Wichita transfer Adriel Smith has been a scoring sensation for Rose Hill basketball
It’s not a surprise that Adriel Smith is enjoying a breakout scoring campaign as a junior at Rose Hill.
What is surprising to Rose Hill boys basketball coach Josh Shirley is just how efficiently Smith is averaging 26 points per game for the Rockets (2-3). Smith is shooting better than 50% from the floor and finishing on 65% of his two-pointers to go with averages of 7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2 steals per game.
Smith was voted the Varsity Kansas Top Player last week following a 30-point scoring outburst to help Rose Hill pick up a 70-66 road win at Wellington.
“He’s such a dynamic player and is just really fun to watch,” Shirley said. “When he gets going in transition, he’s extremely tough to stop. When he gets that head of steam going downhill and attacks the rim, he finishes really well. It’s almost like a don’t over-coach him thing, just let him go.”
Smith, a 5-foot-11 guard, is a transfer from Wichita East, where he was an honorable mention selection in the City League last season.
After scoring 18 points in the season-opener against Garden Plain, Smith delivered a career-high 39 points against Caney Valley in a 59-47 victory on Dec. 12. Following another 30-point performance last Friday at Wellington, Smith has scored at least 18 points in all four games he’s played for Rose Hill this season.
If teams load up the paint to try to stop Smith from driving, he has also found success this season kicking out to Rose Hill’s collection of shooters led by senior Spencer Nolan and sophomore Kellan Simoneau.
Rose Hill doesn’t play again until Jan. 8 at Clearwater.
“What’s great about Adriel is that he’s a very willing passer,” Shirley said. “He delivers the ball very well and we have several shooters outside who can shoot it very well. When Adriel is that quick and he can penetrate the defense, he sees the floor extremely well and we’re able to get a lot of open shots that way. It’s not like he’s single-track-minded where he’s got to score every day. He can make plays for his teammates as well.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 9:35 AM.
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