Who is UNO’s next go-to guard? Marco Smith is one option

Akinwole is one candidate. Junior guard Zach Thornhill is another. Both perimeter veterans will be motivated as they naturally ascend into bigger roles. They have plenty of experience, too.

A few newcomers — transfer Sam’i Roe, true freshman Jadin Booth and redshirt freshman La’Mel Robinson — have made positive impressions in preseason practices, as well.

But here’s the wild card: transfer Marco Smith.

The 6-foot-2 playmaking guard would have been a rotation player for the Mavs last year, but the NCAA declined his waiver request for immediate eligibility. Instead he gave UNO’s top lineup all sorts of problems during practice, according to Akinwole. Coach Derrin Hansen said Smith has met every one of the staff’s expectations on the court.

“He’s a right-play guy,” Hansen said. “He’ll drive it in, and he’s not always driving it in to shoot it. He’s driving it in and he’s thinking, if it’s his shot he takes it, but if the play is to kick it to the next guy or drop it off, that’s what he does. But he can take and make tough shots, too.”

Smith just might need some game reps to shake off rust.

He hasn’t played since his freshman season at UMKC in the 2017-18 campaign. Foot injuries kept him sidelined as a sophomore. Then the NCAA transfer rules kicked in.