BOASTING a playing style that fits the modern game perfectly, Reyne Smith enjoyed a solid sophomore campaign in the NCAAM during the 2022/23 season.
It was his second time out with the Charleston Cougars, coming into the year looking to back up his breakout season, where he emerged as a serious threat from behind the arc with some impressive numbers from long range.
That trend continued into the season that has just wrapped, where Smith punished the opposition with his smooth shooting motion that brought many defences undone. He utilised his strengths to hit the scoreboard and help keep Charleston’s offence moving.
Although his minutes and numbers went down slightly based off his first season with the team, it was due to the fact that Smith took on a more selfless role and allowed some of the team’s new recruits to flourish just as he did 12 months ago.
The team’s court time was more balanced, but he still saw 24.5 minutes per game and made them count more often than not.
Smith is still one of the team’s most dangerous shooters, and looked as confident as ever in his shot. One downfall that came from his breakout season was the added defensive attention in his sophomore campaign, given opposition teams were much more aware of his potential to score around the perimeter.
The Ulverstone native was still able to put together some strong performances over the course of the season, and whenever he did get off the chain a bit, it played a big part in the success of the team.
Over his first three games of the season, Smith produced strong performances, including outings of 29 and 24 points, thanks to some blistering three-point shooting. The guard recorded 20 points on five occasions, and the Cougars recorded a win in all of those outings.
Smith finished the season with numbers of 10.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, with shooting numbers of 34.9 per cent from the field, 34.1 per cent from three-point land and 90.1 per cent from the free throw line, with the latter being a consistent strength of his.
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