Adrian Smith (basketball)
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Farmington, Kentucky, U.S. | October 5, 1936||||||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
High school | Farmington (Farmington, Kentucky) | ||||||||||||||||||||
College |
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San Francisco Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||||
1971–1972 | Virginia Squires | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Career NBA and ABA statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
Points | 8,750 (11.3 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rebounds | 1,626 (2.1 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Assists | 1,739 (2.3 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Adrian Howard "Odie" Smith (born October 5, 1936) is an American former professional basketball player.
Early life
Smith was the fifth of six children of Oury and Ruth Smith of Farmington, Kentucky. The family lived in a farmhouse that had no electricity and no indoor plumbing. He was nicknamed "Odie" after a comedian on the Grand Ole Opry.[1] As a child, he attended a three-room schoolhouse in rural Graves County, Kentucky. Because the family didn't have money for a basketball, he learned to shoot one his mother made from rolling up his dad's socks.
He attended Farmington High School, where he nearly didn't play high school basketball until the school's principal and basketball coach agreed to give him a ride home, a distance of seven miles, after practices.[2] As a senior, his only scholarship offer was from nearby Murray State University, but he took too long to accept and the offer was withdrawn.[3]
College career
Smith enrolled to play basketball at Northeast Mississippi Junior College (now known as Northeast Mississippi Community College). After Smith excelled on the court, Northeast coach Bonner Arnold convinced legendary University of Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp to send a scout to see Smith, and UK offered a scholarship.[4]
Smith didn't see much action his junior season until Kentucky's star guard, Vernon Hatton, went out with an appendectomy, and for seven games, Smith averaged 16.3 points. As a senior, Smith was a starter and averaged 12.4 points per game. The Wildcats' team, known as the "Fiddlin' Five", beat Seattle University 84–72 to win the 1957–58 national championship, led by 30 points from Hatton and 24 from Johnny Cox.[5][6] Smith averaged just under 14 points in UK's four NCAA tourney wins, including seven in the championship game.
Smith graduated from Kentucky with a business degree.[7]
After college
He was selected in the
USAF All-Stars (1959–1960)
Instead of attempting to make the Royals, Smith joined the
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots (1961)
Smith played for the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots in 1961.
Professional career
Cincinnati Royals (1961–1969)
Smith began his professional career in the
In his fourth season of 1964–65, he became a starter in the Royals' backcourt alongside Robertson. Playing over 34 minutes per game, he averaged 15.1 points per game, with a .456 field goal percentage and .830 free throw percentage.
The 1965–66 season was both his most productive and noteworthy. He averaged a career-high 18.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game as the Royals went 45–35 and, in the Eastern Division semifinals, extended the Boston Celtics to a fifth and deciding game before falling to the eventual NBA champions.[14] On December 15 he scored a career-high 34 points against the Celtics, and followed that up on January 5 with another career-high of 35 points. During the season, Smith was selected to the 1966 NBA All-Star Game and, surprisingly for a game that including sixteen future Hall-of-Famers, Smith was named MVP after he scored 24 points in 26 minutes.[15] It was his only All-Star appearance, and for winning the MVP award, he received a new Ford Galaxie car.[16]
In his sixth NBA season, 1966–67, Smith averaged 16.6 points per game and led the NBA with a .903 free throw percentage and, for the fourth time, the durable Smith led the league in games played.[17] In 1967–68, Smith averaged 15.6 points per game in his last year as a starter.[18] In 1968–69, playing primarily as a backup to Robertson and Tom Van Arsdale, Smith averaged 9.6 ponts per game.[19]
San Francisco Warriors (1969–1971)
In the 1969–70 season, after 32 games with the Royals, Smith was traded to the
Virginia Squires (1971–1972)
Smith played for the American Basketball Association's Virginia Squires in 1971–72, averaging 5.1 points per game. He also played 13 times for the United States.
