From Reitz to Miami, intangibles fueled Evansville native Dru Smith's journey to the NBA

EVANSVILLE — Marty Simmons realized early on that he had an uncommon prospect on his hands. The former University of Evansville men’s basketball coach, now at Eastern Illinois, saw it in Dru Smith every day.

“He just had a mentality that he was going to come and work,” Simmons said. “I think we all knew that he could be special.”

Smith’s energy, competitiveness, tenacity and toughness were among the many reasons the Purple Aces recruited him down the road at Reitz High School. His former UE teammate Ryan Taylor told Simmons as much: “Coach, I’ve never played with a guy that plays as hard on the defensive end as he does the offensive end,” he said. Those features made him a standout and, eventually, an NBA player — the first from the River City in two decades.

Even if those qualities occasionally required a dentist.

Simmons recalled a time from Smith’s freshman year that makes a coach smile and an oral hygenist turn away.

There was a loose ball in practice. Smith, the competitor he is, flew face-first toward it. His head hit the floor, chipping his tooth and sending him to the trainer. Smith reemerged before long, ready to work and, presumably, willing to rid himself of more denticles.

“That’s just intangibles. Most guys would have laid on the floor and been out for two weeks,” said then-UE assistant coach Geoff Alexander, who is now on Brad Underwood’s staff at Illinois. “Those are the intangibles that 99% of guys that play don’t have. … They’re just winning plays and he always understands the right play, he always understands the right reads and he was just a joy to coach.

“When he was around, he just lived and breathed positivity. When you got that, those 30 franchises, they want that.”

This is a story about how Smith, who on Sunday signed a two-way deal to rejoin the Miami Heat, has continuously impressed those around him throughout every stop of his basketball journey. These moments — even a selfless, dentist-aching sequence — showed his potential as he's remained true to himself from the West Side to the NBA.

“I hate to stereotype him as ‘old school,’ but he just loves to play, loves to compete,” Simmons said. “He wanted to be coached hard. He bought in and allowed us to coach him and I think his teammates would tell you that he was a great teammate.”

‘Too good to be true’: Smith’s time at Reitz

Michael Adams has known Smith for most of his life. The former Reitz boys basketball coach, who has been retired for two years, can still see Smith registering for kids camp when he closes his eyes: His bouncing curly hair, infectious little smile and ability to get along with every attendee while standing out from the crowd.

“We knew he was going to be special. Of course, you can’t wait for him to play for you,” Adams said. “In high school, we were really competitive. I think we had a really strong program, and his team always seemed to find a way to win.”

Adams recalls seeing Smith grow over the years. From camp to the Panthers junior program to finally getting to high school, something was different. He just had it.

“It’s just almost too good to be true to get to coach a kid like that,” Adams said. Smith was a role model in the team, the school and the community. Teachers raved about him. Smith made other players feel good about themselves, no matter their role, with the same smile Adams saw at kids' camp. “He was just that guy you want running your locker room.”

Smith didn't have the jump-off-the-page numbers many come to expect of future NBA players. Despite that, Adams said his impact was “unbelievable” during the Panthers’ state runner-up finish in his junior season. Adams then delivered a proclamation that Smith would average over 20 points per game his senior year.

“I had people like, ‘There’s no way,’” Adams said. “Well, he did.”

Smith averaged 20.8 points, the best of his career. His recruitment, however, was mainly circulated among mid-major programs. The high-majors, more or less, weren’t interested yet — they came later. UE assistant coach Lennox Forrester led the Aces’ recruiting effort.

“He fell in love with Dru the first time he saw him,” Simmons said.

Whenever Adams found himself getting worked up, he looked to his star man, his future NBA talent, to allay him. Smith took the reins and convinced his coach and teammates to file behind with the same pre-chip pearly grin and skill he’d shown since camp.

“Dru would always calm me down with his smile. It was like, ‘Come on Coach, we got this,’” Adams said. “We always say we want to enjoy what we’re doing, we want to enjoy the journey and make sure we enjoy each moment and appreciate each other. He truly understood that.

“He was able to compete with that joy and that smile.”

Cuonzo Martin: ‘You can see certain things’ in Smith

Smith entered the transfer portal after the 2017-18 season following Simmons’ dismissal. High-major teams were circling this time. Smith decided Missouri would be his new home following a few visits and heavier recruitment.

Former UE player and assistant coach Chris Hollender was crucial in bringing Smith to the Tigers.

Cuonzo Martin, like Simmons, saw Smith’s promise in practice. Unlike Simmons, Martin didn’t have another option. The NCAA deemed Smith ineligible due to transfer rules in his first season at Missouri.

