SE: Smith Ready to Make Most of Final Season
Nov 02, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
This is a story about finding a home. For years, Mark Smith struggled to find his perfect home. He started his basketball career at Illinois, but it wasn't home. He decided it wasn't where he needed to be. He spent three seasons at Missouri but grew anxious while asked to play a limited role. Now he sits in the Ice Family Basketball Center, dressed in a Kansas State uniform, sitting on a folding chair, and smiling.
"It's great to be here," he says at K-State's media day event on Monday. "K-State recruited me for a while. I'm excited to finally play here. I can't wait until Thursday. I'm ready to go."
When K-State plays its lone exhibition game against Pittsburg State at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bramlage Coliseum, fans will get their first official opportunity to see three Division I transfers in action for the first time. Smith joins guard Markquis Nowell (Arkansas-Little Rock) and forward Ismael Massoud (Wake Forest) to bolster the roster of a Wildcats' squad that suffered some ups and downs during their 9-20 record last season.
There's some urgency for the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Smith, a native of Edwardsville, Illinois, who is utilizing his extra season of eligibility to play a fifth season. He's eager to help do some work around the proverbial house, as a leader and player, for K-State head coach Bruce Weber.
"Definitely I have a really high sense of urgency because I want to leave as a winner," Smith says. "Obviously the Big 12 has us ranked ninth and I want to change that. I want to play hard and get as many wins as I can my last year."
Smith brings a long, versatile presence and contends that he can play at point guard, shooting guard, small forward, or power forward — basically any position aside from center. A year ago, he was stuck in a rut as a catch-and-shoot player, and today he's driving the lane and dishing off to big men and grabbing rebounds and draining mid-range jumpers and hitting 3-pointers while putting his physicality to work.
He appears to be the perfect fit.
"He brings that size that we need," sophomore point guard Nijel Pack says. "He's a stretch, versatile guard that we really need. He's able to get to the basket and he's bullying players. We really needed that physicality on the team, and he can shoot the ball. He brings that physical presence, and he can rebound at the small guard position. It'll be easier to play small ball with him on the court."
Basically, through 22 practices at K-State, Smith is displaying all the tools that enticed K-State associate head coach Chris Lowery the first time he saw Smith play at Edwardsville High School — five years ago. Smith was a 4-star, Top 100 prospect eager to find a college home. Although Smith grew close to Lowery, he said that he listened too much to the media and listened too much to "wrong things instead of what's real." He went to Illinois and entered the transfer portal after his freshman year. Smith says that he was late on the transfer market, and despite renewed talks with Lowery, pulled the trigger on transferring to Missouri because "it was late, and I wasn't sure if I'd get other offers." So, he went to Columbia.
"(Missouri) just wanted me to be a shooter, not saying that's a bad thing, but I thought I could help the team more," he says. "I feel like they're letting me to that here at K-State. I've always been a big, physical body, a big guard, and I've been blessed to be able to be so strong. I've always embraced that. The biggest thing I've improved on is my speed. I've gotten faster every year."
Smith was eager for a fresh start. Now he does his laundry at Lowery's home.
"He just thought he wanted a chance to play somewhere a little bit different," Weber said. "We were the first ones he called. We knew him, Coach Lowery knows him and his dad really well from Southern Illinois, so there was no doubt it made sense."
After starting 19 games as a freshman at Illinois, Smith started 63 games over three years at Missouri. His scoring average of 5.8 points at Illinois climbed to 11.4 points during his sophomore season at Missouri, then it dropped to 10.0 points, and then to 9.7 points last season. As a fourth-year senior, he ranked third in 3-pointers (40), field goals attempted (215) and steals (25), and fourth in scoring, field goals made (80) and assists (26) with the Tigers.
One of a few players to play for and to play against K-State, Smith had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal in 23 minutes while playing for Missouri against K-State in the championship game of the 2018 Paradise Jam.
Now he's wearing the purple and white. And he's always smiling.
