Nalyssa Smith at U18

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WacoKelly83
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USA U18 Forward NaLyssa Smith Continues to Live Up to Expectations
Author: Kyle Ringo, Red Line Editorial
Date: Jul 22, 2018

College basketball recruiting websites have been referring to NaLyssa Smith as a potential superstar since she was 14 years old maybe even younger.

Some of it might have seemed like hyperbole at times, but over the past year Smith has been working to make sure all those predictions come true. She is now in the summer before her freshman year at Baylor University, and her standout play as of late has earned her an opportunity to represent her country for the first time as a member of the 2018 USA Basketball U18 National Team.

Smith, a 6-foot-3 forward from Converse, Texas, is fresh off a senior year of high school in which she scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds per game helping her East Central team to a deep run in the state playoffs. She also earned a spot on the McDonald's All-American Team as the cherry on top of numerous other awards.

But the most significant basketball moment for her outside of LeBron James recently announcing he was joining her favorite NBA team came in late May. With her father at her side, she was able to call home from the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to tell her mom she had achieved her dream of earning a spot on the national team for her age group.

"My parents are excited, because they know how much I worked for it and how much I used to talk about USA Basketball," Smith said.

This wasn't the first time Smith participated in a USA Basketball camp. She was invited to the 2016 USA U17 Trials but went home disappointed after not making the team. She said she learned from the experience and was better prepared for her opportunity this year.

"I feel like the first time I didn't really know what to expect," Smith said. "So, I went in there and did just like what I knew that I could do. I didn't really like to switch it up. I know the first time when I went, you're not supposed to like to shoot a lot. They want to see different things that you do. This time I made sure I posted up some, and I distributed the ball some, and I also shot and stayed in my comfort zone a little bit. I just did things I knew they would want to see."

Smith will return to Colorado Springs for training camp with the U18 team on July 20 before departing for Mexico City, where she hopes to help the team win the 2018 FIBA U18 Americas Championship. The top four teams in the tournament will earn an invitation to the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup.

Though she grew up only a few hundred miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, this will be her first official trip out of the country. Smith said she is looking forward to spending time in Mexico City and experiencing the culture and competition.

"It's going to be a fun experience going out there and seeing how people live and different lifestyles and stuff like that," she said.

Smith will have a familiar face as a travel partner. Point guard Desiree Caldwell and Smith played on the same AAU team in Texas from sixth grade through their junior year of high school.

"She is super goofy, and super funny and super selfless," Caldwell said. "She's so talented and you would kind of expect a player of that caliber to be just worried about themselves, but NaLyssa is the type of person that would always talk to me during games and get others involved."

Smith said her father Rodney Smith, mother Nikki Smith and brother Rodney Jr. have each played a significant role in helping her get to where she is now. Her dad, a former professional basketball player overseas, has worked with her since she was young. He taught her post moves, ball-handling and served as the ball return as she shot hundreds of free throws and perimeter shots.

She's spreading her wings a bit now, but she does so wanting to make sure the things she does make her family proud.

"I'm really just staying focused and making sure I'm focused on the right things, especially at college," Smith said. "Just making sure that I'm also working in the classroom. I'm making sure the things that need to be handled are handled. I'm also working on basketball, because I know at the college level I'm going to have to compete and get stronger and faster."
BuinmyBlood
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Fantastic article. Can't wait to see her play.
GarlandBear84
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WacoKelly83
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https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1021538052416724996/video/1

Nalyssa is #75
WacoKelly83
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1st game tonight against Argentina at 6:30. Nalyssa is number 12

https://www.youtube.com/user/FIBAWorld
WacoKelly83
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Nalyssa had a good first half. 5 rebounds and I think 4 pts. Very athletic and a good defender. The guard play is terrible. Prince from UT looks good too
WacoKelly83
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Oh and Argentina is not good
WacoKelly83
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Smith finishes with 13 pts and 6 rebs
WacoKelly83
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Next game for Nalyssa at 2pm today vs Chile

Big Bear
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Nalyssa had 24 pts vs Puerto Rico tonight. USA had 101.
Dcheetah
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She was named the top performer for the game. Also with 7rb, 2 assists, 2 steals.
Eball
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So...nothing was really said about Queen Egbo skipping the Nationals...was it as simple as deciding she would rather go to Italy or something else?

Did I miss a report on that topic?
slimecap
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Eball said:

So...nothing was really said about Queen Egbo skipping the Nationals...was it as simple as deciding she would rather go to Italy or something else?

Did I miss a report on that topic?
"6-foot-3 freshman center Queen Egbo passed up a chance to play for USA Basketball at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Mexico City.

"Queen preferred to go with her Baylor team to Italy versus USA Basketball in Mexico," Mulkey said, "so she had to call them and just tell them she wanted to enroll in school and get some hours this summer, and she wanted to be with her future teammates and go to Italy."

- Baylor WBB website, "More than Basketball: Lady Bears Visiting the Vatican on Tour of Italy", 3 Aug 2018
Eball
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Thanks you are the best !
CarmelBear
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Good luck to NaLyssa!

ladybears4eva
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One bear for usa ball is cool.

