MADISON, Wis. — When Jordan Smith was lighting up opponents like a Christmas tree at Orono High School in Minnesota, his coaches provided him ample opportunity to shoot as often as he wanted. For a player of Smith's caliber, it was the perfect situation, and he took full advantage.
Once during his sophomore season in a game against Annandale High School, he said he scored a school record 51 points and nailed 11 of 16 3-point attempts. After dozens more standout performances — he made 386 of 808 3-pointers in his career — Smith left Orono as the program's leading scorer with 2,518 points, a number that ranks 12th in Minnesota boys high school history. And following his senior season, he was named Minnesota Basketball news 3A State Player of the Year.
"It was a good run in high school," Smith said.
Yet even for a player as accomplished as Smith, he's found the rise in competition to major Division I college basketball to be a challenge. Smith, a 6-foot-1 freshman walk-on guard at Wisconsin, has played a total of 11 minutes and taken just three shots. For those who think making the jump from high school superstar to college standout is easy, Smith is proof of the difficulty involved with such a transition.
"It's hard," Smith said. "It's hard to go from taking 20 shots a game to taking 20 shots a month. It is obviously different because it's at such a high level, going against the best dudes every day. You've got to get your shot off so much quicker."
Smith is used to working his way up through the ranks. He was a member of the junior varsity team and sat the bench on the high school varsity squad as a seventh grader. By eighth grade, he became the team's sixth man, playing alongside future Wisconsin star and current Milwaukee Bucks forward Jon Leuer. Smith was then named a team captain in each of his last three seasons at Orono, and he averaged more than 21 points per game his last two seasons.
"It was awesome," Smith said. "It was very beneficial for me. Like in the position I'm in right now as a walk-on trying to earn, not only minutes in games, but practice minutes. Trying to just get in there and show people what I can do. It was a long time ago, but I've been there and I've had to earn my way into places before. It's nothing new to me. It's good that I was able to get that experience before."
When Smith completed his high school career, he found a scattering of Division I opportunities. Smith said he received scholarship offers from Division I programs Santa Clara and Saint Louis. He also drew interest from several Division II and Division III programs in Minnesota, but none of those programs seemed like the right fit.
Smith knew members of the Wisconsin coaching staff because of Leuer, and Smith also played in the same AAU program as Mike Bruesewitz, a junior who now plays for the Badgers.
Those connections were enough to convince Smith to walk on at Wisconsin. This season, he has served as a member of the Badgers' scout team, often simulating specific players from upcoming opposing teams.
"The scout team has been a good experience for him as far as getting acclimated to the physicality of the game," Wisconsin assistant coach Lamont Paris said. "Learning how much quicker you have to be to get your shot off. That was one thing coming in that he wanted to try to focus on. It's been good. We've put him in positions where he's been an aggressive attacker from another team. That's been something that he's been able to do."
Added Badgers assistant coach Greg Gard: "He's probably had more closely contested jump shots in two months in practice than he had in six years playing high school basketball. It's a huge jump. But he's handled it well."
In addition to honing the quickness of his shot release, Smith said his biggest adjustment has been the strength required to play at the Big Ten level, even in practice. He weighed 165 pounds when he set foot on campus in the fall and has since gained 20 pounds. Smith said his goal is to gain five to 10 more pounds of muscle while he is in the program.
Smith's teammates have taken notice of his work ethic.
"You can just see his body in the weight room, he's pumping more weight than pretty much anyone on our team," Badgers guard Josh Gasser said. "He's a really strong kid. He simulates guys really well in practice. He's a shooter that if you leave him any space, he'll knock it down right in your face. … He's hard to cover. He gets his shot off quick and usually knocks them down. So he's a big help for us."
Smith said his long-term goal is to earn a scholarship, and hopefully regular minutes in the rotation. But for now, he is fine with soaking up as much as he can about the intensity required to play the college game.
"These dudes aren't high school players anymore," Smith said. "This is not the same as going against who I went against in practice. You have to step up every single day. It's hard. But it's a lot of fun."
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