Men's Basketball | January 24, 2020

Some players are born to play the game of basketball. For some, it just comes natural. There are those players who have a pure shooting stroke and others who just have a mind for the game.

Then there are guys like Steven Smith. The kind of athletes with a work ethic that is unmatched. The ones who never stop pushing themselves to be better. The self-made stars that took full advantage of their opportunities.

That was Steve Smith.

"Steve was physically gifted in terms of size, strength and athleticism," said former La Salle Head Men's Basketball Coach, Dr. John Giannini, who coached Smith for two seasons. "But everyone who followed his development could see dramatic increases every year in his skill and they knew it was directly related to his work ethic. Steve really worked at basketball. He was not a born player, he was a self-made player."

Smith was a two-time Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year over his four seasons with the La Salle men's basketball team. He was a three-time First Team All-Big 5 selection and was inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame just last year. But it wasn't the accolades that made Smith so good, it was his work ethic and his drive to be better that Giannini remembers well.

"His progress really was from self motivation and him expanding his skill level every single year," Giannini continued. "Like all of the best players I've ever been around, his workouts were not casual. He always went full speed and did his absolute best every single day to better himself."

Smith is seventh in school history with 1,940 career points and fifth in the program with 872 career rebounds. To get there, Smith worked, worked and worked some more to make sure he didn't miss his opportunities.

"My approach was to not squander the opportunity and I just wanted to be as good as I possibly could," explained Smith. "Seeing guys who came before me and seeing other guys working out around the city, it didn't take very long for me to understand, 'Oh man, I really have to put some work in if I want to accomplish my goal of just being the best I could.' It wasn't considering any personal accolades or anything like that, it was, 'Okay, I'm here to do a job. I know I have to make myself better for myself and my own personal goals, but I need to make myself better for the team.' If I'm taking that approach and if everyone else is taking that approach then we'll have great opportunities to do great things."

Thus, the opportunities came. Smith led the Explorers in rebounding all four seasons and was the team's leading scorer over his final three seasons. As a senior in 2006, he was a unanimous First Team All-District selection.

Despite all the success he had on the hardwood, Smith never envisioned himself being a college basketball player when he was growing up.

"Basketball was something I always enjoyed doing, but I was very naive back then and didn't consider all of my possibilities," stated Smith. "Philadelphia is a hotbed of basketball talent and a hotbed of people who can recognize talent in the city. Luckily I was with the right people that helped me realize that I have an opportunity that not many people will get to experience as far as being a student-athlete."

Once he had the opportunity to play at La Salle, Smith wanted to be better, do his part for the team and learn more about the game. And he continued to work on his craft.

"In addition to his work ethic and unselfishness, Steve was also very stubborn," Giannini laughed. "Steve needed to understand the 'why' to anything a coach did, which is understandable. But once he understood why something was being done, he was all in."

From his senior season, Smith recalls beating Xavier on the road midway through a seven-game win streak. The victory solidified a winning season for the Explorers, who went on to finish 18-10, their best finish in 14 seasons. La Salle went 10-6 in league play to finish third in the Atlantic 10, with Smith carrying the Explorers all the way.

"We had other good players on that team, but Steve obviously had the greatest impact by far," described Giannini. "Steve was the type of player other teams had to gameplan for. He demanded double teams and extra help, which made the game easier for everyone else. He wasn't only a standout player, he's one of those rare players that made his teammates better too by his mere presence and how other teams had to focus on him."

Looking back on his time at La Salle, Smith emphasized the comfort level that he felt on campus and credited former university president Brother Mike McGinniss, professors like Marianne Gauss and staff leaders like Anna Allen who made it a comfortable environment.

"There were so many people that embraced myself and my teammates as well as all the other athletes," described Smith. "They embrace you as people first, as students rather than athletes. They appreciate your efforts, but they always take the time. If you stop by or cross paths, they ask you how you're doing, not about your performance or what you're working on. They just want to see everybody do well, whether it's sports or academics. It's just a caring environment."

His stardom at La Salle led to a professional career that began with the hometown Philadelphia 76ers and continued internationally. And once again, he realized the opportunities that were in front of him and the work that needed to be done.

"If you approach it the way I do, basketball is basketball," said Smith. "It's relatively the same. There's different styles, but your approach and how to adjust to those styles should be easy if you keep one goal in mind, and that's just to be the best player you can possibly be and hold yourself accountable for the amount of work you're putting in.

"It's great to be able to come from a place like La Salle in Philadelphia where there's so much unbelievable basketball talent on a yearly basis and so many great players, which was a pride that also drove me. Ya know, I come from Philadelphia, we can deal with any type of situation when it comes to basketball. Putting all that into perspective and keeping that in the forefront of my mind made the experience a lot easier to deal with and that much more exciting."

With all the stats and accolades he piled up from his time on 20th and Olney, Smith is a La Salle basketball legend. But that's not how Giannini looks at him.

"I obviously admire Steve greatly as a player, but I admire him more as a person," Giannini emphasized. "He loves La Salle. He always made mature decisions. He could've declared for the NBA early but wanted to finish his education and help build the program. He really cared about his teammates. He's a tremendous alumnus. Even during his pro career, he always came back for home games. He's loyal, he's honest and most importantly it's very clear to me that he's an amazing husband and father as well as a friend to all of us."

Smith, swimmer Mark McElwee and the 1988-89 women's basketball team will be enshrined in the La Salle Hall of Athletes on Saturday, Jan. 25, during halftime of the men's basketball game against VCU.