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Overview

Smith was the "big man on campus" in more ways than one during his time with the Rams. Few post players his size display the running skills, shooting prowess and aggressiveness crashing the boards that Smith displayed during his last two years. In 87 games at CSU, Smith scored in double figures 68 times, including 18 contests where he scored at least 20 points. He had at least 10 rebounds in 26 games and produced 24 double-doubles during his career.

Smith is the sixth player in CSU history to score over 1,000 points and grab over 500 rebounds in a career. He ranks fifth in Schoolhistory with 149 blocked shots and 361 free throws made. He also ranks sixth on the school's career-record list with 683 rebounds, eighth with a 54.8 field-goal percentage and ninth in scoring with 1,281 points. He led the team in scoring in 35 contests and in rebounds in 47 games.

At Platte Valley High School, Smith was regarded as the state's premier prep player during his senior season. He was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Colorado High School All-State game, was a two-time State Player of the Year, was named to the "All-Colorado" team as a junior and senior and was a three-year letterwinner and starter for the Broncos.

Smith was named to the All-Conference and All-State teams three times and was selected as the Most Outstanding Player in the state Class 3A Tournament as a senior. He still holds the Schoolrecords for most career blocked shots, career scoring, consecutive free throws made and most blocked shots in one game. He led his team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots three seasons in a row.

Smith enrolled at Colorado State, turning down scholarship offers from Gonzaga, Utah and Wyoming. In 2004-05, he played in 26 games and started 11, all vs. Mountain West Conference opponents. He was named MWC Freshman of the Year and All-MWC honorable mention in his rookie season, averaging 10.5 points on 55.4-percent shooting (103 of 186) with 5.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 blocked shots in 24.4 minutes per game.

He scored in double digits 13 times and had his first career double-double vs. UNLV, when he hit for 24 points and 11 rebounds. He was among team leaders in several statistic categories including first in blocks (36), second in field-goal percentage (.554), rebounding (5.8 rebounds per game) and points (274) and third in assists (45). Smith sat out games vs. New Mexico and Utah due to a knee injury, but in his first career start, he posted 14 rebounds at Air Force.

As a sophomore, Smith started all 31 games, earning All-Mountain West Conference first- team honors and was selected to the NABC All-District second-team. He averaged 16.2 points on 51.7-percent shooting (178 of 344) with 7.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 blocked shots in 28.7 minutes per game, coming up with 28 double-digit efforts. He ranked among team leaders in nearly every statistical category including first in rebounding average (7.3), blocks (66) and scoring average (16.2), second in minutes per game (28.7) and assists (70) and third in field-goal percentage (.517).

Smith ranked among Mountain West Conference leaders in seven categories including second in blocked shots (2.14 pg), fourth in scoring (16.2 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg) and defensive rebounds (5.06 pg), seventh in offensive rebounds (2.26 pg) and eighth in field goal percentage (.517) and free-throw percentage (.763). He led CSU in scoring 14 times, rebounding 16 times and blocked shots 13 times.

That year, he scored a season-high 28 points, including a 12-for-12 performance from the free-throw line at New Mexico. He recorded four double-doubles on the season and blocked a career-best seven shots in the season-opener vs. Northern Colorado.

In 2006-07, Smith was a first-team All-American selection by The NBA Draft Report and Collegehoops.net. He added All-Mountain West Conference and NABC All-District first-team accolades, as he scored in double digits 27 times and had 18 games with at least 10 rebounds. He led the team in scoring 27 times and in rebounds 18 times while coming up with 18 double-doubles.

Smith ranked ninth in the nation with an average of 10.1 rebounds per game. He became just the second player in Schoolhistory to grab more than 300 rebounds (304) in a season, joining Mike Childress (392 in 1970 and 349 in 1971). His field-goal percentage (.579) ranks 11th on the school's single-season list. He hit on 175 of 302 field goals and 154 of 200 free throws (77 percent) for 504 points, leading the team with a scoring average of 16.8 points. His 154 free throws made are the seventh-best season total in CSU annals.

Smith's 47 blocked shots rank ninth on the Schoolsingle-season list. He dished out 58 assists and had 16 steals, but turned the ball over 102 times and was called for 94 fouls. He opened the season with 19 points and seven rebounds vs. Colorado-Pueblo and had 25 points, a pair of assists and 19 boards vs. Baylor. His 19 rebounds were the most by a CSU player since Pat Durham had 20 boards vs. New Mexico in 1987. He followed with another 15 rebounds and 19 points vs. Rice and totaled 24 points with nine boards and three assists against Denver.

Smith continued to excel on both ends of the court, pouring in 20 points with 10 boards vs. Northern Colorado and then scored 15 points with 16 rebounds vs. Colorado. In the New Mexico clash, he posted 28 points, three assists and 11 rebounds. He chipped in with 20 points and 10 boards at Wyoming and added 27 points, three assists and a career-high 22 rebounds.

