Lee Valdez, 6-3, 250, of Ponce, will begin his second season at Arkansas with the same two-sport star status he gained early in his four-year career at Texas Tech. Valdez, who has made three one-point field goals in the last five games and a 44-yard field goal in the opening five, was considered the nation’s top high school freshman in 2015.

“He’s going to come in with a tremendous amount of confidence from a mental standpoint,” Coach Bret Bielema said. “I think he’s playing more physically than he was because he understands what he needs to do. He’s playing with a good motor and is making contested shots around the basket and scoring the ball from the outside.”

This was Valdez’s first season in the SEC. Although the Cowboys have been solid in his absence, including nine wins in the last 11 games, they are playing well below expectations.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Valdez, who was named First-Team State Finalist and Second-Team All-American by his peers as a junior from Rio Grande Valley, Tex., scored 18 points in the opening round of the tournament, and had 10 in the semifinals. Both his field goals (20) and free throws (11) rank third on the team.

“I am extremely excited for the opportunity to play for Coach Mack and the Arkansas men’s basketball program,” Valdez said. “Arkansas is a wonderful place to play basketball. You get all the facilities and everything else to help the players grow.”

Valdez will make his first start since Jan. 24, 2014, with the same secondary pairings that he has used in each of his first 10 games. Senior Brandon Ashley will miss seven to 10 weeks with a sprained right ankle. Junior De’Marre Carroll and senior D’Aundre Smith are set to compete for starting spots.

Arkansas (8-1, 4-0 SEC) moves to the state tournament on Monday against Texas A&M, with an NCAA tournament bid up for grabs.