"I joked with him a couple times this summer, 'Are you always this happy?'" Weber says. "He always has a smile on his face. I get text messages from his dad, 'We're so appreciative with what you guys have done.' Has every day been perfect with him? No, he's still learning the system. He's been at two high-level programs with different coaches, so he has habits, and not what they do is wrong, but it's different than what we do. He's always in the gym. What surprised me the most was his athleticism and physicality. He's had a pretty good week."
Shortly after Smith arrived in Manhattan in late May, he began working out by himself at 8 a.m. each morning — shooting and weight training. Weber challenged him to watch film. He never took the tablet out of his hands. Weber told him that they didn't want him to be a "one-dimensional guy" and that made Smith smile.
"The defense and offense between Mizzou and K-State are really two different types of systems," Smith says. "There's freedom for each player. I wouldn't say it's freelancing as much as just having an opportunity to make plays. The biggest habit I've worked on changing is definitely gambling on defense. I'm not reaching and gambling on defense anymore. I'm limiting my old habits and I'm improving every day."
Pack has steadily helped Smith ease into his transition as well.
"I've talked to him before and I saw the film from when he was at Mizzou and the way they had him catching and shooting and catching and shooting, that's a habit that he's broken," Pack says. "He's not a one-trick pony anymore. He's become more versatile, he's getting to the basket, he's playing strong and rebounding.
"He's unleashed a game that people didn't know that he had. I'm very excited to see what he does this year."
He's apparently finally found his perfect home.
"I feel like with this team we've been together for a very long time just with how the guys are with each other and the atmosphere," Smith says. "It's like family. It's like I've been here for four years. What I've learned about myself is just being confident. I've learned a lot. I've grown. I've gotten so much better here. That's the biggest thing I can see."
He smiles again.
It all goes back to one of the first things he said when he arrived in Manhattan.
"I've found a good home."
This is a story about finding a home. For years, Mark Smith struggled to find his perfect home. He started his basketball career at Illinois, but it wasn't home. He decided it wasn't where he needed to be. He spent three seasons at Missouri but grew anxious while asked to play a limited role. Now he sits in the Ice Family Basketball Center, dressed in a Kansas State uniform, sitting on a folding chair, and smiling.
"It's great to be here," he says at K-State's media day event on Monday. "K-State recruited me for a while. I'm excited to finally play here. I can't wait until Thursday. I'm ready to go."
When K-State plays its lone exhibition game against Pittsburg State at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bramlage Coliseum, fans will get their first official opportunity to see three Division I transfers in action for the first time. Smith joins guard Markquis Nowell (Arkansas-Little Rock) and forward Ismael Massoud (Wake Forest) to bolster the roster of a Wildcats' squad that suffered some ups and downs during their 9-20 record last season.
There's some urgency for the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Smith, a native of Edwardsville, Illinois, who is utilizing his extra season of eligibility to play a fifth season. He's eager to help do some work around the proverbial house, as a leader and player, for K-State head coach Bruce Weber.
"Definitely I have a really high sense of urgency because I want to leave as a winner," Smith says. "Obviously the Big 12 has us ranked ninth and I want to change that. I want to play hard and get as many wins as I can my last year."
Smith brings a long, versatile presence and contends that he can play at point guard, shooting guard, small forward, or power forward — basically any position aside from center. A year ago, he was stuck in a rut as a catch-and-shoot player, and today he's driving the lane and dishing off to big men and grabbing rebounds and draining mid-range jumpers and hitting 3-pointers while putting his physicality to work.
He appears to be the perfect fit.
"He brings that size that we need," sophomore point guard Nijel Pack says. "He's a stretch, versatile guard that we really need. He's able to get to the basket and he's bullying players. We really needed that physicality on the team, and he can shoot the ball. He brings that physical presence, and he can rebound at the small guard position. It'll be easier to play small ball with him on the court."
