https://twitter.com/BBallSociety_/status/823716161300865026
Dennis Smith Jr. is making a name for himself with North Carolina State this season.
The standout freshman added to his impressive college hoops resume on Monday night by leading the Wolfpack to an upset of Duke in an 84-82 thriller at Cameron Indoor.
Smith Jr. had 32 points and was 4-for-6 from beyond the arc in the win, which subsequently handed the Duke Blue Devils their fifth loss of the season.
His most impressive play may be the one that didn’t count at all—a thunderous dunk that silenced the Cameron Crazies after a late turnover fizzled out Duke’s last-second chance to tie or win the game. The ball hadn’t left his hand until after the buzzer, but it put an exclamation point on a big moment for the Wolfpack frosh. His teammates nearly tackled him on the baseline in a claustrophobic celebration.
“It was exciting, man,” he told reporters after the game. “That’s the first time that’s ever happened to me.”
NC State head coach Mark Gottfried—who earned his 400th win Monday—had plenty of love for his standout freshman after the game, calling him over to the ESPN cameras and embracing him before his postgame interview.
https://twitter.com/armstrongabc11/status/823716718530953216
He truly was impressive throughout the night for the Wolfpack, finding ways to score all over the court in traffic.
bballsociety_: Dennis Smith Jr. with the fantastic finish! ESPN College Basketball: North C… https://t.co/L35DV2yzRM pic.twitter.com/HLfMu5Nsyr
— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) January 24, 2017
Smith Jr. also showed off an impressive passing ability. Check out how much he has on this one-handed dish to Abdul-Malik Abu for an easy dunk. You can bet that an NBA scout saw this and immediately called their team’s GM, telling them that they just saw the squad’s point guard of the future.
https://twitter.com/mattnorlander/status/823711976509632512
It’s been an interesting—and by that we mean extremely up and down—season for NC State, but one constant has been Smith Jr.’s ability to shine. With the NBA prospect on the Wolfpack roster, they’re always dangerous.
