How Kansas State guard Mark Smith surprisingly became Big 12 rebounding leader
The Big 12’s leading rebounder isn’t a towering center at Kansas or an athletic forward at Baylor.
He plays for Kansas State, and he isn’t technically a big man at all.
Mark Smith, a 6-foot-4 and 220-pound senior guard, has used a mixture of determination and skill to crash the boards better than any other player in the nation’s most competitive conference this season. The Missouri transfer is nearly averaging a double-double at 10.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game for the Wildcats.
Those are surprising numbers when you consider that he barely averaged three rebounds last season with the Tigers. He is currently more productive on the glass than the most physically gifted 7-footer in the Big 12.
“Mark is rebounding the basketball like he is a power forward,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “It really helps.”
Smith has come a long way since he averaged 1.4 rebounds as a freshman at Illinois.
“At Mizzou and Illinois I really could only defensive rebound,” Smith said. “But now I can go to the boards on the offensive end, too. So it kind of just helps me get in the flow of the game. I can grab a rebound, push the ball up the court and get a feeling for how the game is going. I just try to grab every rebound. That’s what coach challenges me with. Even if I can’t grab them, try to put my hand on it and tip it out so the other guy can get it or they only get one shot.”
Few saw this coming when Smith elected to play his final season of college basketball with the Wildcats. He never averaged more than 5.2 rebounds during his previous four years, and that was when he was a sophomore. His rebounding numbers had declined each season to 3.9 and then 3.2 until he arrived in Manhattan.
But he has embraced a do-everything role under K-State coach Bruce Weber.
His ability to drive to the basket on offense and his desire to fight for loose balls on defense has turned him into an impressive rebounder.
“Mark Smith is the emotional leader for us,” associate head coach Chris Lowery said. “Mark Smith is the tough guy. He makes all the hustle plays and gets to all the loose balls. That’s why he’s the leading rebounder in the league. You wouldn’t think that guy would be the leading rebounder, but he is just off effort, energy and enthusiasm.”
His rebounding skills have come in handy for the Wildcats lately, as they have experimented with smaller lineups that feature four guards instead of two traditional big men. They don’t have to sacrifice rebounding when he is on the floor.
Smith rose to the occasion when COVID issues first impacted K-State’s roster during a road game at Oklahoma earlier this month by scoring 25 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. He also had five assists that night, giving him one of the most impressive stat lines in program history.
He has recorded four double-doubles this season and grabbed at least six rebounds in all but one game.
Smith may not have the size of the Big 12’s traditional leading rebounder, but that hasn’t stopped him from grabbing boards like a 7-footer.