In April, Smith announced his intentions to declare as an underclassman for eligibility in the 2007 National Basketball Association draft-selection process.

In 87 games at Colorado State, Smith started 70 contests. He played in a total of 2,429 minutes, an average of 27.9 per game. He hit on 54.8 percent of his field goals (456 of 832) and 361 of 481 free throws (75.1 percent) for 1,281 points, an average of 14.7 per game. He snatched 683 rebounds, including 223 offensive boards for an average of 7.9 per game. He had 173 assists, 47 steals and 149 blocked shots. He was called for 283 fouls and had 266 turnovers.

Scouting Report

Positives: Well-coordinated big man who has the quickness to stay with small forwards in the half-court game...Moves smoothly up and down the court and shows very good body control and coordination attacking the glass for rebounds and putbacks...Good shot blocker with an effective spin move to the rim and can put the ball in with either hand, showing good distribution while elevating...Handles the ball well in the lanes and has shown improved passing ability out of the double team...Stays balanced and demonstrates good footwork going for the block and is developing solid shooting fundamentals from the perimeter for a player his size with decent back-to-the-basket post-up skills...Has very good court vision and has a very hungry nature attacking the glass and is one of the premier rebounders in this class...Has that long wingspan and incredible reach that lets him go over his opponents to alter their shots...Added over 20 pounds of bulk to his frame prior to the 2006-07 season, which showed in his lower body, as opponents struggled to move him out of the paint...Shows good creativity establishing position and has large, soft hands to catch most passes targeted to him...Has enough range to execute the mid-range jump shot and seems comfortable whether facing or with his back to the basket...His added strength and bulk did not affect his impressive quickness and his mobility has actually improved since his sophomore season...Has solid footwork in the post and shows good aggression under the basket...With his wingspan, he will get to most balls thrown in his direction...When the opponent tries to double-team him, Smith using his passing ability to push the ball out to the open man rather than force a shot...Good at drawing contact in attempts to get to the free-throw line, where he shoots at a respectable 75.1-percent clip...Shows good touch around the basket and has developed a strong half-hook shot to add to his post moves...His long reach causes problems for the opponent, as he has developed into a solid shot blocker...Dangerous when he gets into the post, as he utilizes his high release and quick shooting stroke that causes the defender problems in attempts to block...Coordinated enough to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket...Has shown very good consistency in gaining position in the post and boxing out his opponent...When he takes the ball to the rim, he is hard to stop without fouling him...Doesn't do it often, but is capable of dribbling with both hands...Knows that he has the ability to create his own shot inside the arc and has a turn-around jumper that could turn into a great money shot for him at the next level...Uses his size well to keep the ball high and away from the smaller defenders.

Negatives: Has increased his bulk and improved his overall strength, but needs to improve in order to keep more physical centers out of the paint...Gets into a rhythm where he feels he needs to score in bunches and this urgency has led to several costly turnovers, as big men are not advised to keep the ball on the floor as long as he does at times...Can get knocked around a bit vs. physical inside contact...Good inside defender, but will bite some on fakes when forced to defend at the perimeter...Faster opponents can slash by him when he gives a side rather than facing up...Has a very good wingspan and reach, but will get out of control with his arms, picking up unnecessary fouls under the boards...Needs to be more aggressive boxing out, but must also keep his emotions in check, as he does get frustrated when his initial move fails...Playing for a marginal team, he tends to try to do too much and even though he will find the open man on the outlet pass, he needs to distribute the ball better when facing double- and triple-team defense.

Compares To: PAU GASOL, Memphis. Like Gasol and Amare Stoudemire, Smith could be an effective center in an up-tempo attack. He moves well up and down the court for a big man, but even with his added bulk and strength, he does get boxed out at times vs. more physical forwards. His mid-range shot is developing to the point where teams need to account for him along the perimeter. He is much more aggressive attacking the glass, possibly showing confidence there due to his increased power. He still needs to develop a "money" shot and go-to move, but few big men have the smooth running stride and scoring touch he displays.

High School

Attended Platte Valley (Kelsey, Colo.) High School...Regarded as the state's premier prep player during his senior season...Named the Most Outstanding Player in the Colorado High School All-State game...Two-time State Player of the Year...Named to the "All-Colorado" team as a junior and senior and was a three-year letterwinner and starter for the Broncos...Added All-Conference and All-State honors three times...Selected as the Most Outstanding Player in the state Class 3A Tournament as a senior...Holds the Schoolrecords for most career blocked shots, career scoring, consecutive free throws made and most blocked shots in one game...Led his team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots three seasons in a row.

Personal

Business major...Son of Roberta and Jack Smith...Born Jason Victor Smith on 3/02/86 in Greeley, Colorado...Resides in Kelsey, Colorado.

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