Jan. 31, 2008

By Bill Hass
theACC.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The scramble for a loose ball, especially in the latter stages of a tight ACC basketball game, is not for the faint of heart.

"It gets really rough," said Georgia Tech senior Jeremis Smith. "Someone can dive into your knees; you can turn your ankle. You have no conscience at all. It's like the ultimate street fight down there and it comes down to who's more hard-nosed."

Smith's nose, attached to his 6-foot-8, 235-pound body, usually proves to be one of the hardest. A loose ball might mean an extra possession, or extending a possession, and that could ultimately mean the difference in the outcome. Smith said Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt "puts his toughest lineup out there the last four or five minutes, and I try to be one of those guys."

Hewitt almost always complies.

"In the last four or five minutes of games, when elbows start flying and bodies start flying around, you need a guy who's going to go in there and dig the ball out," he said, referring to Smith.

That knack can be particularly important on the road, where the Yellow Jackets have scored consecutive victories over NC State and Virginia. They play a home game against Maryland Saturday, then three more on the road at Wake Forest, Connecticut and Clemson. That stretch will go a long way in determining the postseason fate of Georgia Tech (3-3 in the ACC, 10-9 overall).

"This is my fourth year," Smith said, "and I've learned that to be a good team in the ACC you can come out 8-8, but to be a great team you have to win road games. That takes a lot of mental strength. You have to focus on everything within the lines. You block out the pregame fireworks and the Jumbotron and you listen to your coach and your point guard. In a way, it's the five of you on the court against everybody else in the arena."

Hewitt believes every successful team needs a player like Smith, someone willing to do the kinds of things that don't show up in the box score. In fact, he sounds like a credit card commercial when asked to sum up Smith's immeasurable contributions.

"Priceless," Hewitt said. "You can't begin to quantify the value he brings to your team in terms of rebounding, taking charges, setting physical screens, just establishing a physical presence around the basket. In this league, especially with so many hard-fought games, a loose ball here or a rebound there can make the difference."

Smith has grown into the role, quite a change from his high school days in Fort Worth, Texas, when he led his team in scoring and rebounding almost every night. In his freshman year at Georgia Tech, the Jackets were coming off an appearance in the NCAA championship game and the roster was stocked with veterans like Jarrett Jack, Luke Schenscher, B.J. Elder and Will Bynum. He wasn't needed to be an immediate star.

On top of that, Smith dislocated his kneecap in the third game and missed 17 games. When he returned, he was glad to contribute any way he could, which turned out to be primarily rebounding and defense. Those have continued to be his main assets, along with setting screens, boxing out, digging out loose balls and other "dirty work" chores.

"I wasn't this kind of player in high school," Smith said, "but a team has to have its role players and I've made a role for myself."

Smith hasn't disappeared from the box score. He averages 10.1 points and 7.1 rebounds and leads the team with 27 steals. In ACC play, his averages rise to 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds. He scored 21 points against Miami and 15 against North Carolina and has been in double figures in rebounds seven times this season.

"Coach Hewitt is very strategic on offense," Smith said. "The first 10 minutes of a game, he gives us the freedom to run what we want and he evaluates the game. Then, if someone gets a hot hand, he'll call your number. There are times he'll put me on the block and let me go to work."

Smith gets most of his points from post feeds, driving from the wing and running in transition. Occasionally he'll show a turnaround jumper from five to 15 feet. He rarely launches a 3-pointer, but made one against Florida State last season that sealed the win.

Still, while he strives to be a force on offense when needed, it's the other things that set Smith apart. He raises some elements of the game to an art form, all under the watchful eye of Hewitt. Here's Smith's take on some of those duties:

• Setting screens: "Coach Hewitt has instilled a way he likes screens set and he's very detailed about it. He wants us to set them fast and set them hard. When we watch film, he'll spend about 30 percent of the time talking about screens. The last time he pointed me out was our game against Vanderbilt, when I was supposed to screen Alex Gordon. He's so small that I had to find him, then sprint to him and I didn't set the screen. Coach must have rewound that about 10 times."
• Boxing out: "Coach has sometimes sent me into a game with the mission of keeping my opponent to zero rebounds. He'll say he doesn't care if I have zero and long as my man has zero. He cares about me being a `rebound defender,' I guess you'd call it. No matter what you try to do, there's a counter and a reaction for everything, so I haven't mastered it yet."
• Defense: "I guard anybody from a small forward to a center. James Gist (of Maryland) has given us nightmares a couple games. (Duke's) DeMarcus Nelson is a big, strong guard that I might have to guard sometimes. (NC State's Brandon) Costner is deadly inside and outside. There are guys in this league who can do basically anything and everything you need them to do. You never know who's going to have a good night."

Hewitt loves the way Smith can defend a variety of opponents. "He's a guy who, through sheer energy and force, can really discourage people," Hewitt said. "You can put him on a guy, especially in the low post, and he won't let the guy touch the ball. He sets a great example for our younger guys."

Hewitt was Smith's reason for coming to Georgia Tech and the two have formed a close relationship.

"Coach and I have our little sit-downs," Smith said. "He'll go over practices and games and tell me what he likes and dislikes about how I'm playing and the changes he wants. He expects me to run the floor hard, screen, box out and grab every rebound I can.

"It goes both ways. We can call each other any time and talk about games, school, whatever. I don't have to be in his date book in order to call him."

Smith has never been hesitant to be a vocal leader, even as a freshman. And now the Jackets are leaning on him like never before.

"I tell the young guys not to make the same mistakes," he said. "Make one, learn from it as quickly as possible, then move on. It's like a chain reaction - they either pile up or you get rid of them and get better. I'm real proud of our guys. We have learned from the strength of our schedule, we're becoming stronger mentally and I think we're getting better every game."

Every player is aware of the ACC logjam behind Duke and North Carolina.

"I'd like to believe we can separate (from the rest of the pack)," Smith said. "Every time we watch TV we hope Duke and North Carolina lose (to fall back with the pack). But we have to make our own moves, get as many wins as possible and see what happens as far as making the NCAA Tournament."

If the Jackets can pull that off, you can be assured that Smith's priceless contributions will be a big reason.

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Bill Hass is a long-time observer of ACC sports. His career at the Greensboro News & Record spanned 36 years, from 1969 until his retirement in March, 2006. He is now writing "Bill Hass on the ACC" for theACC.com. His weekly columns will keep fans plugged in to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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