KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee sophomore forward DeWayne Brown II will serve as the vice chair of the 2026-27 SEC Men’s Basketball Leadership Council, as announced Friday morning by the conference office.
Despite this being a second-year competitor in his first season as a member of the group, Brown’s peers voted him as the vice chair.
The SEC Student-Athlete Leadership Councils provide an opportunity for SEC student-athletes to engage with campus leaders and conference office staff. Leadership Councils for football and men’s and women’s basketball, along with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, provide a conduit of communication to the conference office on issues related to student-athlete experience, student-athlete wellness and playing rules.
The meeting of the Leadership Council featured guest speaker Coach Charles L. Bailey Jr., who presented “Best Players on the Field: The Championship Formula for Leadership Success,” along with a conversation with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. Council members also received an NCAA and SEC legislative update and heard from SEC Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Katie O’Neal before splitting into men’s and women’s basketball breakout sessions.
Each school has one student-athlete on the council. Brown is accompanied by Preston Murphy Jr. (Alabama), Amere Brown (Arkansas), Owen Freeman (Auburn), Jones Lay (Florida), Markel Jennings (Georgia), Zyon Hawthorne (Kentucky), Luke Stansbury (LSU), Zach Day (Ole Miss), Thomas Bassong (Mississippi State), Trent Burns (Missouri), Dayton Forsythe (Oklahoma), Kory Mincy (South Carolina), Mantas Laurencikas (Texas), Cade Phillips (Texas A&M) and Chandler Bing (Vanderbilt). Phillips, who was Tennessee’s representative last year, is the committee chair.
A native of Hoover, Ala., Brown appeared in all 37 contests for a 25-win Tennessee team as a freshman in 2025-26 and earned 10 starts. He averaged 4.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game, while shooting 58.6 percent from the field.
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