STARKVILLE — By the time Tolu Smith heard his name called at the Pearl River Resort Monday as the Howell Trophy winner – given to the state’s best male college basketball player – word had gotten out word got out about him being named First Team All-Southeastern Conference by the coaches.
Smith is the fifth Bulldog in the past six years to earn the trophy, named after Mississippi State basketball great and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Bailey Howell. Smith’s family, along with MSU head basketball coach Chris Jans, were on hand for the presentation.
Later that day, he was also named a media First Team All-SEC selection, fitting for the Bay St. Louis native who has made the most of his time back in the Magnolia State.
“Man, it was surreal, just all the hard work paying off,” Smith said. “It was a great feeling. … I think it’s more so for not just myself, but for Starkville, my teammates. It was just a great feeling for everybody.”
For the fifth time in six years, a Bulldog took home the trophy.
Sitting out the 2019-20 season due to previous NCAA transfer rules, his playing career with the Bulldogs didn’t begin until the 2020-21 season. He now sits 30th all-time in scoring for Mississippi State with 1,145 points and 21st all-time in rebounds with 632.
This season the redshirt senior, coming off a 2021-22 campaign riddled with injuries, has averaged 15.7 PPG and 8.1 RPG, currently leading the SEC with a 58.3 percent field goal percentage.
“I’ve made it known many times what a fan I am of Tolu Smith as a human being,” Jans said. “He’s just quality. I’m happy for him. Obviously, he’s a great player and he’s very deserving of all of the awards and accolades that he’s receiving, but when you’ve watched and witnessed someone who works so hard and his craft and spends so much time on his game that gets rewarded like that, it just makes you feel good.”
Smith came into this season picked to the preseason All-SEC First Team by the coaches, and he’s delivered on that preseason prediction.
He’s one of just two players in the SEC to rank in the top 10 in rebounds per game and in the top three in field goal percentage, double-doubles and rebounds, but the thought of last year stuck with him.
Knowing the struggles he went through when it came to staying fully healthy turned into a big motivating factor for him in making sure he stayed healthy but was also productive down on the post.
“I always had it in the back of my mind,” Smith said. “I always feel that way about my abilities, but just to see the recognition and the work being shown just means a lot to me.”
There’s still more to be done for Smith and the Bulldogs, who enter the week in preparation for Thursday’s second-round SEC tournament game against Florida.
Of the accomplishments and accolades that Smith has received in his career, the one he’s yet to accomplish is getting to the NCAA tournament.
Mississippi State currently sits as a bubble team, and a win on Thursday would go a long way toward helping get the Bulldogs into March Madness.
Thursday’s game is an understatement in terms of how big this game is for him.
“I think just for my personal benefit, me wanting to have the option of going to the tournament or a chance to go to the tournament, it’s obviously a big, big game for us,” Smith said. “We’re scouting earlier than usual, we’re preparing earlier than usual. It’s a big game for us.
“We embrace it with open arms and it starts with the coaching staff.”
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