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Nicholls State University graduate Jeremy Smith could have given up on his dreams 10 summers ago and no one would have blamed him or complained about the decision.
Hurricane Katrina had just hit his native New Orleans, and he and his family were taken several miles from home to McComb, Mississippi – the place they stayed for three months.
But instead of quitting, caving to the pressures and succumbing to the stresses that surrounded his world, Smith stayed on his grind and decided to prove all of the naysayers wrong.
A Katrina survivor and former walk-on to the Colonels’ men’s basketball team, Smith’s collegiate career was a lot like his childhood – one filled with many ups and downs. In Thibodaux, Smith went from an unknown, unwanted walk-on commodity to one of the team’s captains and leading players as a junior and senior.
Since graduating following the 2013-14 season, the 6-foot, 3-inch, 180-pound guard has continued his underdog story even further, competing professionally for the South Adelaide Panthers – a team that competes in the Australia State League.
Smith isn’t just playing, but he’s doing so at an elite level. He was one of the best scorers in the league in the 2014-15 season, routinely scoring more than 20 points in a game.
The former Colonel said he looks back at it all now with a smile and great pride. Smith said he has no regrets about the past, touting that every, single thing that happened has made him a better player and person in the present.
“My pro career so far has been a great experience,” Smith said. “I’ve been meeting new people, and interacting with the kids at basketball clinics is my favorite thing to do, by far. I enjoy learning about the culture of the country I’m playing in, as well.”
PERSEVERENCE THE STORY OF SMITH’S LIFE
Smith said he remembers the storm and its aftermath like it was yesterday, even though he was hardly a teenager at the time.
He remembers living in Mississippi for a couple months, while waiting for the city’s cleanup efforts to be complete.
Smith also said he remembers seeing all of the storm’s damage on TV and wondering about loved one’s homes, property and overall well-being.
“It was terrible, man,” he said. “It was a really tough thing to see and be raised in.”
Once things got a little better and his family returned to the city, Smith, a natural athlete his whole life, played football more than basketball. His heart said that basketball should come first, but post-Katrina city infrastructure thought differently.
The storm damaged almost all of the city’s courts, and there just weren’t many places to play or practice.
“We almost never got a chance to play basketball,” Smith said. “We came back and all of the courts were gone.”
That football-first world lasted a little more than a year, and Smith said he stayed patient and played along, because not staying active simply wasn’t an option.
He said things turned and calamity ensued about two years after the storm when the 2007-08 varsity prep basketball season got rolling. That season marked the time that Smith got reunited full-time with the sport he loves most.
Smith was a standout student-athlete at John Ehret High School in Marrero – a two-time All-District basketball player for the Patriots. He was an All-West Bank Team selection in his final two high school seasons and a member of the 2009 Southshore All-Star Team.
But for all of his accolades, Smith wasn’t considered a Blue Chip prospect by scouts. Instead of signing a National Letter of Intent out of high school, Smith, instead decided to walk-on at Nicholls to begin his collegiate playing career.
He said he didn’t know whether or not he’d get a shot to play, but promised himself that he’d work as hard as he possibly could and give it his best shot.
“I didn’t really have much to lose,” Smith said. “The goal was to just show up here and compete.”
That’s exactly what he did. Before long, he was competing with the best players in the country.
THE EVOLUTION FROM A WALK-ON TO A STAR PLAYER
Smith was far from an All-Conference player when he set foot on Nicholls’ campus for the first time.
In his freshman season in 2009-10, Smith played just 13 games and averaged barely more than one point per game.
Colonels men’s basketball coach J.P. Piper decided to give the young players a redshirt in the 2010-11 season, which gave Smith the chance to polish his game.
That he did.
Sometimes it took all day. Other times, it took even longer than that – into the early hours of the next morning, but Smith said he was a gym rat during his redshirt season. He got bigger, faster and stronger. He got more polished as a basketball player – more skilled in his jump-shot and more gifted as a ball handler, passer and defender.
“The transformation that he’s made is remarkable – it’s a testament to the work that he’s put in to help our team,” Piper said of Smith during an interview in the 2011-12 season. “He’s shown so much character and dedication. He’s a guy that you root for and you’re comfortable being the leader of your team because you know that he’s team-first and willing to do whatever it takes to win.”
After taking the redshirt and regrouping in the gym, Smith slowly and steadily ripened into the pro that he is today.
In the 2011-12 season, Smith played in all 30 of the Colonels games, including 15 starts. He averaged 7.6 points per game and was one of the team’s most consistent contributors.
As a junior in 2012-13, the numbers were about the same, and Smith averaged 7.4 points per game in 27 games with 13 starts.
In the 2013-14 season, Piper inserted Smith into the starting lineup full-time – a decision that paid off. The New Orleans native scored 13.9 points per game, while making 55.6 percent of his shots and 38.3 percent of his 3-pointers.
He was one of the Colonels’ captains, and his on-court play and off-court leadership shattered the notion that he was a walk-on caliber player.
“He is the heartbeat of our team,” Piper said in Smith’s senior campaign. “We go as he goes.”
Professional scouts took notice of Smith’s quickness, versatility and competitive drive.
After graduating, he inked with Australia and put the icing on the cake in what can be called a movie-like Cinderella story.
“Hopefully I’ll be playing basketball for a long time at the highest level that I can possibly reach,” Smith said of his professional aspirations.
AUSTRALIA BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN
HIS GAME
At Nicholls, it took Smith a little while to find firm footing.
With South Adelaide, Smith has been a star from day one.
The former Colonel has been a force at the professional level – one of the best offensive players in the stateside league.
Smith said he loves Australia, adding that learning the nation and continent’s culture has been nothing short of fascinating.
But Smith said he loves the professional game, as well. He said it’s more physical and challenging than the college game, but added that those are challenges that he welcomes and embraces with each game.
“Pro basketball is way more physical,” Smith said. “In college, there’s a lot of fouls being called, but in pro ball, you have to learn to play through a lot of the contact.”
Smith said that he’s not sure how long he’ll stay in Australia, as he hopes to eventually progress and get the opportunity to compete in some of the premier basketball countries around the world – like Spain, China, Italy or even the United States and a spot in the NBA.
To try and make that goal a reality, Smith said he’s continued the formula that worked for him throughout college.
“I’ve been working on all aspects of the game as far as my skills,” he said. “I’ve been working on cleaning up minor details to become a better player. The main thing for me is I’ve been working on understanding the game better. The intellectual part of the game is something I’ve been trying to improve just to make it all a little bit easier for me.”
He added that traveling around the world and playing basketball is a life that truly can’t be beat.
Smith didn’t quit 10 summers ago. He stayed focused and motivated on the things he wanted to do.
Like the adage says, through every rain storm, there’s a rainbow that leads to a pot of gold.
For this former Colonel, he said that he believes he’s brought the cliché to life. Katrina’s woes lasted a while, yes. But he battled, fought back and defeated the demons.
“Basketball has taken me many places that I’ve never thought about going,” Smith said. “I’m blessed to be able to see the world while doing something I love to do. There’s no comparison. It’s a dream come true.”
Nicholls graduate and South Adelaide Panthers standout Jeremy Smith poses under the basketball goal before a practice this past spring. A Hurricane Katrina survivor and a walk-on out of high school, Smith has overcome long odds to achieve his dream of being a professional basketball player. Smith averaged more than 20 points per game for the Panthers, and hopes to continue advancing in his professional career in the next several years.