Honors
The entire 1960 USA Olympic basketball team, including Smith, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 13, 2010.[22] Smith is also a member of the Northeast Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame[23] and the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame.[24]
Post-playing career
Smith worked for many years as a commercial relationship manager for Cincinnati-based
NBA/ABA career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
* | Led the league |
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1961–62 | Cincinnati | 80 | 18.3 | .405 | .775 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 7.2 |
1962–63 | Cincinnati | 79 | 19.3 | .443 | .811 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 8.9 |
1963–64 | Cincinnati | 66 | 23.1 | .406 | .782 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 9.4 |
1964–65 | Cincinnati | 80 | 34.3 | .456 | .830 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 15.1 |
1965–66 | Cincinnati | 80 | 37.3 | .405 | .850 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 18.4 |
1966–67 | Cincinnati | 81 | 32.5 | .438 | .903* | 2.5 | 2.3 | 16.6 |
1967–68 | Cincinnati | 82 | 33.9 | .464 | .829 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 15.6 |
1968–69 | Cincinnati | 73 | 18.3 | .432 | .807 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 9.6 |
1969–70 | Cincinnati | 32 | 14.2 | .405 | .867 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 5.4 |
1969–70 | San Francisco | 45 | 14.1 | .347 | .909 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 6.4 |
1970–71 | San Francisco | 21 | 11.8 | .427 | .854 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 5.3 |
1971–72 | Virginia (ABA) | 53 | 12.9 | .446 | .893 | .9 | .8 | 5.1 |
Career | 772 | 24.6 | .430 | .838 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 11.3 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1962
|
Cincinnati | 4 | 13.3 | .421 | 1.000 | 1.3 | .8 | 5.3 |
1963
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Cincinnati | 12 | 16.7 | .402 | .705 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 8.1 |
1964
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Cincinnati | 7 | 9.4 | .308 | .714 | 1.3 | .6 | 3.0 |
1965
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Cincinnati | 4 | 37.5 | .375 | .955 | 2.8 | 5.3 | 14.3 |
1966
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Cincinnati | 5 | 31.4 | .373 | .955* | 2.4 | 2.6 | 13.0 |
1967
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Cincinnati | 4 | 30.0 | .375 | .750 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 11.3 |
1972 | Virginia (ABA) | 11 | 27.0 | .465 | .865 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 11.4 |
Career | 47 | 22.2 | .402 | .832 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 9.2 |
References
- ^ "Archives - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. February 13, 2011.
- ^ "Archives - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. February 13, 2011.
- ^ "Reference at www.kentucky.com".
- ^ "Reference at www.kentucky.com".
- ^ "1957-1958 National Champions - Walter's Wildcat World".
- ^ "Reference at sportsillustrated.cnn.com". Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
- ^ "Reference at www.kentucky.com".
- ^ "Adrian Smith Stats | Basketball-Reference.com".
- ^ "Reference at www.kentucky.com".
- ^ "Game: USA vs ITALY (Group A) Date: 26 August 1960".
- ^ "Reference at www.usab.com". Archived from the original on September 29, 2013.
- ^ "1962-63 Cincinnati Royals Roster and Stats | Basketball-Reference.com".
- ^ "Adrian Smith Stats | Basketball-Reference.com".
- ^ "1965-66 Cincinnati Royals Roster and Stats | Basketball-Reference.com".
- ^ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ "Archives - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. February 13, 2011.
- ^ "Adrian Smith Stats | Basketball-Reference.com".
- ^ "Adrian Smith Stats | Basketball-Reference.com".
- ^ "Adrian Smith Stats | Basketball-Reference.com".
- ^ "Adrian Smith Stats | Basketball-Reference.com".
- ^ "Adrian Smith Stats | Basketball-Reference.com".
- ^ "Reference at www.kentucky.com".
- ^ "NEMCC Sports Hall of Fame - Northeast Mississippi Community College Athletics". Northeast Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame
- ^ "Mississippi Community College Foundation - Sports Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014. The Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 16, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Reference at www.linkedin.com".
- ^ "Archives - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. February 13, 2011.
External links
- NBA stats @ databasebasketball.com
- One-on-One with Adrian Smith[permanent dead link]
- The Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame
- Northeast Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame
- 1960 United States Olympic Team page at The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Book, Cincinnati's Basketball Royalty by Gerry Schultz