{"id":876,"date":"2020-07-15T16:01:12","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T21:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sm-tnsports.com\/?p=876"},"modified":"2020-07-15T16:01:12","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T21:01:12","slug":"cas-smith-set-to-sign-with-walters-state-hoops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sm-tnsports.com\/2020\/07\/15\/cas-smith-set-to-sign-with-walters-state-hoops\/","title":{"rendered":"CA’s Smith set to sign with Walters State hoops"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Maurice Patton<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gary Smith Jr., who earned all-state and all-state tournament honors while helping Columbia Academy to a Class A championship in 2019 and averaged a double-double for the Bulldogs his senior season, will continue his career collegiately at Walters State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 6-5, 210-pounder considered the prep school route before opting for Walters, a two-year program in Morristown, Tenn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it\u2019ll be a good fit for me there,\u201d said Smith, who averaged 15.8 points and 11.4 rebounds as CA advanced to the Division II-A region quarterfinals last year and finished 21-8 after claiming the Class A title with a 31-5 mark two seasons ago. \u201cI kinda wanted to go to this prep school (Aspire Basketball Academy, in Louisville), but I think with the coaching staff (at Walters State), this will be a good investment of my time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Gary Smith Jr., who nearly doubled his scoring and rebounding averages over two seasons at Columbia Academy, will continue his basketball career at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tenn. Smith scored 8.1 points with 6.1 rebounds per game as a junior, but increased his output to double digits in both through the Bulldogs’ successful state tournament appearance and averaged a double-double his senior year. (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After playing primarily in the paint for his two years at Columbia Academy, the junior college route will allow Smith to transition away from the rim \u2013 a transition veteran CA coach Marty DeJarnette is enthused to see him make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think the sky is the limit for him,\u201d DeJarnette said. \u201cHe\u2019s one of the most explosive players I\u2019ve coached in a long time. He\u2019s got areas to improve, but if he gets after it and gets to work, I\u2019m exited to see where this takes him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had other areas of need for him, but he\u2019s got the ability (to play on the perimeter). He just needs the reps. If he puts in the work, he\u2019s going to get some looks at the next level. I just wish he was going to be closer so I could watch him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it is likely that Walters State \u2013 a member, like Columbia State, of the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association \u2013 will not begin its men\u2019s basketball season until January 2021. Smith, however, is viewing the delay as positively as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to give me a chance to develop more,\u201d he said. \u201cI cannot wait to be a part of something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maurice Patton is the editor for Southern Middle Tennessee Sports. He can be reached by e-mail at mopattonsports@gmail.com<\/a> or on Twitter at @mopatton_sports.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former Columbia Academy basketball standout Gary Smith Jr. confirmed Wednesday he will sign with Walters State Community College for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":184945300,"featured_media":878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[549219],"tags":[67352551,35890,549219],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/sm-tnsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/gsmithrob.jpg?fit=427%2C640&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbWF0s-e8","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":524,"url":"https:\/\/sm-tnsports.com\/2020\/06\/12\/mustangs-baseball-reins-passed-to-curtis\/","url_meta":{"origin":876,"position":0},"title":"Mustangs\u2019 baseball reins passed to Curtis","date":"June 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"By Maurice Patton Spending parts of three seasons in the major leagues makes for a nice coaching resume, but getting the seal of approval from your predecessor never hurts, either. 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