Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman joined 247Sports national college basketball analyst Travis Branham on Tuesday, and he was let in on a secret that everyone knows now but only a few knew at the time. Check out the reaction from Coach Muss as Branham tells him 2022 basketball signee Nick Smith Jr. would be announced as the No. 1 overall prospect in the country on the updated and final 247Sports Top 150 ranking.
Smith’s bump was not enough to move Arkansas from the No. 2 overall recruiting class in the nation to No. 1 ahead of the Duke Blue Devils, 71.05 team points compared to 70.5, but combined with the No. 3-ranked transfer portal class nobody has more talent coming into their program in 2022 than the Arkansas Razorbacks. Here’s a look at the new rankings for all six of Arkansas signees from the Class of 2022, which on paper is the best recruiting class ever assembled at the University of Arkansas.
Branham Evaluation: Nick Smith is an aggressive, confident and dynamic combo guard with good size and long arms for the position. He’s a functional athlete with downhill speed, body control and fluidly changes speed and direction with the ball in his hands. Offensively, he has an impressive combination as a playmaker and as a scorer, with his playmaking ability being unlocked by his aggressive and confident demeanor as a scorer. Smith is a legitimate three level scorer who creates his own shot, operates well out of ball-screens, gets to his spots from mid-range and is a tough finisher around the rim who will punish the opposition if given space in traffic. He’s also a talented passer whose decision making has made strides during his high school years and projects as a prospect who can fluidly operate on or off the ball as he continues to mature as a ball-handler. Defensively, Smith consistently brings effort and energy on this end of the floor. His size, length, mentality and IQ all make him an impactful on- and off-ball defender making him a tough, productive and impactful two-way player.
Did you know HawgSports.com has a podcast called HawgSports LIVE, along with the popular and occasional Walk & Talk? New episodes are available weekly, bringing you the best Razorback breakdowns and opinions from the top guys in the industry, Trey Biddy, Danny West and Curtis Wilkerson. Catch the latest episode and also subscribe here on iTunesor catch the latest episode here on Megaphone or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for HawgSports Live on your favorite platform.