The University of Georgia’s Yante Maten has been named to the 2017 SEC Community Service team for men’s college basketball. Maten is a 6 foot 8 and 240 lbs junior forward out of Pontiac Michigan for the Bulldogs, and he has excelled both on the court and off it in the classroom and in the community.

 
 
Maten spoke to local elementary and middle school students about the value of education and maintaining a positive attitude and work ethic. Among other projects, he visited Camp Twin Lakes, a summer facility for children whose lives have been affected by cancer, and helped shop for Christmas presents for deserving children.
 
 
Though he is currently out of action due to a sprained knee, Maten remains Georgia’s leading scorer and the SEC’s third-leading scorer at 18.7 ppg. Among league statistical leaders, he also ranks No. 2 in field goal percentage (.526), No. 8 in blocks (1.5 bpg), No. 9 in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and No. 17 in playing time (29.2 mpg). Maten is one of 10 players on the final watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the nation’s top center.
 
 
This is the 19th edition of the SEC’s Community Service team for men’s basketball. Maten also was named to the group a year ago, making him Georgia’s second two-time honoree. Marcus Thornton earned recognition for his community service efforts during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
 
 
All 21 league‐sponsored sports have had a Community Service Team since 2004, with at‐large teams for men’s and women’s sports being chosen from 1999‐2003. The SEC began this concept with a football Community Service Team in 1994.