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WHAT'S MY NAME?
WORDS. Scott Horlbeck PHOTO. Kelley Cox
Brandon Smith
Brandon Smith embodies the mentality of a true leader – a selfless floor general who wants nothing more than what's best for his team. And when talking to the 5-11, 185-pound rising junior, you can't help but notice how much he cares. He cares for his coaches, he cares for his teammates, and most importantly, he cares about winning.
"This year, I'm a lot more of a leader since the seniors graduated," says Smith. "I'm kind of stepping into that role and at the same time trying to work the hardest out of everybody. I'm having to push the guys to a whole other level, and if I'm going to push them, I've got to be above the standard."
Smith realizes that to be great, you have to be patient. From his fresh- man to sophomore year, he saw vast improvements in almost ev- ery prominent statistical category. Much of his success he credits to experience, getting acclimated with the system and good old-fashioned confidence.
"I think as I grew, my confidence grew, and my percentages and ef- ficiencies and all that kind of im- proved along with it," says Smith. "I mean, by the end of the season, I shot like 42 percent from the three- point line, 40 percent from the field and was able to hit some big shots."
Though Smith averaged only 6.4 points and 3.9 assists per game last season, it was the other end of the floor where he truly excelled. On Jan. 16 against Washington State, this was made clear.
Deadlocked at 76 heading into overtime, Cal's chances looked grim. In addition to blowing a 10-point lead in the second half, the Bears had no answer for Klay Thompson, who scorched Cal in the first 40 minutes of play (36 points) and had no reservations of stopping in OT. These plans, however, came to a screeching halt once Smith was assigned the sharpshooter from Pullman.
Not only did the future lottery pick go scoreless in the supple- mentary period, he went shot-less. Thompson's assist with two minutes left was his only offensive statistic – a notion that speaks volumes to Smith and his defense. Cal went on to win the game 88-81, outscoring the Cougars 14-7 in overtime.
Smith played 44 of the 45 minutes in that game, scoring nine points, dishing out a career-high nine assists and grabbing a career-high five boards – one of his best performances of the year.
But he's not satisfied. For the 2011-12 season, Smith has set sev-
eral goals for himself, two of which include being named First Team All-Pac-12, along with leading the Golden Bears back to the NCAA Tournament. With that said, Smith is optimistic about next year's squad and feels the pieces are in place to make another run in March.
"You know what, I think we'll finish top three in the Pac-12," says Smith. "A lot of teams lost some major play- ers. I mean, last year we were right there in the thick of it. I think we have a lot higher expectations for ourselves than the media do. We don't necessarily have the greatest talent, we don't have the greatest athleticism, but we've got a lot of heart and a lot of guts."
In regards to the NCAA Tournament, nothing is more important than a quality head coach, and Smith feels the Golden Bears have a good one in Mike Montgomery.
"I love that he's a teacher of the game," says Smith. "He knows the game, the ins and outs, the X's and
O's – he's a great leader, a great leader. He's the type of leader that you want to learn from, you want to gain from. I love everything that he brings to the table as far as coaching and philosophy."
And that feeling is mutual. After the transfer of Gary Franklin at the beginning of last season, Coach Montgomery went on record saying he often turned to Smith in times of turmoil, advising the young point guard – who only played 174 minutes his freshman year – to "run the club." Smith carries with him an effortless poise and natural tranquility, imperative characteristics when handling such immense responsibility. In other words, he's the perfect man for the job.
Lucky for Smith, his acts haven't gone unnoticed. A Bay Area na- tive, he lives not far from Berkeley, making it easy for his family to attend almost every one of his games.
"Playing at home, I love it," says Smith. "That was one of the major deciding factors for me. My family is just so important to me – family over basketball, school, all that. Just seeing them be able to make pretty much every home game, and at least one of my family members at every road game, is really special."
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