April is not only a time for basketball players to start creating their legacies (Armando Bacot, Ochai Agbaji, etc.) but also a time to reflect on the careers of those seniors that have finally come to a close. Luke Smith did a little of everything during the past 2 years at Belmont. Last year he led the OVC with 78 3PM and was 8th in the nation with 61 STL. This year he shot 88.6 FT% and was named an Academic All-American for the 2nd year in a row while getting his MBA. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Luke about his work on the court and his work in the classroom.
In the 2019 SAA tourney you were named MVP after scoring 90 PTS over 3 games including 18-24 3PM: was it just 1 of those situations where every shot you put up that entire week seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Yes. It was a gym at Centre College that I really liked. We won the 1st game by a pretty good margin and in the 2nd game I probably made 7 or 8 threes. It was a fun experience.
You played for Belmont Director of Basketball Operations Mick Hedgepeth at D-3 University of the South before transferring to Belmont in 2019: how much of an impact was Mick on your decision, and how close are you 2? He was a huge impact on my original decision to go to Sewanee. We built a great relationship after I played for him for 2 years: we are both basketball junkies and we grew even closer. I did not originally intend to come to Belmont but I talked to Coach Casey Alexander: it took me a long time to decide but Mick played a huge role.
Last year your 61 STL were #8 in the nation: how do you balance your offense with your defense? I would not say that I am a great on-ball defender who stays in front of people, but I am normally in the right position and can anticipate what the offense is going to do pretty well. Coach Alexander really encourages us to make plays so I was just aggressive on defense without having any fear of making a mistake. If you cannot play defense at this level then you will not get onto the court. It went better my 1st year before people figured out how our defense gets steals.
You are a team captain: what is the key to being a good leader? Obviously having a relationship with the guys…but those are fairly easy to make. You have to understand that some players need more encouragement while others might need you to get on their case from time to time. I do not think that 1 style of leadership fits everyone because some people do not respond to that.
You graduated last May with a degree in Business Administration: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? When I 1st got here I changed my major from Economics to Business Administration. As a new student I had mandatory study hours as well as plenty of people who gave me the tools to balance my life well. It is a great academic school and there is a team effort to help us succeed so it is a good situation to be in.
Last November you were named head-coach-in-waiting at your alma mater of Knoxville Catholic High School: what is the most important thing that you have learned from Coach Alexander about what it takes to succeed on the sideline? There are so many things that I have learned from him. We have had quite a few conversations but 1 thing that both he/Belmont have done so well is to create a clear identity. Just look at a team like Villanova: they have such a clear direction in terms of what they do on the court/with recruiting/etc.
You played several NCAA tourney teams this year including Chattanooga, LSU, and Murray State (twice): which of them impressed you the most? All of them are really great teams. At the time we played LSU back in November they were still undefeated and really beating up on teams. At 1 point I think they were a top-3 team in the nation defensively. It is hard for us when teams switch everything and that game was really hard. By the end of the year Murray State was just unbelievable: they played so well together and had such great confidence.
You had 4 teammates this year who had also completed their undergraduate degrees: what is it like to be on a team with so many well-educated/veteran players? It was a cool situation. Most of those other guys are also in the MBA program and are my age and we are all great friends: it would be a lot harder if I was going through it alone. It was a hard balance for Coach Alexander between trying to practice without going over things for the older guys while still trying to teach everything to the younger guys and give them some reps. We ultimately did not get where we wanted to go but I would not trade our season/team for anything.
You were voted 3rd-team Academic All-American in each of the past 2 years: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It was really cool. In terms of individual accolades (which are not as important as team accolades) it is something that I am really proud of. It speaks both about me and our entire program: I think Belmont has the most Academic All-Americans ever so I am glad that I was able to carry on the legacy.
When people look back on your college career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I just want them to think of me as a guy who played hard for every single minute that he was out there. I never got to play in the NCAA tourney, which was my biggest goal before I came here, but I really love this place/program and am glad that I got to be a part of it. I cannot wait to come back here as an alum to watch some games from the stands.