WSU notes: Shockers basketball recruit shows he can shoot with hot streak

When Daishon Smith started the semester, he couldn’t run fast or jump high and nobody knew if he could make three-pointers.

Tallahassee Community College’s first semester is over and Smith answered those questions emphatically.

Smith, a 6-foot-1 guard who signed with Wichita State in November, scored a career-high 32 points in Tuesday’s 111-58 win over Gordon (Ga.) State College. Two days earlier, he recorded his first triple double — 24 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists — in a 107-67 win over Florida State College.

That win snapped a five-game losing streak for Tallahassee (9-7), a slump that provided the motivation for Smith.

“I wanted to do something about it before we went into the break,” he said. “I’m getting more confident, finding a rhythm.”

That is an understatement. Smith, a sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla., is 34 of 77 from three-point range (44.2 percent), after making 20 of 79 last season (25.3 percent) at Eastern Florida State College. His overall shooting percentage is 46 percent (81 of 176), up from 39.8 percent last season.

He made 5 of 6 threes in Tuesday’s win, capping a seven-game span in which he made 25 of 41 (60.9 percent).

A groin injury slowed Smith earlier in the fall. While that limited what he could do in practice, it didn’t keep him from shooting. He credits shooting 100 or more threes a day with locking in his jump shot and expanding his range.

“It was just confidence and getting more reps,” he said.

The Eagles are off until Dec. 28, which means Smith will head home for Christmas and attempt to keep his edge.

“I’m going to get in the gym, and find ways to rest my body,” he said. “I’ve got to stay fresh.”

▪  Darral Willis, WSU’s other junior-college signee, also ended his semester on a high note.

Willis, a 6-8 sophomore forward at Pearl River (Miss.) Community College, scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 71-56 win over Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.). He averages 16.2 points and 9.6 rebounds, making 54 percent of his shots and 69.1 percent of his free throws.

Pearl River (6-3), which started the season ranked No. 12, finished the semester on a three-game win streak and is off until Jan. 5.

WSU’s brother-sister combo — Tabitha Brown knew about Wichita State because Zach Brown, her older brother, plays basketball for the Shockers.

She knew nothing about Shockers volleyball as a senior at Houston’s Klein Collins High. When she decided to leave Alabama, she took a look at WSU and, after visiting campus earlier this month, committed to the Shockers. Brown watched WSU’s basketball game against Utah during her visit, watching her brother score 14 points in a 67-50 win.

“The process took about two months,” she said. “At first I didn’t know anything about Wichita State. I was able to meet the girls and the coaching staff. There’s nothing not to like about it.”

Brown, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter started 12 matches and played in 61 sets for Alabama as a freshman. She averaged 2.64 kills and 1.61 digs a set, highlighted by 17 kills against Northern Illinois and 19 digs against Charleston Southern. Her playing time diminished during Southeastern Conference play, when she appeared in a total of eight games.

“I can’t say that I’m a natural,” she said. “It took years and years of working really hard. I was in the gym almost every day of the week.”

Her visit with Shockers coach Chris Lamb wrapped up her decision. If she entered the meeting not knowing much about Shockers volleyball, Lamb immediately educated her in his usual enthusiastic and detailed style.

“I’m here to help the team win and learn from Coach Lamb,” she said. “He can talk all day about volleyball. The average person would think he’s really weird. He’s just really, really intelligent.”

Brown is eligible to play with WSU this spring and will be a sophomore in the fall for the 2016 season.

This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 4:50 PM with the headline "WSU notes: Shockers basketball recruit shows he can shoot with hot streak."