Scott named to SEC’s All-Freshman team, but likely to miss league tournament
BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON
FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas will try to come up with some March Madness beginning Thursday at SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Greenville, S.C., but they will likely have to do so without All-SEC freshman Taliah Scott.
Scott was one of eight players named to the team on Tuesday, as the 10th-seeded Razorbacks (18-13, 6-10) prepare to face seventh-seeded Auburn (19-10, 8-8) Thursday at 5 p.m. CST at the Bon Secours Wellness Center.
She led the SEC scoring at 22.1 points per game, but did not play the required 75 percent of games needed to claim the official league scoring title.
Razorback head coach Mike Neighbors confirmed that Scott, who has missed the last five games to deal with “a serious family emergency,” is not expected to be on hand for the game that will be televised by the SEC Network.
“She’s not back, and like I have been telling you, I will let y’all know because there will be a ramp up period and we are no going to bring her out and trot her out to a game,” Neighbors said. “We will let you know. It is still day-to-day. I don’t know, but she is not here for practice today so I would anticipate her making he trip with.
Smith tied a school record by being named the SEC Freshman of the Week five times and was named to the team despite playing in just five SEC contests due to an earlier injury and her current situation.
“Obviously people vote on different ways,” Neighbors said. “…I am sure there are some people that didn’t vote for her because she only played in five games in league. But I think there are some that cast their vote based on the entire season.
“I think when you have 14 coaches voting on it, everybody has a different philosophy on it. It speaks to the type of preseason she had and the conference start she was off to in those five games that she did play.
“I look it as kind of a combination of both. So when you look at the freshman in our league this year, I think it is a tremendous honor because there are a lot of great freshman.
“Last year, to be honest, we were kind of looking for kids to put on it to get to eight because there weren’t a lot of kids that weren’t even starters.
Scott makes it three straight years that Arkansas has landed a player on the team and the fourth time in Neighbors’ severn years as head coach of the Razorbacks, who beat Auburn 74-72 on Feb. 4.
She started 19 of 20 contests she played in and was the only one in the league to average 20.0+ points per game, as well as average 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
Scott scored 29 points in her collegiate debut against the University of Louisiana-Monroe, which became the most points scored by a freshman in their collegiate debut in school history.
All-Freshman Team
• Essence Cody, Alabama
• Taliah Scott, Arkansas
• Laila Reynolds, Florida
• Aalyah Del Rosario, LSU
• Mikaylah Williams, LSU
• Grace Slaughter, Missouri
• MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina
• Khamil Pierre, Vanderbilt
Photo by John D. James
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