Smith Takes Winding Road to OSU – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/7/1998 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
December 7, 1998
In the world of college athletics, you are sometimes quick to find the individual who insists there is an “I” in “team.” If you are looking for a player like that, do not look in the direction of Devon Smith.
Smith, a 6-0 junior point guard from Roncerverte, W.Va., believes many people are responsible for his success. He spreads praise for where he is today.
“I’m at a loss for words for (Head) Coach (Jim) O’Brien and (Assistant) Coach (Paul) Biancardi,” Smith said. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have this opportunity. A lot of people would sacrifice a limb to play at this level, especially at Ohio State. I am extremely fortunate.”
The path to Columbus has been anything but simple for Smith. He played at Fork Union Military Academy in 1995, where he was one of 10 Division I basketball signees. Originally, he committed to Georgia State University in the early signing period, before changing his mind and opting for Virginia Tech. After things went array with the Hokies in 1996, Smith found himself at a crossroads. He took a year away from school, worked and played in a couple winter leagues in New York City.
Smith came to Ohio State last January. He was discovered by Biancardi through connections at Five Star Basketball Camp near Robert Morris College in Pittsburgh. Smith has been a camp counselor at Five Star for the past three years.
Five Star, a camp that has harbored 200 coaches into the college or NBA ranks, has played a critical role in the development of Smith, both on and off the court. At the camp he met Howard Garfinkel, a nationally respected recruiting guru who has been at Five Star Basketball since its inception 34 years ago. Garfinkel inspired Smith, despite the fact his stock was down after departing Virginia Tech.
“I admire him tremendously,” Garfinkel said. “He never gave up on himself. He has shown an enormous amount of sticktoitiveness.” Garfinkel helped Smith, a communication major, to realize that he ultimately wants to become part of the college basketball coaching fraternity.
“Somebody once told me, if you do something you love for a profession, you’ll never have to work a day in your life,” Smith said. “I want to go into coaching and I can’t think of a better place to prepare me for that than OSU.
“I can learn so much from Coach O’Brien, from what he wants as a coach, to how he handles his players. This has been an invaluable experience for me.”
Garfinkel believes Smith possesses one special talent that he can carry with him into coaching.
“He can really teach the game to younger players,” Garfinkel said. “There is not enough of an emphasis placed on teaching the game these days, and because of that the skills of the players are plummeting.”
Religion has perhaps made the biggest impact on the life of Smith. The credit for that goes to his grandparents, who raised him.
“God is first and foremost in my life,” Smith said. “Without Him, I would be lost. If you keep God in your forethoughts, good things will come.”
Smith is a modest person who has persevered through much adversity. While Smith doesn’t focus on himself, he receives credit from other people.
“Devon is a very mild-mannered young man,” Biancardi said. “He is hard-working. He is a great person.”
With as much adversity as Smith has endured in his career, one may tend to think he would become discouraged. In contrast, however, he is upbeat. He keeps a positive outlook because of his personal mott – “do more.”
“The greatest lesson I’ve learned in life was from Fletcher Arritt, my coach at Fork Union,” Smith said. “He taught me that if you fail and suffer adversity, it makes you stronger.” Arritt also tries to pass another message to the young men whom he coaches.
“What I hope they leave here with is the whole notion of accomplishing a goal,” he said. “You may have the physical talents to succeed, but I think, more important than that is persistence.
“I think Devon has that. He is a very loyal young man who sees his goal and takes pride in accomplishing it.”
Smith’s main responsibility as an Ohio State point guard is to distribute the ball to his teammates. However, he is feeding them compliments as well.
“I admire the hustle of a Jason Singleton, the heart of a Shamar Herron or a Kwadjo Steele, and the desire to win like a George Reese,” Smith, who has always seen his teammates as a source of motivation, said.
“When I played with (former North Carolina standout) Shammond Williams at Fork Union, it was a competition,” he said. “Neither one of us would leave the gym, because we didn’t want to see the other one get the upper hand. Scoonie (Penn) is the same as Shammond. He made himself into a good player with hard work.”
Biancardi believes Penn can make Smith better.
“His toughest challenge as a basketball player is going against Scoonie in practice everyday,” Biancardi said.
While Biancardi seemed to show admiration for Smith’s work ethic, the regard that Smith has for his coaches is just as strong.
“I have nothing but respect for Coach (Dave) Spiller, Coach Biancardi, Coach (Rick) Boyages and Coach O’Brien,” Smith said.
By Tom Campbell
OSU Athletic Communications
