Oklahoma State University Athletics
Smart Named to Preseason Watch List
October 18, 2012 | Cowboy Basketball
Oct. 18, 2012
Stillwater, Okla. -- Marcus Smart, a freshman on the Oklahoma State men's basketball team, is one of 10 individuals named to the watch list for the Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award, it was announced this week by the United States Basketball Writers Association.
Smart was named the preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year in a vote of the league coaches, and has also been named to the preseason Freshman All-America team by Sporting News. Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com has named Smart the national preseason freshman of the year. Le'Bryan Nash, Smart's teammate, was named to the Tisdale Watch list last season as a rookie.
Other players named to the watch list this season include: Pittsburgh's Steve Adams, Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad of UCLA, Baylor's Isaiah Austin, Anthony Bennett of UNLV, Arizona's Grant Jerrett, the Kentucky duo of Nerlens Noel and Alex Pothyress, and Texas' Cameron Ridley.
The USBWA has chosen a national freshman of the year since the 1988-89 season when LSU's Chris Jackson was the recipient. Other former Big 12 players who have won the award include Texas' T.J. Ford (2002), Kevin Durant of Texas (2007) and Kansas State's Michael Beasley (2008).
