This is a big weekend for senior forward Parnell Smith of the men's basketball team. As a native of Indiana, Smith will be plopped in front of the television Sunday as his hometown team, the Indianapolis Colts, face off against the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl.
As a senior in high school, Smith helped lead powerhouse Pike High School to a 29-0 record, as his team finished the season ranked No. 2 in the entire nation in the USA Today Super 25 Boy's Basketball Rankings.
Smith also earned first team All-State honors, a McDonald's All-American nomination, and was candidate for Indiana's Mr. Basketball Award as a senior.
This has been a tough year for Smith. He came into the season with high expectations, and though he is averaging a career-high 9.6 points per game, he lost his starting job earlier in the year. His team has also come across hard times, as the Bulls are in the midst of a five game losing streak.
One of the biggest heartbreaking moments of the season for Smith was failing to beat Pittsburgh earlier in the season. The Bulls were in control of a lot of the game before succumbing to the talented Panthers, who at the time were ranked second in the nation.
"We had a large crowd and it was an intense game," Smith said. "We had a chance to beat them, and it was a heartbreaker."
However, Smith is still confident in his team's chances of making a run in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, and gaining an elusive bid to the NCAA Tournament.
"We have a very good chance," Smith said. "We have some losses and people aren't expecting us to do very good, so that's motivation enough for us to win the tournament."
Smith's play has been up and down this season. He went through a stretch of seven conference games in which he did not score in double digits. Yet in the two previous games Smith had scored 18 and 19, respectively. This was part of a stretch in which Smith scored at least 13 in four straight games. Despite this roller-coaster play, Smith has been able to maintain his role of leader on a young team.
"Most of all I just tell them little things that they don't know and I know more about, as a veteran," Smith said. "Helping them with things on and off the court is the most important thing for them."
Smith credits head coach Reggie Witherspoon in helping him improve both on and off the court.
"Motivationally, coach has been in my ear telling me what I do wrong, and how I can improve, and that's helped me a lot, on and off the court," Smith said. "He's been a big influence for me."
He also has a close relationship with all his teammates, and described them as being a really close-knit group.
"A lot of times you don't see teammates hanging out off the court and we do a lot of that," Smith said.
This being Smith's senior season at Buffalo he is hoping that he and the team can finish out the rest of the season strong. Smith also expressed how much he will miss the people whom he has become close with over the last few years playing for the Bulls, as a student here at Buffalo.
"I'm going to miss the coaches and the team," Smith said. "It has gone by fast and it's those people that I'm going to miss the most."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
