ACC's Top 25: No. 5—Tracy Smith, NC State

In every sport, there is always one of those guys that if you slipped him onto another roster, he’d be all the rage. In the ACC, this player is Tracy Smith.

After two years of growing pains, Smith bullied his way to the top of the ACC last year. He was seventh in scoring (16.5 ppg), ninth in rebounds (7.3 rpg), first in shooting percentage (.524), and ninth in minutes (32.1).

Slip him into Carolina blue and he might have gotten one or two All-American votes. Instead, he was a great player on a bad team, known more for its coach’s swanky red jackets than its basketball.

Of course, thanks to a Sidney Lowe career-saving recruitment class, this might not be a problem for Smith anymore. In 2010-2011, Smith will be the top player for a Wolfpack team that could potentially compete for an ACC crown.

At 6'8", Tracy Smith isn’t the tallest big man on the court, but at 250, he’s certainly one of the most brutish. Don’t get me wrong though...he’s not just a bulldozer in the paint (Jordan Williams gets that honor).

With long arms and surprisingly quick feet, Smith has developed into one of the more savvy forwards in the league. He can score facing the basket or away, with a nice arsenal of moves that helps him work over, around, or under defenders.

Duke fans, of course, know all about what Smith can do. Against the Blue Devils last year, Smith was the Devils’ daddy, scoring 23 on 10-of-12 shooting. My point being, when Smith was on, he was on. Yet heading into his senior season (he declared for the NBA draft but smartly came back), there is work to be done.

Defense, rebounding, and consistency were minor issues last year in need of work. His improvement in these three areas will determine his fate in 2010-2011.

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