![]() Woke up the next morning and said 'hey we are starting him.' It’s Game 3. So, he didn’t get the opportunity to play much there. ![]() In Game 2, I knew the road atmosphere and the way A&M played, it kind of throws you off any offensive rhythm anyhow. "He got to play about what I thought he would play in Game 1 against Mississippi State. Because we know we have to have a fresh team or as fresh a team both mentally and physically going into March. "And then you add in the fact we do not go live this time of year, and we’re not going to go live because someone just rejoined us and now you have nine players going live that aren’t used to it. And we knew, just like if you’re coaching in the NBA when a guy comes back… How do you work him in? What’s the minutes? What about his teammates? There are all these factors. Nick was out for an extended period of time. "Ricky (Council) actually made the comments to the media postgame. “Unless you’ve coached or played at a high level, you don’t realize how hard it is," Musselman said of Smith's return to form. ![]() He responded with 10 points (4-12 FG) and looked noticeably more comfortable and in-rhythm than the two games prior. As eager as everyone was to see Smith as a plug and play in the rotation without skipping a beat, the staff stayed true to the process with him and the rest of the team.Īfter getting his feet wet at home against the Bulldogs and getting a brief glimpse of life on the road in SEC play at Texas A&M, Smith was inserted into the starting lineup and unleashed for 32 minutes on the Florida Gators over the weekend. Patience has been a forced virtue on Smith and the Arkansas coaching staff since he made his return on Feb. Just trying to go out there and play my game and try to go win. "A lot of people have been sending me good things. And especially knowing the team’s situation, I wanted to go out there and try to help the guys win. I wanted to go out and play the best that I can. "I made a commitment to Coach Muss and the coaching staff that I was going to come and play, and I feel that wasn’t in my character to just leave. “Whatever happened between those months I went through, I was going to come back and play regardless," Smith said on Eric Musselman Live with Chuck Barrett on Monday. Two lengthy absences in right knee management has limited Smith to just eight games of action with the Razorbacks (18-9, 7-7 SEC), but the future lottery pick has never wavered on his commitment and he has his sights set on helping the team rack up wins as he settles back in on the hardwood. has Arkansas basketball as close as it is going to be to resembling the team many viewed as a trendy Final Four contender, on paper, in the preseason. It has been a long and winding road to this point, but the return of star freshman Nick Smith Jr. ![]()
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