Fresno State basketball player Greg Smith is considered one of the top big men in the country.
The sophomore out of Edison High, who is sometimes listed as 6 feet, 9 inches or 6 feet, 10 inches (he claims 6-10) was named to the preseason All-Western Athletic Conference first team by coaches and media. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds last season, despite disappearing in some games and also fatiguing in others.
And yet, he's projected as a potential 2011 NBA Draft pick. Maybe first-round material?
After all, ex-Bulldog Paul George just proved that you don't have to have a stellar college career to get drafted high. George averaged a solid but unspectacular 16.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, three assists, 2.2 steals and 3.2 turnovers as a sophomore. He shot 42% from the field and 90.9% from the free-throw line. And though he never dominated WAC play on a nightly basis -- he certainly did on occasion, though -- he still was taken 10th overall by the Indiana Pacers in this past summer's NBA Draft.
Because of his potential.
Smith has a lot of potential, too. He's Fresno State's best big man since Melvin Ely last suited up for the Bulldogs in the 2001-02 season.
Smith has the height, the size, the aggressiveness and the jumping ability to be very, very good. Almost everyone can see it when they watch Smith play. But will he ever fully blossom in a Bulldogs uniform?
The NBA might be calling Smith before he ever really gets going for Fresno State. Big men do take more time to fully develop than guards.
Expect to see plenty of NBA scouts at Fresno State men's basketball games this season. (The scouts might even outnumber the number of fans in attendance if the community doesn't support the basketball team better. Then again, it is up to the basketball team to field a product worth watching.)
Anyhow... getting back to the point of Smith and his NBA potential.
Smith said after Tuesday's Red-and-White Hoops night that he wasn't thinking this would be his final year at Fresno State, as some have speculated.
"I'm not thinking like that," Smith said. "I love this team. I love this college. I love this community. And that's why I'm looking forward to being here for four years. If I have a great year, maybe something happens.
"But I'm not going to say right now that I'm leaving after this year. I want to bring a WAC championship here to Fresno State."
So that's where Smith's mind is at currently -- on college, not the NBA.
He's saying the right stuff. Now he just has to play up to the hype and to his potential.
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