Notae Bags Another National Honor
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — JD Notae picked up his second national honor as The Sporting News selected the Arkansas scoring machine to its All-American squad as a third-team selection.
Notae is 1-of-15 players on the squad and was joined by a pair of SEC players, first-team pick Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky) and second-team selection Jabari Smith (Auburn).
Here's what The Sporting News said about him:
“Notae grabbed everyone's attention by punishing Kentucky's defense in the Razorbacks' big home win, but he'd done the same to opposing teams from the very start of the season. Notae did not post a single-figure scoring game as he inherited the scoring load from last year's terrific Hogs team and increased his scoring average by nearly 50 percent, to 18.9 points per game.”
Notae ranked second in the SEC in both overall scoring (18.87 ppg) and scoring in league games (19.71 points per game). He additionally ranked second in the SEC (20th in the NCAA) in steals per game (2.17 average).
"He just wants to win his individual matchup and win the game," Hogs coach Eric Musselman said recently. "I don’t know if I’ve been around a college player and seen such growth in such little time."
Despite missing the SEC opener due to illness, Notae’s 335 points scored in SEC games is the fourth-best, single-season total in program history.
Notae is the only player in the SEC to rank among the league’s top 15 in scoring (second), steals (second), assists (12th) and defensive rebounds (15th).
JD Notae Honors
• All-American (third team — 1 of 15 on full team) by The Sporting News
• All-American (honorable mention — 1 of 20 on full team) by CollegeHoopsToday.com
• SEC Community Service Team
• National Player of the Week (Feb. 28) by ESPN and NCAA.com
• SEC Player of the Week (Feb. 28)
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