Basically, through 22 practices at K-State, Smith is displaying all the tools that enticed K-State associate head coach Chris Lowery the first time he saw Smith play at Edwardsville High School — five years ago. Smith was a 4-star, Top 100 prospect eager to find a college home. Although Smith grew close to Lowery, he said that he listened too much to the media and listened too much to "wrong things instead of what's real." He went to Illinois and entered the transfer portal after his freshman year. Smith says that he was late on the transfer market, and despite renewed talks with Lowery, pulled the trigger on transferring to Missouri because "it was late, and I wasn't sure if I'd get other offers." So, he went to Columbia.
"(Missouri) just wanted me to be a shooter, not saying that's a bad thing, but I thought I could help the team more," he says. "I feel like they're letting me to that here at K-State. I've always been a big, physical body, a big guard, and I've been blessed to be able to be so strong. I've always embraced that. The biggest thing I've improved on is my speed. I've gotten faster every year."
Ready to make his Mark 🎯
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) June 5, 2021
Welcome to MHK Mark Smith#KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/gkZUr86opn
Smith was eager for a fresh start. Now he does his laundry at Lowery's home.
"He just thought he wanted a chance to play somewhere a little bit different," Weber said. "We were the first ones he called. We knew him, Coach Lowery knows him and his dad really well from Southern Illinois, so there was no doubt it made sense."
After starting 19 games as a freshman at Illinois, Smith started 63 games over three years at Missouri. His scoring average of 5.8 points at Illinois climbed to 11.4 points during his sophomore season at Missouri, then it dropped to 10.0 points, and then to 9.7 points last season. As a fourth-year senior, he ranked third in 3-pointers (40), field goals attempted (215) and steals (25), and fourth in scoring, field goals made (80) and assists (26) with the Tigers.
One of a few players to play for and to play against K-State, Smith had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal in 23 minutes while playing for Missouri against K-State in the championship game of the 2018 Paradise Jam.
Now he's wearing the purple and white. And he's always smiling.
"I joked with him a couple times this summer, 'Are you always this happy?'" Weber says. "He always has a smile on his face. I get text messages from his dad, 'We're so appreciative with what you guys have done.' Has every day been perfect with him? No, he's still learning the system. He's been at two high-level programs with different coaches, so he has habits, and not what they do is wrong, but it's different than what we do. He's always in the gym. What surprised me the most was his athleticism and physicality. He's had a pretty good week."
Shortly after Smith arrived in Manhattan in late May, he began working out by himself at 8 a.m. each morning — shooting and weight training. Weber challenged him to watch film. He never took the tablet out of his hands. Weber told him that they didn't want him to be a "one-dimensional guy" and that made Smith smile.
Happy Birthday, Mark Smith 🎂#KStateMBB x Family pic.twitter.com/nBs1PA5Db6
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) August 16, 2021
"The defense and offense between Mizzou and K-State are really two different types of systems," Smith says. "There's freedom for each player. I wouldn't say it's freelancing as much as just having an opportunity to make plays. The biggest habit I've worked on changing is definitely gambling on defense. I'm not reaching and gambling on defense anymore. I'm limiting my old habits and I'm improving every day."
Pack has steadily helped Smith ease into his transition as well.
"I've talked to him before and I saw the film from when he was at Mizzou and the way they had him catching and shooting and catching and shooting, that's a habit that he's broken," Pack says. "He's not a one-trick pony anymore. He's become more versatile, he's getting to the basket, he's playing strong and rebounding.
"He's unleashed a game that people didn't know that he had. I'm very excited to see what he does this year."
He's apparently finally found his perfect home.
"I feel like with this team we've been together for a very long time just with how the guys are with each other and the atmosphere," Smith says. "It's like family. It's like I've been here for four years. What I've learned about myself is just being confident. I've learned a lot. I've grown. I've gotten so much better here. That's the biggest thing I can see."
He smiles again.
It all goes back to one of the first things he said when he arrived in Manhattan.
"I've found a good home."
Players Mentioned
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