Hampton High
senior Debbie Smith will finish her career as one of the
states top offensive weapons. She will most likely be voted the Player of the
Year in the Peninsula District and she is on pace to averaged 20 ppg for the
second time in her career.
[/URL]While she is known for her outstanding range
from behind the arc, Smith is not just a 3-point shooter. She is an all
around scorer who can put points on the board from anywhere on the floor. Her
pull-up jumper from inside 10-feet out has become a go to shot she has
added to her arsenal. "It's a part of my game," Smith said. 'If my shot
isn't dropping, I need to drive to the paint more, because you don't want to
shoot yourself out the game."
It hasn't been too often in her career that
her shot wasn't dropping. Smiths' high school career started off with a
bang after she averaged 25.2 ppg as a freshman at Charles City High School.
She transfered to Hampton before her sophomore year and playing against
better competition was a gateway to landing at James Madison University. "Coming
to Hampton High gave me a lot more exposure," Smith said. "The
competition is much tougher than it was when I played at Charles
City."
This year, Smith is the
primary leader of the team, a role former Lady Crabber Tiffany Davis held
last year. It's a job Smith has embraced. "It's been a whole lot different, I
didn't know being a leader was so tough, because everybody feeds off of what you
do, so you can't get discouraged or your other teammates will. I give all my
teammates encouragement and bring them back up if they are upset for missing a
shot or anything. But, I'm better as a leader now than I was before the season
started."
After a
successful summer with the Boo Williams Elite AAU team, Smith fielded several
offers and interest from college programs. She decided on James Madison because
she felt comfortable with the environment at the school. "I liked
the JMU coaching staff," Smith said. "Everybody supports the women's'
basketball team, and I'm accustomed to their style of play. They push the
ball up the floor a lot like what we do at Hampton."
The Eastern Region has produced the last three
AAA state champions including one by Hampton the year before Smith arrived. With
her college plans no longer a concern, Smith said her focus is on more immediate
goals. "To win a state championship, improve my basketball handles and get
stronger."
Staff writer Will Garlick covers high school sports for
VirginiaPreps. You can reach him via email at
recruit_vapreps@verizon.net or via
Facebook
This post was edited on 2/7 1:48 PM by wgarlick
senior Debbie Smith will finish her career as one of the
states top offensive weapons. She will most likely be voted the Player of the
Year in the Peninsula District and she is on pace to averaged 20 ppg for the
second time in her career.
from behind the arc, Smith is not just a 3-point shooter. She is an all
around scorer who can put points on the board from anywhere on the floor. Her
pull-up jumper from inside 10-feet out has become a go to shot she has
added to her arsenal. "It's a part of my game," Smith said. 'If my shot
isn't dropping, I need to drive to the paint more, because you don't want to
shoot yourself out the game."
It hasn't been too often in her career that
her shot wasn't dropping. Smiths' high school career started off with a
bang after she averaged 25.2 ppg as a freshman at Charles City High School.
She transfered to Hampton before her sophomore year and playing against
better competition was a gateway to landing at James Madison University. "Coming
to Hampton High gave me a lot more exposure," Smith said. "The
competition is much tougher than it was when I played at Charles
City."
This year, Smith is the
primary leader of the team, a role former Lady Crabber Tiffany Davis held
last year. It's a job Smith has embraced. "It's been a whole lot different, I
didn't know being a leader was so tough, because everybody feeds off of what you
do, so you can't get discouraged or your other teammates will. I give all my
teammates encouragement and bring them back up if they are upset for missing a
shot or anything. But, I'm better as a leader now than I was before the season
started."
After a
successful summer with the Boo Williams Elite AAU team, Smith fielded several
offers and interest from college programs. She decided on James Madison because
she felt comfortable with the environment at the school. "I liked
the JMU coaching staff," Smith said. "Everybody supports the women's'
basketball team, and I'm accustomed to their style of play. They push the
ball up the floor a lot like what we do at Hampton."
The Eastern Region has produced the last three
AAA state champions including one by Hampton the year before Smith arrived. With
her college plans no longer a concern, Smith said her focus is on more immediate
goals. "To win a state championship, improve my basketball handles and get
stronger."
Staff writer Will Garlick covers high school sports for
VirginiaPreps. You can reach him via email at
recruit_vapreps@verizon.net or via
This post was edited on 2/7 1:48 PM by wgarlick
