Rick Barnes warned Dalton Knecht that SEC play would test him.

The Tennessee basketball transfer didn't flinch at his coach's words, taking on the challenge and tearing through the conference. Knecht was named the SEC player of the year Monday by the conference coaches, the result of his high-scoring, dominant campaign for the SEC champion Vols.

“Crazy award," Knecht said Monday. "Lot of hard work. Shoutout to my teammates and the coaching staff.”

Zakai Zeigler was named the SEC defensive player of the year, joining Knecht as an individual award winner. Knecht and Zeigler were named first-team All-SEC. Forward Jonas Aidoo was named to the second team. Zeigler and Aidoo earned All-SEC defensive honors.

Dalton Knecht is Tennessee's first SEC player of the year since Grant Williams

Knecht averaged 21.4 points per game this season, while upping that figure to 25.5 in SEC games. In SEC games, the Northern Colorado transfer had 10 25-point games, six 30-point games, four 35-point games, and one 40-point game. He also scored 37 at North Carolina in November.

“I hope everybody appreciates it as much as we do," Vols associate head coach Justin Gainey said. "He was magnificent this year.”

Knecht is the second SEC player of the year under Barnes, joining Grant Williams. Williams was a two-time conference player of the year in 2018 and 2019. Knecht is the 10th Vol to win the award.

Knecht, who started his career at Northeastern Junior College in Colorado, shot 47.4% from the field and 40.5% on 3-pointers. He won SEC player of the week honors four times.

“His journey is one that you kind of read about — fairytale-type deal," Gainey said.

MVP: Untold stories of Dalton Knecht's ascension to Tennessee basketball star, NBA Draft prospect

Zakai Zeigler nets SEC defensive player of the year, first-team honors

Zeigler came back from a torn ACL in February 2023 to become one of the best guards in the conference, netting three All-SEC awards as the defensive player of the year and landing on the All-SEC first team and All-SEC defensive team. The 5-foot-9 Zeigler averaged 11.6 points and an SEC-leading 6.0 assists per game. He shot 35.3% on 3-pointers.

Zeigler ranks fourth in the SEC with 58 steals as the head of the SEC's best defense. He has been named to the All-SEC defensive team in all three seasons at Tennessee.

“He has had a great year defensively and offensively and just coming back from what he came back from," Gainey said. "It speaks volumes about his toughness and his tenacity. He is a pesky defender. He energizes this team. We have been a top-5 defense the last three years and he has had a lot to do with it.”

Zeigler joined Yves Pons as UT's SEC defensive player of the year winners. Pons won in 2021.

Jonas Aidoo takes home All-SEC, defense honors

Aidoo broke out this season as a junior for the Vols. The 6-11 forward averaged 12.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He had six double-doubles in conference games.

He blocked 60 shots, which ranked third in the SEC.

"He is super reliable, consistent," Gainey said. "We know what we are going to get from him. One of the best big man defenders in the country.”

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball's Dalton Knecht named SEC player of the year