Southwest Mississippi Community College men’s basketball coach Casey Carter had daily talks with his star player Deville Smith throughout this past season.
They weren’t scheduled, but mere “freestyles” as Carter described them.
And not the entertaining kind. It was all business and for a purpose.
Smith, who spent the 2011-12 season at Mississippi State, kept Carter and assistant coach Thomas Gray updated on classes, homework and tests. In return, Carter was Smith’s rock, making sure everything was kept in order for Smith to make his leap back into Division I basketball.
All the minuscule details finally paid off — at least temporarily — this past weekend, when Smith verbally committed to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
“It’s a huge opportunity for Deville,” Carter said. “Leaving Mississippi State the way that all transpired, he had to regroup himself to get his feet back on the ground. That’s one positive about junior college is it’s a second chance for you and if you make the most of it like he’s done up to this point, then it works out for you.”
Smith, who led the Bears with 16 points per game, still must finish out the spring semester before signing a scholarship in April, but he is on the right track.
The 5-foot-11 point guard chose UNLV over other major Division I programs like Baylor, Clemson, West Virginia, Purdue, DePaul, Central Florida, South Carolina and Creighton.
“I would say the style of play. They run an up-tempo offense,” Smith said of why he committed to UNLV. “All the guys are just humble.”
UNLV was one of the first schools to enter the running for Smith back in September. Coach Dave Rice and his assistants stayed in contact with Smith throughout the season and were at Southwest’s state tournament game in late February against Pearl River. When Southwest ended its season with a loss to Baton Rouge Community College last week in the NJCAA Region 23 tournament, Smith was able to fly to Las Vegas.
The Jackson native spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday on campus for his official visit and fit in with the players and coaching staff, although he witnessed UNLV drop a 61-52 loss to Fresno State.
Carter said UNLV made it clear Smith was one of its top options at guard on the recruiting trail. Smith will immediately be in the mix for playing time, which was a major draw.
“I’m trying right away as soon as I get there and trying to make myself better,” he said.
UNLV has been a mainstay among the non-BCS basketball schools since the 1970s. The Runnin’ Rebels have been to the NCAA tournament 19 times since 1975, including four Final Four appearances and a national championship in 1990.
UNLV also boasts one of the nation’s top freshmen, Anthony Bennett, who will likely be a lottery selection in the 2013 NBA Draft.
“He’s probably one of the best point guards with experience that UNLV could get their hands on,” Carter said of Smith. “That’s why they’re so interested in him. You can’t get guys like him that are so good with the ball in his hands. He’s a guy that is very unselfish and can get other people looks. At the same time, he can go get his when he needs to. That’s a huge difference between a high-impact and a low-impact guy.”
After a tumultuous year in Starkville, Smith will finally get to show why he was among the top recruits out of Mississippi in 2011. Smith was forced to leave Mississippi State twice and missed seven games because of headaches and dizziness. In 26 games, he averaged just 4.2 points as Dee Bost’s backup and withdrew from school days after Mississippi State was eliminated from the NIT Tournament.
With a poor transcript, Smith had two options — transfer to another D-1 school and sit out a year or transfer to a junior college and play immediately.
Wayne Brent, Smith’s former coach at Callaway High School, and AAU coach Omhar Carter helped guide Smith down to Summit where Carter was waiting with a detailed plan.
“We weren’t looking for a handout,” Carter said. “We were trying to give him a second opportunity to make himself better.”
Smith bought in and took care of business in the classroom before even helping Southwest on the court. He was instrumental in the Bears’ 15-10 record and spot in the regional tournament. He even scored a late basket in February to help Southwest upset then-No. 19 ranked Pearl River.
Smith thanked Carter for all he has done. Without it, he realizes the next level may never have been a possibility.
“We had a lot of fun and a great friendship,” Smith said. “You really can’t put into words what kind of relationship we have. He’s a cool guy.”
Although Smith was only at Southwest for a year, he will leave his legacy at the school. His turnaround will force other transfers and coaches to think of Southwest during the recruiting process.
“It’s a huge thing for Southwest’s men’s basketball program. We were honest with Deville from the front end. Obviously we have put a lot of work into him and making sure he does right day-to-day on getting him to the right places and doing the right things,” Carter said. “Selfishly, if you put all that work into a guy and it works out and he signs at UNLV, is able to go there and play for two years, it does nothing but help your program.”
