Dru Smith

Dru Smith (born December 30, 1997) is an American college basketball player for the Missouri Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He previously played for the Evansville Purple Aces.

Dru Smith
Smith with Missouri in 2020
No. 12 – Missouri Tigers
PositionShooting guard
LeagueSoutheastern Conference
Personal information
Born (1997-12-30) December 30, 1997
Evansville, Indiana
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight203 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High schoolFJ Reitz
(Evansville, Indiana)
College
Career highlights and awards
  • MVC Most Improved Team (2018)
  • MVC All-Freshman Team (2017)

High school career

Smith attended FJ Reitz High School in Evansville, Indiana. In his junior season he averaged 10.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game as a starting point guard alongside Jaelan Sanford and Alex Stein. Smith helped his team achieve a 29–2 record and reach the Class 4A state title game.[1] As a senior, he averaged 20.8 points, 7.3 assists, seven rebounds and 4.1 steals per game, leading Reitz to a 22–5 record and the Class 4A regional finals. Smith was named to the Indiana All-Star team.[2] He committed to playing college basketball for Evansville over offers from Ball State, Northern Kentucky, South Alabama and Indiana State.[3] Smith was drawn to the school because it was close to home.[4]

College career

Evansville

On February 22, 2017, Smith scored a freshman-season high 19 points for Evansville, making five three-pointers, in a 109–83 loss to Wichita State.[5] As a freshman, he averaged 5.3 points, 2.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game, earning Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) All-Freshman Team honors.[6] On December 5, 2017, Smith recorded a sophomore season-high 25 points, shooting 11-of-13 from the field, seven assists and four steals in a 91–76 win over Bowling Green.[7] As a sophomore, he averaged 13.7 points, 4.6 assists and two steals per game, leading the MVC with a 48.2 three-point field goal percentage.[8] He was named to the MVC Most Improved Team.[1]

Missouri

After his sophomore season, Smith transferred to Missouri over offers from Xavier and Virginia Tech.[9] He sat out the following season due to National Collegiate Athletic Association transfer rules.[1] On November 12, 2019, he posted his first career double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds in a 63–58 overtime loss to Xavier.[10] On February 15, 2020, he scored a junior season-high 28 points in an 85–73 victory over 11th-ranked Auburn.[11] As a junior, Smith averaged 12.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He recorded 64 steals, which led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and ranked sixth in program history.[12]

Career statistics
Legend
  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

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Evansville 28822.5.445.327.8182.62.9.8.45.3
2017–18 Evansville 222230.2.578.482.8623.54.62.0.513.7
2018–19 Missouri
Redshirt
2019–20 Missouri 313132.8.412.294.8994.23.92.1.412.7
Career 816128.5.468.358.8763.53.71.6.410.4

References
  1. Napier, Briar (February 13, 2020). "The "hidden jewel" of Evansville: Dru Smith thriving after leaving only home he ever knew". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  2. Neddenriep, Kyle (April 5, 2020). "Build-A-Team: Putting together the best Evansville Reitz basketball team". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  3. Hickey, Pat (April 27, 2018). "Former Evansville guard Dru Smith commits to Missouri basketball". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  4. Allar, Daniel (November 12, 2015). "Simmons: Reitz's Smith "a great fit" for UE". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  5. "Dru Smith Has Career Game Against Wichita State". City-County Observer. February 22, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  6. Hickey, Pat (October 4, 2017). "Simmons: Dru Smith has made 'huge' gains after solid freshman season for UE basketball". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  7. "Smith has career-high 25, Evansville beats Bowling Green". USA Today. Associated Press. December 5, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  8. Moore, CJ (July 2, 2019). "The path to a resurgent Missouri begins with Dru Smith". The Athletic. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  9. Schiffer, Alex (April 29, 2018). "Connection to Mizzou assistant helped land Evansville transfer Dru Smith". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  10. "No. 21 Xavier rallies past Missouri 63-58 in overtime". ESPN. Associated Press. November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  11. Walljasper, Joe (February 15, 2020). "Dru Smith, Pinson each score 28 points as Mizzou upsets No. 11 Auburn 85-73". Fox Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  12. Hollins, Tyler (November 12, 2020). "Dru Smith named to preseason All-SEC second team". Lebanon Democrat. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
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