The University of Mississippi Athletics
Justin Reed Claims SEC Scoring Title
3/29/2004 | Men's Basketball
March 29, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - With the Southeastern Conference basketball season officially concluded, Ole Miss' Justin Reed sits atop the league's chart as the SEC scoring leader in the final 2003-04 statistics with an 18.5 points-per-game average.
A senior forward from Jackson, Miss., Reed claims the ninth SEC scoring title by a Rebel and first since Joe Harvell in 1992 with a 25.0 average. Prior to that, John Stroud won the title in back-to-back years in 1979 (26.3 ppg) and 1980 (25.5 ppg).
Reed, who posted 12 games of 20 or more points this season, beat out Vanderbilt's Matt Freije by one-tenth of a point (18.4 ppg) for the title. Reed also finished top 10 in the SEC in rebounds (sixth at 7.5) and field goal percentage (sixth at .464).
Fellow Ole Miss senior Aaron Harper ranked in the league's top 10 in five categories, including scoring (tied for eighth at 16.5), assists (ninth at 3.25), field goal percentage (10th at .445), three-pointers made (fourth at 2.39) and three-point percentage (seventh at .387).
Reed and Harper, who have played basketball together since their childhood days in Jackson, were the SEC's top scoring tandem, combining for 35 points per outing.
Reed wrapped up his career as the first Rebel to earn All-SEC honors all four years and the first two-time Wooden Award candidate from a Mississippi college. He finished fifth at Ole Miss in career scoring and sixth in rebounding.
Harper is the Rebels' all-time leader in three-pointers with 278 and is tied for sixth on the SEC career list. He also ranks eighth at Ole Miss in career assists and 10th in both points and steals.
