Only a freshman, Gavin Smith’s skill, energy already on display for Cheboygan basketball

CHEBOYGAN – Gavin Smith made his way to the corner and waited for his opportunity.

A few seconds later, a nice pass from one of his teammates came his way. After receiving the ball, the young Cheboygan guard – without any hesitation – took a jump shot.

Swish.

Smith might just be a freshman on this year’s Cheboygan boys basketball team, but it’s only taken him a couple games to show what kind of talent he possesses. Playing in front of a revved-up home crowd in just his second-career varsity game, Smith made a huge impact for the Chiefs by netting a team-high 15 points in a 51-47 victory over East Jordan.

Smith didn’t look like a freshman during Friday night’s clash. If anything, he looked fearless.

“Coming off an eighth-grade season and coming into varsity, it was kind of nerve wracking, but I think I’m fitting in,” Smith said following the win. “I don’t think anything of (only being a freshman on the varsity), it’s just basketball. I go in thinking I’m going to score and just play my game. I’m just doing my best to try and help everyone out.”

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It wasn’t just Smith’s scoring that impressed the home crowd on Friday. His relentless defense and constant energy throughout the night helped ignite the Chiefs, who overcame an early double-digit deficit and improved to 2-0 with the triumph.

In the summer, Cheboygan coach Jason Friday took Smith with his varsity team down to Gaylord and got a better look at the talented youngster. While Smith suffered an ankle injury that ended his summer game action, Friday came away impressed with what he saw.

“Coach (Scott) Hancock and I did a lot of talking over the summer, we had some open gyms and I just said, ‘That’s it, he’s coming up with us.’ I’d seen enough,” Friday said of Smith. “He’s played a ton of travel ball. He’s gone downstate and played against some really good competition, so I think this is just natural for him.”

Whether it was aggressively driving to the basket, knocking down a jumper, or working together with one of his teammates to force a deflection or turnover, Smith was active against the Red Devils. Although Smith is youngest player on the squad, Friday said his upperclassmen have welcomed the Cheboygan freshman with open arms.

“He just plays the game at a different speed. He’s pretty levelheaded, and what’s great is all of the kids have embraced him,” Friday said. “There’s no jealously or anything like that, and that’s great to see. They went to Subway before our game at (Johannesburg-Lewiston) the other day, and they invited Gavin to go with him.”

As for those older Cheboygan players, they’ve been there to help Smith every step of the way early on.

“He’s very energetic, he looks up to us, and we’re here to mentor him,” Cheboygan senior Brennen Thater said. “Overall, we help him, he helps us. We try to keep his confidence up because being a freshman on varsity, that’s hard mentally. You’re thinking about all this, but as seniors, we’re mostly a senior team, so we’ve got his back. He looks up to us, and we provide him with confidence. We’re telling him, ‘Do your thing, you be here for us, and we’ll get your back.’

“He’s just a freshman, but he’s doing pretty good for a freshman.”

Smith isn’t the only talented basketball player in his family, either. His sister Madison, who played on Mackinaw City’s girls basketball team for five seasons, had a sensational career that saw her earn all-state recognition multiple times. Growing up watching his sister, it’s safe to say Gavin learned a lot from Madison, one of his inspirations.

“Great influence – she really helped me a lot coming into these games,” Gavin said of Madison, fighting back tears. “Coming into varsity, she knew I was going to do good. She’s been great.”

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With Cheboygan off to a 2-0 start, Smith and the Chiefs are confident they can deliver a big season on the hardwood. But at the same time, he knows there’s always room to improve.

“We’re going to be a great team, go out and get some more wins,” Smith said. "In the locker room, Coach (Friday) was talking about how we played a great game. We missed some free throws, but we’re going to work on it and get some more wins.”

Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Cheboygan freshman Gavin Smith making presence known early on court