STORY WRITTEN BY GABRIELA CARROL, Philadelphia Inquirer - MAR. 21, 2024

Blake 史密斯 lined up to make the second start of his Northwestern career, and his first start at home, against Iowa on 3月ch 2. Two weeks before, the Germantown Academy graduate wasn’t in the lineup at all. But as injuries wreaked havoc on Northwestern’s roster, opportunity knocked for 史密斯, and he took it.

“We had 60 former Northwestern players come back that day, and probably a handful of them, five or six of them, were walk-ons. 他们说, ‘We’re living our best life right now through Blake 史密斯,’ ” Northwestern assistant coach Brian James — a former Sixers assistant — told The Inquirer.

“Finally, a walk-on that was playing when the game was on the line and doing well. …That’s every walk-on’s dream,” James said.

史密斯, a sophomore guard, scored a career-high 11 points and played a career-high 29 minutes in the game and has become a staple in the rotation for Northwestern (21-11, 12-8 in the Big Ten), which opens play in the NCAA Tournament on Friday as the No. 9 seed in the East Region against eighth-seeded Florida Atlantic (25-8, 14-4 American Athletic) at 12:15 p.m. 在CBS3.

At the start of his senior year at Germantown Academy, 史密斯 didn’t have a single Division I offer. He considered committing to a Division III school but instead applied early decision to Northwestern to pursue a degree in sports broadcasting.

“If basketball worked out, it would work out,” 史密斯 told The Inquirer.

As a senior at GA, 史密斯 earned All-Inter-Academic League honors and caught the attention of Malvern Prep head coach Paul Romanczuk, whose brother-in-law happened to be Northwestern head coach Chris Collins (who is the son of former Sixers player and head coach Doug Collins).

Romanczuk heard from Diana Caramanico, a friend and one of the assistants on Germantown Academy’s staff, that 史密斯 had already been accepted at Northwestern, which is often the biggest hurdle in recruiting.

“We played them once and I was impressed and thought, this kid should be able to play college basketball somewhere,” Romanczuk said. “He’s 6-foot-5, maybe 6-6, he’s skilled. He’s got a lot of athletic talent. ...

“We played them a second time. After the game, I actually said something to Blake. I said, ‘Blake, I understand you’re going to Northwestern. Congratulations, what a great school. If you would be interested, I could put you in touch with one of the assistant coaches or with my brother-in-law, and maybe something can work out,’ ” Romanczuk said.

At the time, Northwestern didn’t have a walk-on spot available. Romanczuk thought that 史密斯 might get an opportunity as a manager if nothing else, and connected him with assistant coach James. 史密斯’s father walked on to the basketball team at North Carolina, so he had familiarity with the process.

史密斯 kept in touch with James and Romanczuk, and after a different walk-on candidate chose another school, 史密斯 got his opportunity and made the team.

Initially, 史密斯 expected to get playing time only at either end of blowouts. He played in three games his freshman season and intended to redshirt in 2023-24 to keep his fifth year of eligibility available. 而不是, because starting guard Ty Berry suffered a season-ending injury in February, 史密斯 got a shot at the regular lineup.

“Coach approached me and said he could use me in the rotation defensively and just to help bring energy and effort out on the court, so I just took the opportunity,史密斯说. “Ultimately, at the end of the day, I just wanted to get out there and play. That’s why I was going to redshirt, to have that fifth year to play, but the opportunity approached me faster. ... I thought it’d be a great opportunity to accelerate getting onto the court and show what I can do.”

史密斯 was thrown directly into the fire. In his first career start, against 3月yland on Feb. 28, he was tasked with defending first-team All-Big Ten point guard Jahmir Young, who had dropped 36 on the Wildcats during their game in January.

Jumping from the scout team to the rotation was a challenge.

“Oftentimes I was running other teams’ plays, or I was helping the guys prep for the other team instead,史密斯说. “现在 it’s reversed and I’m on the team. I have to be focused on our principles and our plays. It was just reintegrating myself into that mode of, ‘OK, this is what weneed to do to win,’ instead of showing what the other team needed to do to help our guys win.”

史密斯 has averaged 18.4 minutes in Northwestern’s final seven games after playing just three minutes total in the Wildcats’ first 25.

“I definitely felt like I was a walk-on at times and was like, I need to prove to myself that I can compete at this high level, especially since I didn’t have any Division I offers,史密斯说.

His high school coach, Matthew Dolan, said 史密斯’s unselfish play helped him stand out at Germantown Academy. Those traits have helped him secure his spot in the Northwestern lineup.

“He’s done a great job in the weight room,” Dolan said. “He’s gotten stronger. He plays more physically, plays more confidently. Watching them at Indiana, his activity level on defense is awesome.

“He dove on the floor multiple times to make 50-50 wins [on loose balls]. He’s got great size and length. He’s instinctive and he is locked in on the defensive end. He’s in gaps and he’s in the correct position. He’s tough to score on and makes an impact.”

“This kid has been a joy to coach,” James said. “I can’t speak for what’s going to happen in the future, but I would be surprised if he’s a walk-on after this year.”