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Barnes: Smith Still Flying Under The Radar
By Steve Barnes, Blue Devil Weekly
DURHAM, N.C. - Wanisha Smith might be one of the least publicized good players in women’s college basketball, but the Duke junior not only doesn’t mind, she actually prefers it that way.
Last year, All-America Monique Currie commanded the spotlight along with fellow senior Mistie Williams, freshman sensation Abby Waner and shot-blocker Alison Bales.
It’s been the same story this season as the Blue Devils are off to the best start in program history. The national attention is focused on Bales moving into the NCAA career top 10 in blocked shots, Lindsey Harding blossoming into a scoring threat while becoming the Blue Devils’ all-time assists leader and Waner improving her point production to a team leading total.
Meanwhile, the 5-foot-11 Smith stays in the background and continues to improve. She struggled out of the gate, hitting only 27.5 percent of her shots in the first seven games. During the next seven, Smith averaged 9.9 points on 43.5 percent shooting. In Duke’s last 13 games, the numbers are even better ? 11.7 points per game on 53 percent shooting, including 44.1 percent from three-point land.
“She stayed after practice to work with Tia (assistant coach Jackson) on her shot,” said Duke coach Gail Goestenkors. “The ball wasn’t coming out of her hand properly, so they made the correction. Then it was a matter of hard work through repetition once she found her groove. She regained her confidence through repetition and success.“
Success came early and often for Smith, who earned high school player of the year awards in two states, Ohio and Maryland. The Cincinnati native earned the Buckeye State honor after her sophomore season, then moved to suburban Washington, D.C., when her father was transferred. Not only was she named Maryland’s best player, she played in the McDonald’s All-America game and was a first team Parade All-America.
Smith’s first experience with the ACC media spotlight wasn’t always a success. She expected to ease into her freshman season while competing for playing time at the shooting guard spot, but instead found herself as the starting point guard after Harding was suspended for the season. Without prior experience at the point, Smith passed out a Duke freshman record 154 assists, was named to the league’s All-Freshman first team and helped the Blue Devils make it back to the NCAA Regional Finals. On the other hand, 134 turnovers including 16 in two regular season losses to North Carolina made league and national observers wonder if she was the right one for the job.
“We won 30 games again (31 to be exact), so it’s not like she messed up all the time,” said Goestenkors. “We put her in a very tough spot and I thought she did very well for the most part. We knew she was more of a shooting guard, but we thought she was a good enough ballhandler to do the job.”
When Smith returned for her sophomore year, she knew Harding would be back in the starting point guard spot. What she didn’t know was that Waner would beat her out for the other backcourt starting spot. She kept her mouth closed, kept competing in practice and worked her way into the starting lineup for the last 19 games. Her assists were down only one per game, while she turned the ball over half as much.
“It honestly didn’t bother me while Abby was starting,” said Smith. “I was happy for her and I always want everyone to do well. I really don’t care about drawing attention either. All that matters to me is the coaches and my teammates know that I’m doing the best I can to help us win.”
Her coaches stuck with her through the early slump this season as Smith remained part of the starting five. In fact Duke has started the same group in every game so far.
Smith’s first big game came on Dec. 10 at home against nationally-ranked Texas. Duke fell behind 7-0 early, but Smith sparked a 15-6 run with a three-pointer and layup that sent the Devils on to an 80-52 rout. She finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
“I came out ready to attack the basket,” she said. “My game is to create something by driving the middle and either passing off for a bucket, making a layup or getting fouled. I think I’ve been pretty consistent in doing that since the Texas game.”
Her defensive responsibilities have stayed consistent since day one. Last year, Currie often drew the assignment to guard the opponents’ wing players who range in size from 5-10 to 6-3. It’s Smith’s job this year, and her coach says she’s been up to the task.
“Wanisha is really the unsung hero of this team,” said Goestenkors. “She doesn’t mind doing the little things that help us win. She’s strong enough to guard down low and quick enough to get out on the perimeter. She leads our team in assists, when most people think Lindsey does. She’s taken big shots and made big free throws for us. She never gets her name in the paper but has played a huge part in helping us win.”
With 381 assists, Smith is already eighth on the Blue Devils all-time list. She should be the fourth Duke player to leave with 500 or more and could become one of the program’s 10 leading scorers.
Maybe then someone will notice.
