Welcome to A10 Talk’s Top Pre-Season Top 25 Player Countdown for the 2016-17 season. Each day, we’ll be publishing a new article counting down our best 25 players for the coming season. Today, we feature #9 Scoochie Smith of Dayton.
What He’s Done
In his three years at Dayton, Scoochie Smith has turned into one of the Flyer’s all-time great floor generals. After helping lead Dayton to the Elite Eight in his freshman year, Smith continued to take the Flyers to new heights. As Dayton’s starting point guard, Smith has led the Flyers to three straight NCAA tournament appearances and a total of five tournament wins. With his senior season quickly approaching, Smith looks to make one last run in the Big Dance. Learning from a coach like Archie Miller, who was an outstanding point guard himself back in the day, can only mean more good things will come from Smith and his squad.
As a junior last year, Smith had his best season yet from the statistical side. The 6’2″ guard out of the Bronx, New York, averaged 11.7 points per game for the Flyers. Smith also dished out 4.3 assists while snagging 3.5 rebounds per game. Not only did Smith put up some great numbers last year, he always made big plays when it mattered the most. In the season finale against VCU, with a share of the conference title on the line, Smith dropped 29 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, and handed out 5 assists in the Flyers 68-67 overtime win. Expect Smith to continue stepping up in the clutch and Dayton to be right back in position to win an outright A-10 title in the 2016-17 season.
What He’ll Do
With his time at Dayton winding down, Smith will surely look to go out with a bang. Along with fellow seniors Kendall Pollard and Kyle Davis, Smith should become a member of the Flyer’s all-time winningest class this year. To back him up, Smith will have one of the most talented teams ever seen at Dayton. With four seniors in the starting lineup, all who know how to win, the Flyers bring a lot of experience to the table. Factor in a deep bench with some highly skilled young guns and Dayton could find themselves in the making of another special season. Assuming the troops once again rally behind their floor general in Smith, watch out for another trip to the NCAA tournament and a deep run into it.
While one can be certain Smith’s primary focus lies on the team’s overall success, the senior guard could earn some individual awards at the conclusion of this year as well. The only Atlantic 10 honor Smith earned last season came following the victory over Richmond in the A-10 tournament as he was named to the conference’s all-tournament team. This time around, however, expect Smith to show up on one of the all-conference teams at the end of the year. If Smith continues to make spectacular plays like this one against Rhode Island, his senior season at Dayton could be the best of them all.
Previously: #10 Peyton Aldridge
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— Grant Kelly (@GrantKelly07) September 27, 2016