Id pick italy over Mexico any day
WasheFuzzy
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Wise decision by Egbo.
WacoKelly83
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Nalyssa with a very good game in 84-60 win against Canada in the final of U18. Top scorer with 18 pts and played most of the 2nd half with 4 fouls.
WacoKelly83
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Ouch. Nalyssa wasn't even named to the all tournament team even though she was the leading scorer in two of the six games and played well in all of them. You can see the disappointment in her face during the medal ceremony (she was the only player not smiling). Jeff Walz appeared to be consoling her just after the award ceremony.
Dcheetah
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She was also tied for leading rebounder tonight and named top performer on winning team 2 of 6 games.
Dcheetah
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Dp
Bear-Runner
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Not sure what games the voters were watching, but I think overall she had the most consistent play. Even in the 0 point game, she still grabbed a slew of rebounds. Makes you wonder what was the determining factor for the MVP and All Tournament selections. Anyway... Congrats Nalyssa. Gold Medal winner and BU future star.
Dcheetah
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Who was MVP and all tourney team members? I couldn't find it.
WacoKelly83
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Rhyne Howard, Kentucky recruit, was MVP. Maori Davenport was all tourney. The other three we're non USA.
Dcheetah
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Thank you!
WacoKelly83
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Honestly I think whoever picked the MVP must have written down the wrong jersey number and it was too late to change it. Smith was 12 and Howard was 13. Oh well.
WacoKelly83
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Dcheetah said:

Who was MVP and all tourney team members? I couldn't find it.


I only know because I watched the trophy ceremony following the game on YouTube. Should be online if you want to see it or go to the fiba site.
WacoKelly83
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http://www.fiba.basketball/americas/u18women/2018/news/usa-claim-fiba-u18-americas-womens-2018-title-in-mexico-city
Eball
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WacoKelly83 said:

Honestly I think whoever picked the MVP must have written down the wrong jersey number and it was too late to change it. Smith was 12 and Howard was 13. Oh well.
Wow I REALLY think you maybe right...how does Smith get left off all tournament team? I know she had a very good tournament led team in scoring twice and in the finals no less 8-12 shooting? Someone explain what I am missing?
WacoKelly83
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Happy 18th birthday Nalyssa!!! She's headed to Italy today to join her teammates.
gone to Tickfaw
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She led the team in scoring - by alot - and i believe led in rebounds, despite starting only one game and playing less minutes than the starters. She averaged 18 ppg. The mvp averaged 8. I think there was a jersey mixup
BuinmyBlood
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Here's a nice shot of NaLyssa taking down a big rebound vs Canada...

CavalryRoadie
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fujobear said:

She led the team in scoring - by alot - and i believe led in rebounds, despite starting only one game and playing less minutes than the starters. She averaged 18 ppg. The mvp averaged 8. I think there was a jersey mixup
I liked the aggressiveness Nalyssa Smith showed. It seemed (to me) that she played with a chip on her shoulder. I think I like that.

Regarding the scoring, I wouldn't say she led the team in scoring by a lot (and, she didn't average 18 ppg).

Scoring
Smith - 66 points / 106 minutes played / .62 ppm
Joens - 64 points / 110 minutes played / .58 ppm
Hillmon-Baker - 62 points / 108 minutes played / .57 ppm
Blackwell - 56 points / 116 minutes played / .48 ppm
Nelson-Ododa - 55 points / 98 minutes played / .56 ppm
Howard - 51 points / 113 minutes played / .45 ppm
Davenport - 47 points / 120 minutes played / .39 ppm
Brown - 45 points / 105 minutes played / .43 ppm
Williams - 42 points (5 games) / 85 minutes played / .49 ppm
Peoples - 32 points / 115 minutes played / .28 ppm
Prince - 22 points (3 games) / 39 minutes played / .56 ppm
Caldwell - 17 points / 80 minutes played / .21 ppm

Rebounds / Rebounds per 40 minutes
Davenport - 42 / 14.0
Smith - 37 / 14.0
Hillmon-Baker - 34 / 12.6
Williams - 27 / 12.7
Howard - 28 / 9.9
Joens - 27 / 9.8
Nelson-Ododa - 27 / 11.0
Blackwell - 22 / 7.6
Peoples - 22 / 7.7
Caldwell - 21 / 10.5
Prince - 20 / 20.5
Brown - 14 / 5.3

Assists / Assists per 40 minutes
Howard - 18 / 6.4
Peoples - 18 / 6.3
Brown - 17 / 6.5
Blackwell - 16 / 5.5
Williams - 13 / 6.1
Joens - 13 / 4.7
Caldwell - 8 / 4.0
Nelson-Ododa - 7 / 2.9
Davenport - 6 / 2.0
Smith - 6 / 2.3
Prince - 1 / 1.0
Hillmon-Baker - 0 / 0.0

Perhaps the judges looked hard at the Colombia game, which was not a particularly good game for Smith (18 minutes / 0 points / 3 turnovers).

I'm just happy Smith is going to be playing at Baylor this fall.

There are three types of lies - lies, damn lies, and statistics. - Benjamin Disraeli
bowdedg
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