(Photo courtesy of Evansville Athletics)
FOGGY BOTTOM – George Washington continues to build out their rotation with the commitment of graduate transfer Antoine Smith Jr., a sweet shooting 6-7 forward who most recently played at Evansville.
Congrats to Bosco Alumni Antoine Smith Jr. on his commitment to George Washington University! After graduating from Evansville this spring Antoine will pursue his MBA and play for Head Coach Chris Caputo in the A10! Continued Success and God Bless!
BoscoFam pic.twitter.com/K8ltKxUVNJ— Bosco Institute (@DonBoscoHoops) June 9, 2023
Last year, Smith Jr. averaged 7.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and shot 36.1% from three on 3.9 attempts per game in 23.7 minutes. The previous season, he shot a career high 44.4% from three on 2.3 attempts per game.
“I’m a bigger, versatile wing. I can play both forward spots and guard pretty much every position,” said Smith Jr. “My main skill is shooting and that’s what I’ve been known for and I think that’s one of the main reasons why they brought me in.”
Versatility is a recurring theme for GW’s incoming offseason class. Freshman Zamoku Weluche-Ume, redshirt freshmen Darren Buchanan Jr. and Garrett Johnson, and redshirt sophomore Benny Schröder are all between 6-7 and 6-9, can shoot the three, and defend multiple positions. They will give Head Coach Chris Caputo much more lineup flexibility, something that he often wished he had this past season.
While his shooting is his most impressive skill on the court, Smith Jr.’s experience may be what this young Revolutionaries squad finds the most valuable.
There isn’t much that Smith Jr. hasn’t done or seen in his past four years in college basketball. He spent his freshman season at Incarnate Word in Texas, then transferred to Collin College at the Junior College level for his sophomore campaign. Smith Jr. finished out the final two seasons of his undergraduate career at Evansville.
Smith Jr. will join star fifth year senior guard James Bishop as the only two upperclassmen with significant college basketball experience.
“I think of how I was as an underclassman and what I would look for in an older guy,” said Smith Jr. when asked about how he’s preparing for his role as a leader. “I just want to approach it as someone who’s uplifting, a positive presence… I’ll be around if [younger players] want advice.”
In addition to his on court fit, GW was an appealing destination for Smith Jr. because of its academics. Smith Jr. majored in History at Evansville, and plans to get his Masters in Interdisciplinary Business Studies this year.
Compared to many of his peers, Smith Jr. spent a lot of time, almost three whole months, in the transfer portal.
“It was a whirlwind,” said Smith Jr. “I tried to take it slow, I only have one year so I wanted to make the right decision.”
Smith Jr. did not necessarily have a final list, but said that he was seriously considering Ball State, Indiana State, North Texas, Jacksonville State, and Atlantic-10 rival Richmond before landing at GW.
Smith Jr. will have one year of eligibility, utilizing his “COVID year.”
As a graduate transfer, Smith Jr. will be immediately eligible to play next season. Graduate transfers are exempt from the recent NCAA regulations regarding multiple-time transfers needing a waiver to avoid sitting out a season.
GW now has two scholarships left to fill out their roster. Expect for them to address the center position and potentially add one more ball handler.
