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Hard work paying off for Women's Basketball senior Brittney Smith
By Jim O'Hara
ROME – In her first three years as a member of the Shorter University women’s basketball team, Brittney Smith developed a reputation as a blue-collar player that was physical, powerful and always ready to mix it up inside.
This season, Smith, a 5-10 senior from Decatur, Ala., has solidified her blue-collar reputation thanks to a summer spent tossing and stacking tires at the Goodyear plant in Gadsden, Ala.
The hard work has paid off – Smith shed 25 pounds and her improved quickness and stamina has her averaging close to double figures in both points and rebounds. The 12-hour shift have also made her cherish even more the opportunity for a college education and the Business Administration degree she’ll receive next May.
“It made me much more appreciative of being in college,” Smith said about her summer job on the plant line that had her working the graveyard shift from 7 pm to 7 am with her father Harry Smith, who also works at the facility, “I know I have to take full advantage of what I have. It was very hot there and we had an hour and a half drive to and from Decatur. When I came home I usually worked out. I feel quicker and lighter on my feet.”
The result of tossing the tires, which can average 25 pounds each, have been evident immediately as both Smith and the No. 21-ranked Lady Hawks have opened the new season with a bang.
With her team off to a perfect 6-0 start, Smith, who entered her senior season with career averages of 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds, is averaging 10.2 points and 8.7 rebounds a game. Smith made an immediate statement in the Lady Hawks’ season opener against Coastal Georgia when she shattered her single-game career highs with 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Shorter head coach Vic Mitchell had no idea the extent of what the soft-spoken Smith was doing during the summer.
“I didn’t know she was going to do that,” said Mitchell, who learned of Smith’s work regimen in July when he saw the slimmed-down Smith. “When I talked to her high school coach, I asked him if he’d seen her. All he knew was that she was coming in early in the morning to work out. It turned out she was going to the gym directly after coming home from work.
“It also made her know she wanted to get a degree,” the coach went on to say about the two-time Southern States Athletic Conference All-Academic selection that was named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete last year. “It taught her a lot of lessons, not to mention that now she’s in the best physical shape of her life.”
In addition to her improved scoring and rebounding, Smith is also hitting 50 percent of her shots from the floor and is putting in nearly 30 minutes of court time per game for the Lady Hawks.
“She has more stamina now and it has made her quicker and even stronger,” Mitchell said. “I never imagined she’d start the season averaging close to a double-double. We knew coming she had a foundation of faith and family. What she has done is continue to build on those things and become a better basketball player.
“My teammates make it so much easier,” Smith said. “All of us want a ring. It’s the last go-around for me so I know I have to leave it out there every time. It’s seems like the four years have gone by fast.”
Smith realizes that despite their fast start, the Lady Hawks have plenty of work to do.
Last weekend, Shorter began the journey towards a third-straight national tournament berth with big wins over two SSAC West Division teams, the first over Faulkner (84-64) and a second the next night against Auburn-Montgomery (66-57).
After an eight-day Thanksgiving holiday break, the Lady Hawks return to action tonight with a road trip to non-conference foe Reinhardt.
“We still have a lot of work that needs to be done,” said Smith. “We want a steady rise throughout the season so we’re peaking at tournament time.”
