Wake Forest Athletics
Gold Rush Feature: Rocket Man
1/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2011
This article was originally published in the Dec. 18 edition of Gold Rush.
By Jay Reddick
For all he knows, Ishmael Smith might be living a dream right now. He doesn't know, though -- he hasn't had time to pinch himself.
It can't be a dream, though, because we've all seen it: Smith in a Houston Rockets uniform, a starting point guard in the NBA. It didn't seem so likely a few months ago, but through hard work and talent, Smith has made it happen.
He wasn't picked in June's draft, but the Rockets invited him to play in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where he led the team in assists. That was enough for Houston, which brought him to work out at team facilities in early August, and signed him to a multi-year contract Aug. 23. He hasn't stopped since.
"It's weird to think about how fast this happened," Smith said. "I guess you can say, that's life, keep moving. You can't reflect back too much, because life will pass you by, but I thank God every day for what he has brought me."
Smith was signed as the third point guard on a roster with veterans Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry, but his value to the team quickly skyrocketed when both holdovers were injured in the second week of the season.
Brooks' injury, a severe ankle sprain, happened near halftime at San Antonio on Nov. 6, in a game Houston was losing badly. Smith manned the point for the entire second half, leading the team all the way back to overtime. The next day against Minnesota, he played 42 minutes in the team's first win of the year.
As Brooks and Lowry have recovered, Smith's minutes have dropped back down to the 10-minute range, but he has remained on the active roster while also running the Rockets' scout team, playing the role of the opposing point guard in practice.
"My biggest thing is, I just want to win," Smith said. "If that means I have to push Brooks and Lowry, or I have to be like CP on ball screens, that's what I'll do."
He has gotten positive reviews from the Rockets organization. Coach Rick Adelman told the Houston Chronicle, "He's quick, and he's probably the best passer we have on the team. He gets to the middle. He sees a lot. I really think he's going to do just fine. From what we've seen, he's up to the challenge."
Smith said he bonded with his teammates quickly -- especially one fellow ACC alumnus.
"My Wake fans may scratch their heads at this, but Shane Battier has been a huge help for me," Smith said. "He's taught me about different things, plays, situations. He's been playing so long, and he's so cerebral, that anytime he tells me something, I'll take it. But really, all the guys have been helpful. It's a tight group."
In some ways, Smith is still getting used to the NBA life. He has an apartment not far from downtown Houston, and he spends more time there than he's accustomed to.
"Getting around town isn't bad. I've got a GPS, and that gets me a long way," said Smith. "I have all this time after workouts and practice -- I'm used to going to eat at the Pit, writing papers and going to study halls. But now, this is my job. I put my time in, and I've got the whole day left."
He spent some of his first paychecks on a new wardrobe, in part because the Rockets have a strict jacket-and-tie dress code for road trips.
"You never know who's looking," Smith said, laughing. "It's a big city. Maybe I'll get a modeling contract."
But, of course, it's really all about basketball. Smith said he's been lucky in that his wide-open, speedy style of play fits well into the Rockets' plans. He's been working to improve his shooting and just learn anything he can from the experience.
"All the guys, one through 15, can play," Smith said. "To be here, it feels good. It doesn't get any easier -- I thought the ACC was tough, but here we're facing CP one game, Tony Parker the next. What I'm learning is, when your number's called, you have to be ready. You never know when there will be an injury, a change in focus, whatever. I don't want to just be a fill-in. I want to be an impact player."
