Busting Brackets
Fansided

C-USA: Bright Future for Speedy Smith After Louisiana Tech

By Rakesh Bi

facebooktwitterreddit

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs probably weren’t a team that caught your eye this season. After league foes UAB squeaked their way past Tech in the Conference-USA semifinals and replaced the undisputed regular season champions in the Big Dance, head coach Michael White and his squad saw their dreams vanish into thin air. White was speechless. He began his post-game interview with the words, “Wow…man I don’t know where to start.”

Even more disappointed was the player sitting beside him. What was his name? Kenneth “Speedy” Smith—an ambitious point guard, the Bulldogs’ leader, and one of the top passers in the country. His success in Ruston, Louisiana, put his name on three different all-conference teams and ultimately helped him become the 2015 C-USA Player of the Year, a title previously held by Quentin Richardson and Dwyane Wade. But as a senior, his days with the program were marked.

“Just really disappointed for my senior class, led by this guy here,” White said, referring to Smith. “They won’t have a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.” After losing their big chance to compete in the tourney, the Bulldogs were more than ready to wreak havoc in the National Invitational Tournament. And almost instantly, Smith’s mind was set on leading his team to a championship at Madison Square Garden:

"“This year, with the NIT, I’m going to lead my team and we’re going to win… Whatever I need to do to get my team to the next level, whatever it is. I want to make sure my team and whoever is watching knows about the group of guys I play with and who I am.”"

#3 Louisiana Tech suffered the very same fate in the quarterfinals against top-seeded Temple, losing in a 59-77 beatdown. And so came the end of the star’s career at the collegiate level.

Mar 13, 2015; Birmingham, AL, USA; Louisiana Tech Bulldogs guard Kenneth Smith (4) struggles for the ball along with UAB Blazers guard Nick Norton (2) during the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament at Jefferson Convention Complex. The Blazers defeated the Bulldogs 72-62. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

The strange thing about Louisiana Tech is that despite Speedy Smith not being a huge scorer, he’s basically the backbone of their quick offense…the floor general. As a senior, he averaged only 6.4 points, ranking sixth in that category among his teammates. However, it’s a different story when it comes to the passing game. No one can find his teammates better than Smith, whose 7.3 assists per game and equally strong defensive efforts helped make his final year at Tech memorable—even without an NIT title or a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament.

More from Conference USA

The situation back in the Bulldogs program is one that can only be dealt with heavy recruiting this offseason and strong play from Alex Hamilton and Erik McCree, who will most likely be Mike White’s go-to guys next year. Apart from Smith, the biggest loss is that of Raheem Appleby. Derric Jean, a three-star recruit from Hollywood, Florida that received offers from a number of major programs, already has his eyes on Ruston, but that’s the end of Tech’s list for 2015–16 thus far.

In contrast, it only gets better for Kenneth Smith, who is looking forward to a career in the NBA. It’s not every season that you see a player more unselfish than Smith win an accolade as big as the C-USA Player of the Year. Legend has it that he got his nickname, “Speedy,” the very minute he was born, but he is certainly living up to it on the basketball court. After taking a 12-point beating from the Bulldogs in the NIT, Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy went ahead and praised Smith, saying, “[He] is probably—besides Kentucky—the best point guard we’ve played against this year.” Florida State Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton wasn’t afraid to applaud Tech’s star in his junior year, either. He said, “He has such tremendous speed and quickness that it’s hard to relate to that if you don’t play against that all the time.”

While professional teams would definitely like to see some more scoring from the point guard, Smith is without a doubt something they’d want to take a long look at. NBA or not, there’s a bright future ahead of him.

Next: Duke Blue Devils: Final Four Looms and Hospitality Rooms

More from Busting Brackets