Auburn basketball: Jabari Smith Jr. earns 5th SEC FOTW honors

With conference play nearing an end for Auburn basketball, things just keep getting better for freshman star Jabari Smith Jr. For the fifth time this season, the power forward has been named SEC Freshman of the Week.

Smith’s fifth Freshman of the Week title comes after he averaged 29.5 points and 5.5 rebounds last week in just two games, versus Vanderbilt and Florida. Smith scored 59 points in two games and shot 11-15 behind the arc.

Although Auburn basketball dropped their last game in a tough road loss to the Gators, Smith is not dropping the ball when it comes to making his mark in the world of college basketball:

There’s no doubt that Bruce Pearl got someone special when he recruited Jabari Smith Jr. to the Plains. The freshman is unbelievably smooth, and consistently exudes a sense of calmness no matter the place, the opponent, or the score.

For example, remember Smith’s free throws near the end of the Florida game. He was fouled on a three-point shot and proceeded to the foul line to make all three of his shots, bringing the Tigers within four points of the Gators’ lead with under two minutes left to play. There aren’t many young kids out there that have the headspace and body control that Smith possesses.

He offered thoughts on how Auburn basketball can be better on the road in future games, per 247 Sports:

"“It just shows how composed we are and how relentless,” Smith said of Auburn’s defense in the final minutes. “I feel like we showed that in other road games down the stretch. It came down to the last shot, but it didn’t go how we planned. I feel like this will help us later on in the season with close games and being able to battle back and just take care of the ball, stay composed and stick together.”"

Even this late in the season, the five-time SEC Freshman of the Week knows that the future is still bright for this year’s Auburn basketball team.