The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/432566
BY BRANDON BROWN S enior guard Shannon Smith had a roundabout trip to ar- rive at Michigan, including two college transfers, but she is thankful to have ended up playing for the Wolverines and head coach Kim Barnes Arico. The Gastonia, N.C., native was named North Carolina Miss Bas- ketball in 2010. She had a decorated career at Forestview High School, leaving as the all-time leading scorer in school and Gaston County his- tory with 2,329 points. She was also named the Most Outstanding Player in two state championship game ap- pearances, one a win and one a loss. She then captured North Carolina East-West All-Star Game MVP hon- ors in a fitting conclusion to her high school career. "I had a great high school basket- ball team," she said. "We won the 3A state championship and I set a lot of records in North Carolina. If it wasn't for my teammates, that would never have happened for me. "It was an honor to be Miss Bas- ketball, but it was because my team- mates, my coaches and my parents always supported me. It was great to win the award, but I owe a lot of it to them." Smith looked to continue her bas- ketball career at one of the in-state powerhouses, and she chose the UNC Tar Heels over Duke. As a high- level recruit, Smith hoped to arrive in Chapel Hill and contribute early, but it didn't work out that way. A linger- ing illness caused her to miss a lot of time on the practice court, and she never got back to a sense of normalcy in her two seasons at UNC. "My freshman year I had mono," she explained. "I got sick right at the beginning of the season and I was going to try to come back, but I was too sick so I redshirted that year. … It was good to be there during those two seasons, but it was just time for a change after that." The change came in the form of a transfer year to Trinity Valley Com- munity College in Athens, Texas. A LONG JOURNEY Senior Shannon Smith Eyes A Successful Finish To Her College Career