Martin and Simmons both credited Smith for his work ethic: “He was all business,” the former said. It would have been simple for someone to take the sitting year easy. Not Smith. Martin doesn’t take credit for that — it was all Dru.

“I’ve been blessed to coach some guys that some would say, ‘Well, this guy can’t be an NBA player,’ but you can see certain things in them,” Martin said. Smith sharpened his instincts. He could read plays while playing and guarding multiple positions. He had the ability to defend taller players and keep pace with shorter ones. Smith put in the same tooth-chipping work he had since kids camp. “He did that at the level we needed him to do that at, but because he’s such a selfless guy, it’s all about team.”

Smith’s arrival in Columbia came alive the next season. He scored 22 points at Xavier and 19 against Butler. Then came Illinois and a matchup against Alexander — “I wanted to beat his ass; he wanted to beat my ass,” the coach said — in which Smith scored a team-high 19 points as Missouri upset the 21st-ranked Fighting Illini 63-56.

His contributions came all over the court, particularly in his final collegiate season. Smith, much a player of Martin and Simmons ilk, was named to the All-Southeastern Conference First Team and Defensive Team. He led Missouri in points and assists while leading the league in steals.

NBA scouts circled his name and before long, the tooth-chipping, big-smiling, SEC-leading kid from Reitz would don a professional jersey.

Smith and Martin figured he wouldn’t get drafted. The former Mizzou coach isn’t a scout but has been in plenty of conversations. It’s exciting to hear your name called, but it can often be better to be taken off stage.

“If you can do it year after year after year, then all the sudden you look up and there and it’s 10 years later and you’ve been part of a team, that’s the goal,” Martin said. “I continue to say about Dru Smith: He’s mature enough to see the big picture.”

As the cliche goes: It’s hard to get to the league and it’s harder to stay. Smith, to this point, has done that. He signed a free agent deal with the Heat after the draft and has bounced between them, the G League and the Brooklyn Nets since, playing in 15 NBA games this season.

“I think for me, as a coach, to see a young man reach his dreams is a beautiful thing,” Martin said. “You’re a competitor first and I think that’s why those guys get there because they put the work in, they put the time in and, in some cases, they were blessed with a gift.”

Smith’s impact on Evansville and his former associates

Kobe Brown worked out with the Nets prior to this summer's NBA Draft. Projected as a late first- or early second-round pick, the former Missouri forward and Smith teammate likely reveled in the facility, imagining himself running out at Barclays Center.

Brown, like Smith, is something of an anomaly at Mizzou Arena. Both their first names have taken a mononymous meaning, the Tiger faithful belting out ‘KO-BE, KO-BE’ much in the same way they did ‘DRUUUU.’ Brown looked through the locker room, one name above the doors taking on a deeper meaning: ‘DRU SMITH’.

A text and hopeful meetup didn’t come to fruition; Brown was leaving the same day Smith was arriving. The two spoke throughout the season: the soon-to-be NBA newcomer taking the words of the two-year veteran to heart.

“All those guys in the league that came from Mizzou, that went through the process, I talked to them all the time,” Brown said after being drafted 30th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. “Definitely got some tips and pointers from them. It’s been good having people that’s been there already.”

The exact words remained secret, Brown keeping them close. But that’s Smith. Someone to talk to; someone to learn from. He’s been the same since he was a bouncy-haired kid at camp; the same since he was a tooth-chipping freshman at UE. A coach’s dream, an opponent’s thorn and a fan’s favorite.

“We brag on Dru all the time,” Simmons said. “Players identify with the players that are successful, the players that are in the NBA. … When someone like him has the success he’s had, it gives them hope.”

Smith has that effect on players in Evansville and the surrounding area. They have an NBA player to look up to for the first time in two decades. That’s no small feat. He comes home, speaks to players and is as personable as he’s always been: Laid back, joking around and approachable.

“He’s just like one of the guys,” said former Castle High School and University of Southern Indiana guard Isaiah Swope, who transferred to Indiana State this offseason.

Smith has traveled to Charleston, Illinois, to train in Simmons’ facilities and returned home to work on the same practice court that saw a piece of one of his whites fly away. He talks to Simmons and Martin on a regular basis. Smith was going to get Adams on the court when the Heat traveled to face the Indiana Pacers but was sent to Miami’s G League affiliate before he had the chance.

He’s been the same since his youth in Evansville: Someone to follow.

“We don’t see too many people make it through,” Swope said. “If you take advantage of that opportunity, you’ll be able to really do something special, and Dru’s done that. … With him breaking it through and making it to the league, that’s truly beautiful to see.”

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Miami Heat: Evansville native Dru Smith's journey to the NBA