Arkansas expected to see all season.Īfter sitting out a long chunk of the second half of Arkansas’ 76-57 win over Bradley on Dec. He played four more games and flashed a little of what made him a special recruit, including a 21-point evisceration of Oklahoma on Dec. Smith returned in late November, debuting with a six-minute showing against Troy. Even without Smith, Arkansas went 2-1 with a tight, three-point loss to Creighton (who ended up in the Elite Eight) and a gutsy overtime win over San Diego State (who ended up playing for the National Championship). Just hours before Arkansas’ season-opener against North Dakota State, the team announced that Smith would not play due to “right knee management.” Smith missed the first six games of the season, including Arkansas’ highly-anticipated trip to Hawaii to compete in the loaded Maui Invitational.
Dazzling five-star freshmen like Smith, Jordan Walsh and Anthony Black alongside transfer portal gems like Ricky Council IV (Wichita State) and Trevon Brazile (Missouri) gave Musselman a talent-laden roster that made plenty of rival coaches jealous. Even after back-to-back trips to the Elite Eight, Musselman wanted something bigger. Musselman hoped that the historic recruiting class would lead Arkansas to new heights. coach Eric Musselman had an awesome reaction to signee Nick Smith being ranked the No. Musselman leaned back in his chair like Kevin Harlan on the call of Virginia-Furman, clapped four times and exclaimed “Wow!” three times with a grin on his face that couldn’t be wiped off. The even better news was that Smith, an Arkansas signee, was going to be elevated to the No. With the camera live, Branham informed Musselman that Arkansas’ class of 2022 haul was going to be ranked a program-best No. But little did Musselman know, he was about to get some program-altering news. And, guess what? If given the chance, he’d go down the same path all over again.Įric Musselman was nestled in his office last May awaiting an interview with 247Sports’ Travis Branham. Smith knows exactly why he’s fallen in the draft. He didn't mysteriously get a case of the yips that unexpectedly hindered his stock. Get the latest football and basketball transfer portal news from 247Sports. That would be the lowest draft slot for a No. As for Smith, 247Sports National Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein has him projected to be the No. 1 pick while Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller - Smith’s former AAU teammate - are in a thick competition for the No. 1 counterparts to hear his name in next month’s NBA Draft. 7 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft) had to wait the longest in the last decade.īarring something unforeseen, Smith will have to wait a little longer than the rest of his historical No. Nine of the 11 were selected within the first four picks. 1 in high school went on to become lottery picks. Ben Simmons, Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Edwards and Cade Cunningham joined The Brow as the best player in their respective high school classes and ended up being the No. 1 in the class of 2011 and went first overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. 1-ranked players in each high school class get drafted. CHICAGO – Nick Smith Jr. isn’t going to fit into the tidy graphic on NBA Draft night.
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