High school, junior college and hard work define USU senior
There’s one man standing alone in a quiet gym.
He dribbles the basketball, smoothly flicks his wrist, releases the shot and listens to the net cracking like a whip while the ball swishes through the hoop.
Chris Smith is at work.
“I don’t see it as putting in extra work,” Smith said. “At least two or three times during the week, I go over by myself. I don’t tell anybody. I just do form shooting and get a bunch of shots up.”
The practice Smith puts in now didn’t start in college. His father, Pete Smith, said Chris has been working on shooting and consistency since he was in the eighth grade.
The shots that Chris works on are paying off in his senior season at Utah State. He shoots a team-best, with a minimum of 100 shot attempts, 48 percent and 44 percent on 3-point shots.
He is also the team leader in points, averaging 14.8 points per game, and third on the team in assists. Chris’ skills translate well to the defensive side of the ball as well; he’s third on the team in rebounds with 5.4 per game, third in steals and third in blocks.
For Chris, the basketball journey started in Antelope, California, a suburb of Sacramento. Smith played at Center High School, where his dad was one of the coaches.
“It was difficult sometimes,” Chris said, laughing. “I had to go home at dinner and see him again, but I’m really glad I had my dad to coach me. He taught me a lot.”
Chris’ mom, Darlene Smith, said that the two had a good relationship off the court.
“There were times that it was a little tense,” she said. “But I encouraged them to cut it off once they got home. I really respect that about my husband (Pete) that he is a coach at practice but a father at home.”
While Pete agreed, he also noted the times when he, Chris and his two oldest sons Aaron and PJ play together things get real intense — when Mom isn’t watching.
“It is a war,” Pete said. “Darlene has never been allowed to come in and watch. We go at each other in a way that you wouldn’t think we were family at that moment. It’s made him a tougher, stronger person mentally and physically.”
“We’ve spent hundreds of hours in the gym. Working, shooting, playing, getting better and getting stronger. It’s been a great ride.”
In high school, Chris helped his team get to the semi finals two years in a row, but they never won a championship. Darlene’s most memorable moment in Chris’ career is from a high school tournament.
“He got elbowed in the head. There was blood everywhere,” Darlene said. “But he came back in the second half and he ended up being tournament MVP. He got hurt and still played out of his mind. It was like the injury sparked a monster in him. He even hit the game-winning 3-pointer.”
After high school, Chris attended Yuba College, the same junior college as former Aggies Sean Harris and Spencer Butterfield.
“Juco really makes or breaks you,” Chris said. “You’ve really got to work hard because nobody is pushing you. You’re just out there doing what you want. It’s a hard transition at first.”
Chris had lots of other offers coming out of junior college, including many from other Mountain West schools, but stuck with Utah State after committing early.
“We started watching him before his sophomore year,” said USU coach Tim Duryea. “We thought he was what we needed, a wing that could shoot the ball well and score. We recruited him hard and signed him.”
Since he’s been at Utah State, Chris’ quiet attitude on the court is something fans, teammates and coaches have noticed but he’s not always quiet off the court.
“He’s not quiet,” said sophomore wing Jalen Moore. “It seems like it but when he gets in an argument he’s always yelling. He’s definitely the loudest when he’s in an argument. It’s pretty surprising but it’s true.”
Moore’s feelings were echoed by Chris’ parents.
“He’s different when he’s around family,” Pete said. “When he gets around his brothers he is the total opposite of what you see on the court. All bets are off when he’s around family.”
The balance that Chris has on and off the court leads to his cool, relaxed attitude during game.
“Once he’s on the basketball court he gets really focused,” Pete said. “He’s been taught that composure was a part of basketball. There is no need to celebrate until the game is over. When you see him make a big shot, he expects to make it. That’s why you don’t see the reactions on the court.”
Duryea said Chris’ attitude on the court is both a positive and a negative for the team.
“He doesn’t communicate a lot on the floor,” Duryea said. “You don’t want him to say anything to the other team so that’s good but you would like to see him talk more with his team. That doesn’t come naturally to Chris.
“Off the court, he’s a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He takes a lot of grief from his teammates but he also gives out a lot of grief. He’s fun to be around. He’s a great teammate.”
For Duryea, the most memorable performance in Chris’ career came this season at Colorado State. Chris had 13 rebounds and 35 points.
“I’ll never forget his performance that day,” Duryea said. “He really helped us secure that road win — he was phenomenal. As far as off the court goes, we usually had a texting war during NFL season.
“He’s a fan of whoever Steve Smith plays for — that’s his cousin. He and I will text it out on who is better, the Ravens, his team or the Broncos, my team. The whole staff has had a lot of fun with him since he’s been here.”
For Moore, he’ll miss the attention that Chris gets from the opposing defense.
“Always having two or three scorers when we play another team helps,” Moore said. “That will be missed but it’s been a great run. He’s probably going to go on and play some more basketball but I’ll miss him, he’s a good friend.”
Chris is majoring in communications. When he is done playing basketball he wants to go into marketing or something in a related field.
However, he doesn’t want to quit playing yet.
“I will go anywhere that I can keep playing basketball,” Chris said.
— kalen.s.taylor@gmail.com
Twitter: @kalen_taylor