Photo by: Andrew Fielding
As a freshman, playing at the collegiate level is never easy. For Emiko Smith, starting as a freshman was something that she was used to doing.
In high school at Windward School, in Los Angeles, she started all four years leading her team to three league titles and a 2006 California Interscholastic Federation Championship.
“It is really funny because as a freshman in high school I started, and it was a huge year for us,” said Smith starting point guard for the Pioneers as a freshman in the 2009-10 season. “It is really competitive, girls-basketball-wise, and California in general is pretty competitive. All the games were just good experiences.”
Choosing DU was a late decision for her. Once she visited DU, she says she was sold on head coach Eric Johnson’s philosophy.
She proved as a freshman that she made the right decision, leading the Pioneers immediately in assists (5.0 per game), steals (1.5) and minutes played (36.1).
“It was challenging coming in as a freshman and playing all those minutes,” said Smith. “I thought that I fit well into the offense. I felt like we had a flow and a rhythm.”
As a sophomore this season Smith is leading the team in assists with 5.9, steals at 1.9 and minutes at 33.8, down from last seasons figure due to more players this season, while giving the Pioneers another element on the court, according to Johnson.
“Emi Smith has established herself as one of the top point guards in the conference,” said Johnson after Smith continued to give conference-leader Middle Tennessee trouble two weeks ago.
“She was the determining factor [last season],” said Johnson. “We wouldn’t have won half as many games as we did without her. She had so much pressure coming in and she did a great job being so young and grew quickly.”
Smith’s start at basketball was something that happened at an early age. Her two older brothers were always athletic, and while she was attending one of her older brother’s practices she picked up a ball. It has been great for her ever since, she said.
Her position is important to the flow of a basketball game.
“I think point guards are a shadow of the head coach and the coaching staff on the court,” Smith said. “I think it is really important to know what the coaches want and how they want it and how to deal with the players’ personalities.”
With her knowledge of her position and her first year under her belt, Smith says she has high expectations for herself, and the team, the rest of this season as well as the one’s that follow.
