As a first-year varsity player for Edmondson during the 2011-12 season, Jaquan Smith's job was "just running, rebounding and blocking shots." The lanky post played big minutes for the Class 2A North regional finalists, but he was really "just trying to learn the game."
Three years later, Smith is preparing to join a Division I program that has made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound power forward committed last weekend to Stephen F. Austin.
"It feels great," said Smith, who was also recruited by Abilene Christian, Coppin State, East Tennessee State, Louisiana Tech, Rider and several others. "It takes a load off my shoulders."
Smith, who has spent the past two years at Northern Oklahoma College, came to the game later than most. He didn't play for a major AAU program and was on the junior varsity at Woodlawn as a sophomore.
"I wasn't on top of my game like everybody else. I needed more experience," he said. "At Woodlawn I was just a guy. Just skipping classes until [an assistant coach] really took me out in the hallway and said, 'If you want to play basketball, [you can] change your life.'"
After that year, Smith followed that assistant coach, Rich Harrison, to Edmondson. Smith said his body was kind of awkward and he didn't know the intricacies of the game. But he improved over the course of his junior year and was a senior starter on Edmondson's Class 2A state championship team – the first in program history.
Smith said he had some recruiting interest from Howard, Division II Virginia Union and a couple junior colleges. But he knew all along that JUCO would be the best route for him. He played at a couple open gyms at CCBC and eventually connected with the coaches at Northern Oklahoma.
"I wanted to get away from Baltimore, stay out of trouble," Smith said. "It was a big change. … Everything here is 20 minutes away, and there's not even a lot 20 minutes away. The only thing around here is casinos and cornfields. But it's really a peace of mind. It took me a long time to get used to it, but I got used to it."
With nothing to focus on but basketball and school, Smith improved rapidly. He averaged 6.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in 19.6 minutes per game as a sophomore. He was 10th in the nation in blocks and shattered Northern Oklahoma's all-time record in that category.
Smith didn't know much about Stephen F. Austin, but he was impressed by the Lumberjacks' recent success and wowed by a visit last weekend to the Nacogdoches, Texas campus.
"The facilities were great. The campus was beautiful," said Smith, who is undecided on a major but would like to eventually work with children with disabilities. "It was beautiful weather – it doesn't get cold there a lot. The gym is awesome, man. Playing with the team, I really felt a family vibe. The head coach explained to me what can I do for the team. Win a lot. So I love that. I need to win."
Smith said the coaches have told him that he'll be counted on to come in and rebound, protect the rim, run the floor and bring toughness to the team.
"It's amazing," Smith said. "It's a dream come true. It proves that hard work pays off."
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