Jamar Smith pumped for training camp invite
Smith, #2, was pumped to hear from the Celtics.
An invitation to Boston Celtics training camp excited the hell out of Jamar Smith. (Evansville Courier and Press, h/t ESPN Boston)
“I’ve been working out like crazy,” said the former University of Southern Indiana star and Division II Player of the Year.
By “crazy,” he means several hours per day on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign, sometimes with members of the Illini basketball team and coach Bruce Weber, who originally signed Smith.
Now Smith has a chance to fulfill a dream. But sometimes that chance seems to be a dream.
“When my agent told me (about the Celtics’ invitation), I was, ‘Are you serious?’ ” said Smith. “Now I’m in the gym two or three times a day. My dad called me and asked, ‘Are you working hard?’ When I said I was, he said, ‘Well, you have to work harder.’ “
I’m not sure Smith has a snowball’s chance in hell of making the C’s roster, but he’s approaching it the right way. Work out until you can’t work out any longer. And then work out some more. As his agent said, “Anytime you’re on a basketball court and in a professional camp and there are 18 players vying for 15 spots, you’ve got a chance.”
Something else his agent said? “Jamar has been spending his entire life in a gym getting ready for this opportunity.”
Sounds like my kind of guy.
Read the rest of the story. If you aren’t already, you’ll become a fan of Smith’s.
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Celtics Blog | Jay King | September 18, 2010
Didn’t know anything about the guy till I heard about the invite, so I’ve been doing my homework.
I gotta admit, I like him, and I’ll tell ya something, this kid can flat out shoot the lights out. He’s got a long way to go to be a viable NBA player (defense will be key) but streaky shooters who can fill up the scoreboard when they get hot seem to find ways on NBA teams, even if they don’t do a hell of a lot else… Just ask Eddie House.
He’s a hard worker, and likable guy, I highly doubt he makes this years team, but I’m rooting for him, and I think he’ll find a place in the league, some day.
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His quick trigger reminded me of House’s. From the looks of it, he can score against anyone. Still don’t think he’ll make the team, but you’re right. There’s definitely a place for him in professional basketball.
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I just recently graduated from USI and have seen Jamar play all the home games the past two years. The thing that you don’t realize when looking at his stats is that he EASILY could have averaged 28-30 points per game. He is SO unselfish! He averaged 21.6 points 4 assists and 4 rebounds per game. He has a very likeable personality and floor presence. He works very hard and I’m sure he will take full advantage of this opportunity.
Also, the talent level in the GLVC (the division 2 conference that USI is in) is very high. What I’m trying to say is don’t discount his stats or his domination in the highlight videos by saying that he’s playing against division 2 talent. I’d be willing to bet that the GLVC is better across the board then conferences like the Horizon League.
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Thanks for the comment. But is the GLVC really better than Butler’s conference? I know you said across the board, but even some of those other teams are pretty good. That said, I’m excited by Jamar’s skills. He’s got potential, even though I’m not sure he has a skier’s chance in hell of making the team. The Celtics simply have too many accomplished guards.
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I have no problem saying that the best teams in the GLVC (USI, Kentucky Wesleyan, Northern Kentucky, Bellermine) are better than most teams in the Horizon League and most of your smaller conferences year in and year out.
I agree that it’s very unlikely that Jamar will make the team, but I’m just very excited he has received the attention he deserves. He was very close to getting drafted in the 2nd round in this years draft. He worked out for several teams and we had NBA scouts at most of our home games.
His offensive skills are off the chart. He is so quick and athletic and as seen in the highlight videos, his release is super quick. His only problem in the NBA is being so small. He doesn’t quite have the ball handling skills in my opinion to play point in the NBA, so he will be forced to play a very undersized 2. He will have trouble defending most 2′s in the leage. However, with a work ethic like his, he will play for pay somewhere, whether it be overseas or the NBA.
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Do you think he could he be an Eddie House-type point guard? By that, I mean a player who can handle it well enough to start an offense without turning the ball over. There’s always a spot in the league for shooters who can double as point guards, even if they aren’t playmakers.
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I have watched Jamar play for 2 years too. He is a tremendous leader and has a hell of a shot. I got to a game about two hours early and Jamar was in the gym shooting. He had his earphones in, listening to music and was standing half way between the 3pt line and the half court line. My dad and I counted how many he shot. He shot 22 from that spot and hit 18. I agree with the guy who said jamar couldve avg 30+. He would change the plays coach was calling out to get other guys a chance to score. He is such a great guy! I wish him all the best. And to the comment about USI being better than some D1 schools. That is also correct. The D1 school, Univ of Evansville wont play USI because they know they will get beat. USI lost by 2 to louisville and 5 to tennessee and lost to southern illinois in OT on a last second tip-in. Not too shabby.
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My honest answer to that question, No. I don’t think with his current skill set that he would be an effective point guard in the league. I would love to be proved wrong though! I think his ball handling would have to greatly improve. He’s definately quick enough and athletic enough, but I think he would struggle against NBA competition pressuring the ball.
He really is a special player though and I have no doubt he will play in the NBA. He has more than learned from his mistakes and I am proud to have watched him play for the 2 years that I did. He is such a nice guy and the ultimate team player, like mentioned above. He loves the game and it definately shows on the court.
For anyone who has watched the highlight video, I want you to understand that all of those highlights are from 1 game! He just makes people who try to guard him look silly! He ended up with 40 points that day in 30 minutes of play. The school record for points in 1 game at USI was 45. With 5 minutes left to go in the game, during a timeout, Coach Watson was designing plays for Jamar to break the school record. Jamar told him that it wasn’t important and that we needed to get Nick a basket because he hadn’t scored.
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