THE collegiate system is one of the biggest in the world for player development, with the best prospects from all across the globe heading to the United States to try and take their game to the next level.

This is extended to Australia’s brightest young talents, including guard Sara-Rose Smith, who joined the Missouri Tigers at the start of the 2020/21 season, after excelling at NBL1 level. Her journey with the team has been a bit of a grind, playing just 13 games in her Freshman campaign, before averaging just 10 minutes again the following season.

However, Smith was given more opportunity in her junior season with the Tigers, and she was able to truly display what she can bring to the team if given the court time.

One of her biggest strengths as a player is her ability to rebound as a guard, using her six-foot-two frame to fly in third up while the frontcourt players jostled for position. Typically, guards stay out of the rebounding battle, but Smith averaged 6.7 boards per game, which was a career-high figure. She also recorded double-digits in the rebounding column on seven occasions, showcasing her ceiling in this department.

Something similar can be said for her scoring performance in the 2022/23 season, especially considering Smith averaged 6.7 in the points column as well. She is at her best attacking the paint and putting pressure on the rim, and that is where she found the most success. Smith is able to maintain control of the ball when driving to the lane, and can finish through contact.

A season-high 16 points on perfect 6/6 shooting from the field was a standout performance, as were her five double-doubles over the course of the fixture.

Heading into her senior campaign with the team, Smith will be eager to stretch her range when it comes to scoring the basketball. She shot just 18.5 per cent from behind the arc during the 2022/23 season, and it made her easier to guard at times if the opposition knew she was likely to drive inside more often than not.

If she can add a bit more range to her offensive game and improve her shooting motion from behind the arc, it will add another dimension to Smith’s game and she can go to the next level as a scorer.

Smith’s junior campaign with the Tigers was certainly a step forward, and while there are still some areas of her game to improve, she was able to put solid numbers on the board in her penultimate season with the team.