The Associated Press after setting a school record for a sophomore with 20.8 points per game—that also ranked as the seventh-highest scoring season in program history and highest since 1999-2000.

He also posted the ninth-most assists per game in Vandy history last season and ranked second in the SEC with 4.9. He shared the ball at a record-rate as the first Commodore in five years with 5+ assists in four straight games and is the first Commodore since 2000 with eight or more assists in back-to-back games.

The Los Angeles native ranked third in the SEC and ninth nationally with 142 made free throws, and second in the SEC with 1.77 steals per game. He shot 42.8% from the field overall, 35.8% from 3-point range and 85% from the free throw line, leading the team in scoring 13 times. He set an SEC Tournament record for most made free throws without a miss in a single tournament (25 for 25 in two games).

Pippen and the Commodores, led under third-year head coach Jerry Stackhouse, kick off their season with four straight home games, first against Alabama State on Nov. 10.

Steven Boero