Not a surprise: Nick Smith Jr. named preseason SEC first-teamer
Nick Smith Jr. had already earned preseason All-SEC honors from the league’s established media. Wednesday the coaches bestowed him with the same.
Smith, a freshman guard from North Little Rock, was one of nine SEC basketball players named to the All-SEC Coaches preseason first team. He was one of five for the media’s All-SEC first team. The coaches’ teams are a minimum of eight players.
Smith was the only freshman on the first team. He was joined by Jahvon Quinerly (Alabama), Colin Castleton (Florida), Oscar Tshiebwe and Sahvir Wheeler (Kentucky), Tolu Smith (Mississippi State), Kobe Brown (Missouri), and Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler (Tennessee).
The honor was just the latest for Smith, a predicted lottery pick in the NBA Draft in the spring. He was previously named second-team All-American by CBS Sports, fourth-team All-American by Blue Ribbon Magazine and SEC Freshman of the year by both.
The Hogs open the regular season Monday against North Dakota State in a 7 p.m. tip against North Dakota State.
