Team Tampa Bay's Take with Joey Johnston: Fantastic Freshmen

By Joey Johnston

By all indications, he’s a lottery pick and possibly the No. 1 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft. One year ago, he was getting ready for the prom, still two months shy of his 18th birthday.

Catch him while you can. Auburn’s Jabari Smith, the centerpiece of the conference’s excellent freshman class, will be on display this week when the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament is staged at Amalie Arena.

College basketball always features a parade of intriguing first-year players, some of whom are making a pit stop on the way to the professional ranks. The SEC features an uncommon collection of freshman impact players. Nearly all of the top teams are counting on a teenager (or two) to help them lift the championship trophy in downtown Tampa.

Here’s a look at the SEC’s Fab Freshmen:

Auburn forward Jabari Smith (6-foot-10, 220 pounds) — Smith averaged 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds, leading the No. 1-seeded Tigers in each category. He also shot 43.6 percent from 3-point range and is averaging 24.8 points in his last six games. He’s the SEC Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference pick. He’s also expected to become Auburn’s first All-American in 23 years.

Tennessee guard Kennedy Chandler (6-0, 172) — Chandler made a huge impact during the SEC season, averaging 13.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.2 steals while shooting 47 percent from the field in conference games. Chandler, a second-team All-SEC pick and an all-freshman team member, has the Tennessee record for most steals as a freshman (64). Versatile? This season, Chandler had a 27-point game, a 10-assist game and a seven-steal game.

Kentucky guard TyTy Washington (6-3, 187) — The Wildcats are accustomed to great freshmen — and Washington is one of the best under Coach John Calipari. Washington, a second-team All-SEC pick and an all-freshman team member, averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds while, shooting 46.3 percent from the field. When he shifted to point guard, he set a single-game program record with 17 assists against George Washington University. He’s also the conference leader in assists-to-turnover ratio (2.53).

Alabama center Charles Bediako (7-0, 225) — The SEC all-freshman team pick leads the Crimson Tide in blocked shots (51), while ranking third in the SEC (1.6 per game). He also leads Alabama in field-goal percentage (69.1) and dunks (38).

Alabama guard JD Davison (6-3, 195) — The SEC all-freshman team pick ranks second in assists (126) and steals (26), while sitting at third in rebounds (147). Against Gonzaga, he had a career-high 20 points, along with five rebounds and three assists. He also has the SEC’s most distinctive hairstyle with his floppy mane setting him apart on end-to-end court dashes. In high school, Davison claimed his hair hadn’t been cut since the second grade.

LSU guard Brandon Murray (6-5, 214) — The SEC all-freshman team pick averaged 10.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He had 15 double-figure scoring games and one of his best games in the regular-season finale win against Alabama (17 points, two assists, three steals, 7-for-14 from the field).

South Carolina guard Devin Carter (6-3, 188) — The SEC all-freshman team pick averaged 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He had a 20-point game in his first career start and a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) against Ole Miss.

Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5-9, 167) — The member of the SEC all-defensive team and all-freshman team logged 2.2 steals (40 steals in 18 SEC games), while averaging 10.1 points (including double figures in nine of Tennessee’s final 11 SEC games).