<p>Every now and then, Lawrence Roberts will drift back to that nightmarish summer at Baylor: a teammate killed, a former teammate charged, the shocking NCAA violations, the coach resigning in shame.</p><p>Its still there, Roberts said. Its just a matter of where it is in my mind. Is it in the front of my mind or the back of my mind? I have to stay on the court, stay active, keep playing. Its a lot easier when Im on the court.</p><p>Without a doubt. In his first season at Mississippi State, Roberts was a unanimous choice for player of the year on The Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference team released Tuesday.</p><p>The 6-foot-9 junior also was named newcomer of the year, and the Bulldogs completed a sweep of the individual awards when Rich Stansbury was picked as coach of the year.</p><p>Roberts was joined on the first team by teammate Timmy Bowers, Matt Freije of Vanderbilt, Justin Reed of Mississippi, Jaime Lloreda of LSU and Anthony Roberson of Florida.</p><p>No. 4 Mississippi State (25-2, 14-2) won its first SEC regular-season title since 1991 and heads into the conference tournament this weekend hoping to lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs.</p><p>With all the success and everything that is going on in a positive light, words cant even describe it, Roberts said. Ive got a smile from ear to ear.</p><p>That wasnt the case after last season, when a surreal chain of events unfolded at Baylor.</p><p>Patrick Dennehy disappeared, his body turning up about six weeks later near a rock quarry. Former player Carlton Dotson was charged in the slaying.</p><p>Coach Dave Bliss tried to cover his own rules violations by asking players to portray Dennehy as a drug dealer. After Bliss was forced to resign, the NCAA took the extraordinary step of allowing anyone to transfer without having to sit out a season.</p><p>Roberts took up the offer, deciding that Mississippi State was the best fit. Stansbury was immediately impressed that the newcomer had his priorities in order.</p><p>From day one, he was never concerned about Lawrence Roberts, the coach said. He didnt ask me about playing time. The most important thing to him was winning a championship. That told me a lot about him and about this team. Thats what were all about. He fit in perfectly.</p><p>Roberts led the team with 17.1 points a game, ranking sixth in the conference. He also was the SECs second-leading rebounder (10.5) and shot nearly 53 percent from the field.</p><p>It was crazy what happened, but it was also a blessing in disguise, Roberts said. Mississippi State just needed that little pivotal piece for them to compete for a championship.</p><p>He joined a team that lost key three players after last season, including All-SEC center Mario Austin. While Roberts had been Baylors top player two years in a row, Stansbury wanted even more.</p><p>He was playing at about 75 percent of his ability, the coach said. We talked to him about ways to get better, and one thing was finding a way to turn the energy up and be more consistent. Hes done that. He has more points and more rebounds on a more talented basketball team.</p><p>Stansbury earned the coach of the year award by molding seven new players into one of the greatest teams in Mississippi State history. It wasnt as easy as it looked.</p><p>He was kind of fitting us all together and slowly bringing us along, Roberts said. He did a great job. Hats off to him.</p><p>Bowers teamed with Roberts to give the Bulldogs a lethal inside-outside combination. The 6-2 senior guard averaged 15.4 points and also ranked among the league leaders in steals (1.93) and 3-point shooting (.363).</p><p>Seniors dominated the first team. Freije, a 6-9 forward, led the SEC in scoring (19.1). Justin Reed, a 6-8 forward, was second in scoring (18.6) and fifth in rebounding (7.6). Lloreda, a 6-9 forward, was the conferences top rebounder (11.6), though his college career was cut short by a foot injury.</p><p>Roberson was the only non-senior on the first team other than Roberts. The 6-1 sophomore guard averaged 17.3 points, making him the SECs fourth-leading scorer.</p><p>The 56th annual AP All-SEC team was chosen by a regional panel of 11 sportswriters.</p><p>No. 8 Kentucky, which finished a game behind Mississippi State in the conference standings, failed to place anyone on the first team for the first time since 1999. Still, the Wildcats were well represented _ Gerald Fitch and Erik Daniels made the second team, while Chuck Hayes and Cliff Hawkins were third-teamers.</p><p>But no one had a better year than Roberts and Mississippi State.</p><p>He was just what we were looking for, Stansbury said. None of us could have written down a script that was any better for him or our program.</p>
