ATLANTA - Mark Gottfried and Erwin Dudley led Alabama back to the top of the Southeastern Conference. <br>
<br>
They were rewarded Tuesday by being named coach and player of the year on The Associated Press All-SEC team. <br>
<br>
Georgia's Jarvis Hayes was named newcomer of the year and joined Dudley on the first team, along with Tayshaun Prince of Kentucky, Udonis Haslem of Florida and Vincent Yarbrough of Tennessee. <br>
<br>
Gottfried's fourth season as Crimson Tide coach resulted in the school's first regular-season conference title since 1987. His best player was Dudley, who wasn't heavily recruited out of high school but showed the benefits of hard work. <br>
<br>
The 6-foot-8 junior forward led the SEC in rebounding (9.1 per game) and ranked tenth in scoring (16.0). <br>
<br>
Hayes made an immediate impact at Georgia. <br>
<br>
The 6-foot-6 sophomore swingman led the SEC in scoring (18.1) his first year in the league and was a major reason the Bulldogs greatly exceeded expectations. <br>
<br>
Picked to finish in the middle of the pack, Georgia (21-8, 10-6) claimed a share of the SEC East title with Kentucky and Florida. The Bulldogs will have a bye in the first round of the SEC tournament, which begins Thursday at the Georgia Dome.
