Smith, Jr. Named Among Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week
Central Connecticut's Darin Smith, Jr. was recognized by the U.S. Basketball Writer's Association as one of five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week, the organization announced Tuesday.
Smith joined Leo Beath (UC San Diego), Simeon Cotton (Kennesaw State), Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan) and Nick Townsend (Yale) as this week's honorees. The weekly honor is given out jointly by the USBWA and the Oscar Robertson Trophy. Awarded each year since 1959, the USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding men's college basketball player each year. It was named for Robertson in 1998.
Smith was named NEC Player of the Week on Monday after he averaged 31.0 points, while shooting .647 overall and .500 from the arc last week. He grabbed 6.5 rebounds and dished 3.5 assists in 28.8 minutes last week. The sophomore forward had a career-high 38 in the overtime win over Sacred Heart. He shot 12-of-21 overall and 11-of-12 from the foul line. Smith added five rebounds, four assists, and just one turnover becoming the first Blue Devil to score 30+ since Jordan Jones had 33 vs. SHU on 2/8/24. He had a game-high 24 in 21 minutes vs. Johnson & Wales on 10-of-13 shooting with eight rebounds, three assists and a steal.
On the season, Smith, Jr. is leading the league in scoring at 20.7 points per game, while grabbing 4.8 rebounds per game. He ranks third in the NEC shooting 55.2 percent from the field, while averaging 1.9 three-pointers per game and converting at a 38.2 percent clip. He also is the most-accurate foul shooter in the league, making 92.9 percent of his free throws. He has scored 20+ points in four games this season, including each of the last three games.
Smith and the Blue Devils are back in action on Wednesday night at Seton Hall.
