Arkansas assistant praises 5-star freshman Jordan Smith Jr’s energy: ‘Unbelievable’
By David Wasson
Published:
Basketball season is still close to three months away, but that doesn’t mean hoops programs across the country are sitting dormant – as teams are actively engaged in summer workouts to install offenses, defenses and lay the necessary groundwork for success.
That includes the Arkansas Razorbacks, who welcomed in 5-star freshman and consensus top-5 talent Jordan Smith Jr. as part of the 2026 recruiting class. The shooting guard, who was the No. 2 overall recruit in the nation according to 247 Sports Composite, is already drawing rave reviews from Hogs assistant coach Bruiser Flint.
“I’ve been around a long time, I haven’t seen people play as hard as he does on every single play,” Flint shared with the media as part of a press conference discussing the Baha Mar Hoops event. “His energy level is unbelievable. He has got a chance to be a really, really good player.
“And because he is the guy with the ball, that gets to be infectious. The guys around him have to play the same way. Even if Jordan’s not scoring, he will go rebound and play good D. That carries over when you have guys do that every single play.”
Smith is one of four 5-stars coming to Arkansas for the coming season, joining shooting guard JJ Andrews, power forward Miikka Muurinen and small forward Abdou Toure in an eight-player class.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
