Western Nebraska Community College’s Daniel Smith has held that dream of playing for an NCAA tournament team in the back of his head since playing high school basketball at Woodlawn High In Baltimore.Friday morning, Smith officially made his dream come true, signing a letter of intent with Morgan State University.
"One of the reasons I decided to go there was because I will be able to play in front of my friends and family and closer to home,” he said. “It will be a fun experience these next two years just getting to play in front of them.“
Morgan State, located in Smith’s hometown of Baltimore, finished last season 23-12 before falling in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Oklahoma 82-54. It was the Bears’ first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.
Smith is excited about the chance to play for an up-and-coming program.
“It is actually a blessing that I get to join their crew and just work towards going to another NCAA tournament,” he said. “It is special to participate in the NCAA tournament.”
Smith had a successful sophomore season for the Cougars, helping the team to a 25-7 record. Smith averaged 8.59 points a game, while dishing out 3.1 assists and collecting 1.8 steals a game.
Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman told Smith that he projects him playing the same role he did at WNCC.
WNCC coach Brian Joyce said Smith was one of those players that was unselfish on the court.
"Danny has learned a lot the last two years. He has matured as a person and as a player,” Joyce, who has sent over 50 players in his junior college coaching to the Division I level, said. “They are looking for guys that can come in and play right away and impact and lead the team right away at that position. I think Danny is very well prepared to do that. I think at that level, I think he can have a lot of success, and I know without a doubt he will influence the program in the right way, considering the growth I have seen over the last two years.”
Smith said that if it wasn’t for Joyce, he wouldn’t be playing for a team that qualified for the NCAA tournament in March.
“My goal was definitely to go Division One and my game has improved tremendously,” he said. “My shooting has improved tremendously and my ball handling and thinking on the court has improved. I have improved a lot of things and I give the thanks to Coach Joyce and the coaching staff along with the players that push me in practice.”
Joyce said that Smith had a lot of schools that were interested in her services for the next two years, but Morgan State was the best fit for him.
“To me, it is not necessarily about the level they go to, it is about whether they get the right fit in a place they are comfortable with and a place they will have an opportunity to be successful,” Joyce said. “If that is at the Division One or Division Two level, to me that is insignificant. I want them to be in places where they will be happy and comfortable because sometimes guys choose places that are too high for where they should be playing and choose things for the wrong reason.”
Smith, who will graduate on May 16 from WNCC, has learned a lot about not only basketball, but life, while attending this institution the last two years.
“I learned really good leadership skills and I really built it during my last two years here,” he said. “Those good leadership traits will help me down the line as a husband and a future father.”
No comments:
Post a Comment