Transfer Guard Josh Smith Talks Commitment to Duquesne
In the last 48 hours, HC Dru Joyce and the Duquesne Dukes have added some talent to their guard position.
It began with the commitment of former Virginia Tech guard Izaiah Pasha which was followed by the commitment of West Georgia guard Josh Smith.
Last season for West Georgia, the 6-foot-3 guard from Chicago averaged 16.2 PPG, 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Smith played his first two seasons of college basketball at NC Central.
The addition of these two players was much needed and will help make up for the loss the Dukes’ top 2 scorers from last season guards Jimmie Williams (15.1 PPG) and Tarence Guinyard (16.6 PPG). Over the weekend, Williams announced his decision to transfer to Ohio State.
On Monday, Pittsburgh Sports Now had the chance to talk with the newest Duquesne Duke, who told us what brought him to Duquesne.
“I entered the portal and Coach Talley from Duquesne was the first coach to reach out to me,” Smith told PSN. “We got on the phone, chopped it up, talked about my year at West Georgia and he then talked to me about how he saw me being able to fit into their offense and have a big role.”
“He then wanted me to meet their head coach Dru Joyce. I then did that and honestly, we just clicked. I told Coach Dru my story. I’ve been to a couple of different schools, and I’ve had a rough journey basketball wise.”
From there Smith says that the two sides set up a zoom conversation in which they broke his game down, showed him Duquesne’ offense, along with showing him the guys that they’ve developed in the past that were successful.
“From day one, I could just feel the belief, and I just really like the energy that the staff has. I got to meet everyone, I talked to everyone and they had the chance to meet my parents as well. Right from the get-go, there was a level of comfortability I had with Duquesne, which is something you’re looking for as a player.”
Smith describes himself as a three-level scorer and someone that’s comfortable shooting from mid-range, from 3-point range, throwing up floaters in the lane or taking it to the rim and finishing.
“One thing I can tell you is that Duquesne is getting a dog, 1000%,” said Smith. “They’re getting someone with playmaking abilities, someone that can score and also have an impact on the defensive end of the floor.”
“They’re also getting someone that will put in a lot of effort every day and honestly someone that wants to win. I want to help my team win and make my teammates better. That’s what I can promise Duquesne. As long as we can play hard, play smart and play together, I have no doubt that the wins will take care of themselves.”
Smith tells PSN that he’s currently training in Las Vegas and will soon move that training to Tampa. After that, he’s looking forward to arriving in Pittsburgh and to start working with his new team.
