Tolu Smith Playing Well for Mississippi State Despite Preseason Injury

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Tolu Smith III was coming off an All-SEC campaign and made his first appearance in the NCAA tournament. There was jubilation in Starkville when he decided to return for his final season of eligibility. However, news broke on October 5th that Smith had sustained an injury in practice and would miss a good portion of the season; it was a gut punch to Mississippi State Bulldogs fans.

Smith was determined not to let the injury hamper his attitude or work effort. Chris Jans describes Smith as a "tireless worker," who at times needs to be held back from taking every rep, but the head coach also had balance that against the risk of a setback.

"Everybody that's been around this program knows he wants to be out there for every single rep, if it is a practice or a game," Jans said.

The hard work paid off for Smith, as the early indications were that the big man would miss the entire non-conference schedule and the first month of conference games. However, Smith returned on December 31st for the Bulldogs' last non-conference game against Bethune-Cookman.

After Smith checked in, he received a "chill" after receiving a standing ovation from the Bulldog faithful in Humphrey Coliseum and preceded to put in a seemingly effortless 16 points and nine rebounds. After the game, Smith spoke about his emotions following his injury.

"The toughest part was probably the first two or three days. I cried, cried, and cried again, wondering why me and I had a great coaching staff and a great team to tell me that it's okay," Smith said.

The product of Bay St. Louis, Miss., has shown no signs of fatigue in SEC play thus far, as Smith has averaged 20 points and seven rebounds a game. This past week, the 6-foot-11 forward flexed his skills, putting up 26 points and eight rebounds at Kentucky.

MSU returned home from the 90-77 loss in a nearly must-win situation against Vanderbilt, and Smith responded with 25 points and 11 rebounds. That performance gave Smith his 27th career double-double, the most by any active SEC player.

Smith has stuck through the Bulldogs through thick and thin; the former Western Kentucky transfer has spent the past five seasons in Starkville, three under former Bulldog head coach Ben Howland, and now in year two under Jans. In the process, he's become a fan favorite and is rising in the ranks of all-time Bulldogs.

If he continues his strong play at Florida on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m, SEC Network), helps lead the Bulldogs back into the upper half of the SEC standings, and helps Mississippi State make a run in March, he'll have a claim to be one of the best to wear the maroon and white.

How to Watch: Mississippi State Men’s Basketball At Florida