Dennis Smith Jr. poses at Dail Basketball Center. (Madeline Gray/North State Journal)

Hangin’ with Mr. Smith

RALEIGH – National and local expectations for Dennis Smith Jr. are immense heading into his first year as NC State’s new point guard. But they pale in comparison to the goals and standards the freshman set for himself.

The Fayetteville native is the No. 1 player in North Carolina, and the No. 2 point guard and No. 6 player in the 2016 class nationally, according to 247Sports. He turned down offers from high-profile programs North Carolina, Duke, Kansas and Kentucky when he committed to NC State – his first offer as a sophomore at Trinity Christian School.

Now he’s being asked to lead the program. After the departure of Cat Barber to the NBA draft and Cody and Caleb Martin transferring, Smith is the guy in Raleigh. This despite being a true freshman and not playing in a game since August 2015, when he tore his left ACL in the Adidas Nations tournament.

Is he nervous? Nope. And he doesn’t think Wolfpack fans should be either. Smith discussed everything from his national championship expectations for the Wolfpack, how he is rehabbing from his injury, and his relationship with J. Cole when he hung out with the North State Journal.

Dennis Smith, a top-ranked point guard, at the Dail Basketball Center at NC State on Friday, April 1, 2016. (Madeline Gray/North State Journal)
Dennis Smith, a top-ranked point guard, at the Dail Basketball Center at NC State on Friday, April 1, 2016. (Madeline Gray/North State Journal)

North State Journal: After all of the offseason departures, how confident are you that this team is going to be ready to compete in the ACC next season?

Dennis Smith Jr.: I’m very confident. The Twins are transferring, which they believe is in their best interest, so I wish the best for them. But Terry [Henderson] and Torrin [Dorn] will be ready to go, so I don’t feel like we lose anything.

NSJ: Directly after the Martin twins announced they would transfer, you tweeted out a picture of you, Henderson and Dorn. What was your message to Wolfpack Nation?

Smith: There’s no need to fret. (Laughs) We’re still going to be in good hands, man. With the guys that we have coming back, I feel like we’ll be a national title contender next year.

NSJ: Right before the Final Four, Jay Williams said you’ll be a “gamechanger” in the ACC. What are your thoughts on the expectations for yourself personally?

Smith: I’m so hungry to play, man. I haven’t played a game since August 2, 2015, so it’s been a very long time since I’ve been able to prove myself. I remember the date. I’m hungry to go out there and compete and prove that it’s not all hype. One thing I can promise is that I’ll play every game like it’s my last because I realize now it can be taken away from you at any moment.

NSJ: Do you still have anything from that Adidas Nations tournament?

Smith: I still have a jersey. It’s actually Markelle Fultz’s jersey because he wore my jersey during the championship game as a shoutout to me. I have it hanging up on my wall as a symbol of respect to him. I also plan on wearing the same shoes from that last game during the opener.

NSJ: Your first game with NC State?

Smith: Yes sir.

NSJ: Are you fully recovered at this point?

Smith: Oh, I’m 100 percent now. But I don’t want to come back at 100 percent, though. I want to be around 120 after my recovery and playing better than I ever have by October.

NSJ: There were rumors that you had the 360 dunk back. Any truth to that?

Smith: (Laughs) That’s nothing! That’s nothing right now! I’ve got all my dunks back, so I’m ready to show them off.

NSJ: What was the discussion like with Cat Barber when he said he was leaving?

Smith: Cat didn’t really say anything to me before he made it official. We were roommates, so we just talked about it before he made the decision. What it boiled down to was he needed to do what’s best for him. Everybody around here understands that and we all support him.

NSJ: What lessons did you learn from watching him last year?

Smith: What did I take from Tony? He did a great job of keeping the team together. The team fought hard every game and a big part of that was his play. They just couldn’t get over the hump at the end of games. He was a fighter, and I hope to bring that next year.

NSJ: What do you feel like you gained from enrolling early and spending time with the team?

Smith: It helped a lot with the chemistry that I already have with the team. It also makes it easier for me to be a leader and other guys to follow my lead. If I was still in High School I would have been sitting around and not really gaining anything. Being here I was able to make a positive out of a negative situation.

NSJ: What specifically have you gained from being at NC State?

Smith: I came here and gained 16 pounds in muscle and got stronger. I’ve rehabbed quicker than I was expected to. So it’s been great to be here.

NSJ: How is rehab going and what is your daily regiment like?

Smith: When I first got here, we were doing things that isolated my knee because my quads and hamstrings weren’t strong enough to squat or deadlift. Now I’m already able to max out on squats and deadlifts. I’m just working on that every day to prepare for the season.

NSJ: How close is your connection with J. Cole still with you being in Raleigh now?

Smith: It’s cool. We still work out when he’s here until he gets sore. (Laughs) He’s not able to do two days back to back anymore because he’s getting old now. Aside from basketball, we talk almost every day just texting or calling each other. He’s kind of like a brother to me now.

Dennis Smith poses at the Dail Basketball Center at NC State. (Madeline Gray/North State Journal)
Dennis Smith poses at the Dail Basketball Center at NC State. (Madeline Gray/North State Journal)

NSJ: Coming from Fayetteville, how easy was the transition to Raleigh for college?

Smith: I’m very comfortable [in Raleigh]. I was always comfortable in Fayetteville – everybody can’t say that – but I loved Fayetteville. I had great support while I was there the whole time and I still feel that here from family and Wolfpack Nation.

NSJ: Getting that first offer from NC State as a sophomore, how much weight did you place on Mark Gottfried believing in you?

Smith: Oh, a lot. A whole lot. There were other schools – I won’t mention any names – that offered other point guards outside of the state before me. I saw that as a slap in the face. So I kind of feel like I owe them something now. Loyalty played a huge part in it, no doubt.

NSJ: You’ve said in the past you wanted to play with Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum. What’s it going to be like to play against them next year at Duke?

Smith: It’s gonna be fun. (Laughs) Those guys are going to come out and compete, but we’ll come out and do the same thing. I promise you that.

NSJ: What is your bond like with this team after spending the last few months in the program?

Smith: Everybody is pretty equal on this team. There’s no cliques and everyone respects everyone. It’s really like a brotherhood here, and they’ve completely accepted me in it.

NSJ: Has your perception of NC State changed at all since you committed?

Smith: It hasn’t changed at all, actually. When they first offered me, I knew this is where I wanted to be. Now it’s still the same thing – this is where I feel I belong.

NSJ: Overall, what specifically do you hope to change about the Wolfpack next season?

Smith: You know, when we looked at the stats from last year, we weren’t scoring a lot on the fastbreak and we didn’t get a lot of steals. I really want to change the tempo of our team next year and play a faster pace. If we can improve defensively and turn that into more offense, I think we’ll compete for a national championship. I really believe that.

 

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