Auburn freshman Jabari Smith was named the national Freshman of the Year by two separate voting agencies after averaging 16.9 and 7.4 rebounds as the Tigers' leading scorer on the way to a first place finish in the SEC.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) voted after the end of the season, with both agencies propelling Smith to the No. 1 spot in this year's freshman class.
Smith shot a team-high 42% from three on at least eight attempts a game while recording seven different point-rebound double doubles as Auburn steamrolled its way through early conference play on a 19-game winning streak.
Previous winners of both the USBWA Freshman of the Year award and the Wayman Tisdale Award include: Cade Cunningham (2021), Zion Williamson (2019) and Lonzo Ball (2017).
Smith is the program's first Wayman Tisdale Award winner and the first Tiger to be recognized on the USBWA All-American team since Doc Robinson after the 1998-99 season.
Smith scored at least one three-point shot in 28-consecutive games played this season, as he paved the way to the most-made threes in Auburn freshman history at 79.
In his first-career game in the NCAA Tournament, Smith recoded a season-high 14 rebounds while notching 20 points and four assists as he led Auburn to the tournament‘s second round.
A formal presentation of the Wayman Tisdale Award to Smith will take place on April 11, in St. Louis, Missouri.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Larry is a senior studying journalism with a minor in sociology. He is from Enterprise, Alabama and is in his third year with The Auburn Plainsman.Â
Twitter: @ReportingLarry
