Braden Smith (basketball)

Braden Smith (born July 25, 2003) is an American college basketball player for the Purdue Boilermakers of the Big Ten Conference.

For the football player, see Braden Smith.
Braden Smith
No. 3 – Purdue Boilermakers
PositionPoint guard
LeagueBig Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2003-07-25) July 25, 2003
Arkansas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolWestfield
(Westfield, Indiana)
CollegePurdue (2022–present)
Career highlights and awards

Early life and high school career

Smith was born in Arkansas and moved with his family to Westfield, Indiana at age four.[1] He attended Westfield High School and made the varsity basketball team as a freshman. Smith was named first-team All-Hoosier Crossroads Conference (HCC) after he averaged 18.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game during his sophomore season.[2] As a junior, he averaged 22.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.7 steals per game and was named high-honorable mention All-State in addition to repeating as a first team All-HCC selection.[3] Smith was named Indiana Mr. Basketball after averaging 18.3 points, six rebounds, six assists, and 1.9 steals while leading Westfield to their first sectional championship.[4][5] He also missed several weeks due to a foot injury.[6]

Smith was rated a three-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for Purdue over offers from Appalachian State, Belmont, Montana, North Texas, and Toledo.[7] At the time of his commitment Purdue was his only major-conference offer, but he had recently begun to receive interest from Indiana, Gonzaga, Xavier, Villanova, and Oregon.[8]

College career

Smith entered his freshman season at Purdue as a starter at guard.[9][10] In his college debut in the season opener against Milwaukee, he scored seven points with four rebounds, four assists and set a freshman record with seven steals in a 84–57 win.[11][12] Smith was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week after scoring 20 points with three assists and two rebounds in a 75–70 win over Marquette.[13]

Personal life

Both of Smith's parents, Ginny and Dustin, played college basketball at Arkansas Tech University.[14][15] Ginny Smith currently serves as the assistant athletic director and girls' basketball coach at Westfield High School.[3]

References
  1. Hamilton, Brian (January 18, 2023). "Purdue's Braden Smith was the No. 196 freshman recruit. Now he's the Boilers' floor general". The Athletic. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  2. "Catching up with Braden Smith, Javon Small and Jalen Clark". Indianapolis Star. July 14, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  3. "Purdue recruit Braden Smith leads Westfield boys, mom coaches girls". Indianapolis Star. December 28, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  4. "Purdue basketball: Indiana Mr. Basketball Braden Smith sits idle with big picture in mind". Journal & Courier. June 11, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  5. Neddenriep, Kyle (April 2, 2022). "Too small? It only fueled fire within Braden Smith, who is 2022 Indiana Mr. Basketball". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  6. "Westfield star, Purdue recruit Braden Smith to miss at least 3-4 weeks". Indianapolis Star. January 24, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  7. Carmin, Mike (April 29, 2021). "Purdue basketball recruiting: Westfield guard Braden Smith commits". Journal & Courier. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  8. "Westfield High's Braden Smith commits to play at Purdue". Indianapolis Star. April 29, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  9. Fezler, D.J. (November 3, 2022). "Quiet Showing for Purdue Freshmen Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer Doesn't Paint Full Picture". SI.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  10. Bartley, Casey (November 11, 2022). "Braden Smith: The Next Purdue Point Guard". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  11. "Milwaukee at Purdue: Braden Smith's debut impressive but not a surprise". Journal & Courier. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  12. "Purdue beats Marquette as 2022 Mr. Basketball Braden Smith takes over". Indianapolis Star. November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  13. Fezler, D.J. (November 21, 2022). "Purdue guard Braden Smith scored 20 points in a 75-70 victory over Marquette last week inside Mackey Arena. His performance pushed the Boilermakers to 3-0 and earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors". SI.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  14. "IHSAA basketball: Westfield player excels despite small stature". Indianapolis Star. June 27, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  15. Ambrogi, Mark (May 26, 2021). "Smith making impact on Westfield High School basketball program". YouAreCurrent.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
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