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Nolan Smith, Tennessee State land second five-star recruit
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After announcing the addition of one former five-star recruit, Nolan Smith and Tennessee State are adding another five-star recruit to the roster, per a report by Jeff Goodman. Tennessee State has secured the services of former five-star recruit and McDonald's All-American Arterio Morris.
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Morris is no stranger to HBCU basketball, as he most recently played for Reggie Theus at Bethune-Cookman University. Morris was a key contributor for the Wildcats, who emerged as one of the best teams in HBCU basketball this spring. He averaged 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists across 30 games in the 2025-2026 season. Despite finishing the season 17-15 (14-4 in conference), Bethune-Cookman fell in the SWAC tournament to Alabama A&M University 71-67.
Before transferring to Bethune-Cookman, he played for Texas and also spent time at the JUCO level. Morris joins Aaron Bradshaw, a 7-foot-1 forward and former five-star recruit , who most recently played for Penny Hardaway at Memphis in the 2025-2026 season. Bradshaw averaged 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while also shooting 53.6% from the field and sinking 77.7% of his free throws.
Both players appear to be part of the winning foundation that Nolan Smith aims to build at Tennessee State in year two of his tenure. Under Smith, Tennessee State finished the regular season with a 21-9 overall record and a 15-5 record in the Ohio Valley Conference. They then went on to win the OVC tournament.
After winning the conference championship, they clinched a bid to the March Madness Tournament as a 15-seed. However, they fell to Iowa State 108-74 in the first round of the tournament on March 20th.
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