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SG Lenzelle Smith (Hapoel Eilat - Israel)

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neilmj said:
If smith would slow down a little bit I think his game would improve. The one play where he took the ball up against the press Saturday and just b-lined across mid-court, stopped, shuffled his feet and traveled, was a microcosm of it. His energy proves great on the defensive end but I think it works against him offensively.
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That is part of acclimating to the speed of the college game. I use this comparison loosely but he reminds me a lot of Turner before it clicked. Just trying too hard to make things happen instead of taking what he can get.

Again that is not to say that I think he will be the next Turner because they are very different players but his struggles are very similar IMO.
 
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He did drag his pivot foot on one play where he was called for a travel, but they didn't have the ball past halfcourt on that one. On the play later (the one I think you are talking about) where he was called for a travel after getting just inside the 3-point arc, I don't think he actually traveled, he was just called for a travel. So the problem sometimes is the officiating error.
 
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DZ83CK;2067562; said:
He did drag his pivot foot on one play where he was called for a travel, but they didn't have the ball past halfcourt on that one. On the play later (the one I think you are talking about) where he was called for a travel after getting just inside the 3-point arc, I don't think he actually traveled, he was just called for a travel. So the problem sometimes is the officiating error.
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It's funny you bring that play up DZ.


I was re-watching the game last night and thought the same thing. I rewound it and played it in slow-mo. He pivoted twice after coming to a complete stop from full speed. Just before he got rid of the ball, his pivot foot slid a few inches causing the travel.


It wasn't a bad call, but that type of pivot-drag happens at-least 10X a game and rarely gets called. With Lenzelle, he's going 100 MPH with his arms floppin around so it looks a lot more dramatic.


He does need to slow down a bit on offense. And he should also try to be a bit more selfish on offense. He passes up a lot of open shots to make the extra pass, sometimes to a fault.


Overall, I've been pleasantly surprised at Lenzelle's defense and rebounding, his hard play and hustle, and his all-around basketball IQ.
 
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Post game comments

I know that Thompson had some nice dunks but I might question the substitution because Smith was stretching the defense.

By Bob Baptist

- Matta said he replaced Lenzelle Smith Jr. with Sam Thompson for the last 3:19 to get more "length on defense."

The substitution came shortly after Smith made his second three-point field goal in a little over five minutes.

Ohio State made only three of 11 three-point attempts in the game
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http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/blogs/hoops-and-scoops/2011/12/12-31-postgame-indiana.html
 
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LitlBuck;2075758; said:
I know that Thompson had some nice dunks but I might question the substitution because Smith was stretching the defense.
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I love watching Thompson, but I agree with you here. Smith was having the most complete game of his career in my opinion.
He finished with a Lighty-esque stat line: 12 pts, 6 boards, 3 ast, 1 steal.

Smith usually doesn't put up too many shots and at times is a little too hesitant for my liking, but he is shooting 50% from three so far this season.
 
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Oft-overlooked Smith makes presence known for Buckeyes against Indiana
By Jeff Goodman | CBSSports.com College Basketball Insider

img16888965.jpg

Lenzelle Smith's sophomore year has been uneventful until dropping 28 points on Indiana. (AP)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Aaron Craft can relate to Lenzelle Smith's situation. Playing alongside Jared Sullinger, William Buford, David Lighty and Jon Diebler, Craft found himself wide open as his defender would often leave him to double-team virtually anyone else on the team.

Craft made enough shots -- and enough plays -- to keep defenses honest, and that's part of what made Ohio State such a juggernaut offensively.

Smith, a somewhat anonymous sophomore guard who has started all 18 games this season, has been terrific on the defensive end thus far this season. And while he leads the team percentage-wise from beyond the arc, he hasn't earned any respect from opponents. Nearly every opponent has opted to dare him to drill wide-open shots and put forth the bulk of their defensive efforts on the four remaining Buckeyes on the floor.

That may change after his 28-point performance in the Buckeyes 80-63 victory over Indiana on Sunday afternoon.

It needs to change.

It's difficult to play 4-on-5 -- and at times, that's the hand Ohio State has been dealt with Smith being a non-factor on the offensive end. There's Sullinger, Buford and a streaky Deshaun Thomas. Craft is a floor leader who picks his spots for his scoring opportunities, but he's struggled to make shots from beyond the arc this season.

That's why the Buckeyes sorely could use Smith to step up.

Sullinger was solid with 16 points and nine boards. Buford finished with a modest dozen points and hardly looked the part of someone who may threaten the school's all-time scoring mark. Thomas chipped in with 11 points and Craft did what he does -- putting up eight points with seven assists and no turnovers.

Smith was the difference-maker. He outscored Indiana, 18-14, at halftime and his 18 points were already a career-high.

"Most teams are leaving me open," Smith said. "I need to knock those shots down."

Smith said one of the differences on Sunday was that his teammates recognized he was open and fed him the ball. He was 10 of 12 from the field and made 4 of 5 from beyond the arc as the Buckeyes crushed Indiana in a game that wasn't even as close as the final 17-point margin would indicate.

"It's the first time he took them with confidence," Ohio State assistant coach Dave Dickerson said. "He needs something like this today in order to gain their trust."

"It's all about Lenzelle being focused," Craft said. "When he's focused, he can be really good."

cont...
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http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...s-presence-known-for-buckeyes-against-indiana
What we learned: Lenzelle Smith must be guarded closely
PUBLISHED Sunday, Jan 15, 2012
Mike DeCourcy Sporting News

What we learned from Ohio State’s 80-63 dismissal of Indiana in Sunday afternoon’s Big Ten Conference game:

You have to guard Lenzelle. It’s hard to imagine a player more ideally suited to play shooting guard for the Buckeyes than sophomore Lenzelle Smith.

This is true because the Buckeyes field players at small forward (William Buford), power forward (Deshaun Thomas) and center (All-American Jared Sullinger) who all could be first options in most programs and who all are deserving of a high number of shots.

It’s important for OSU to have someone at the second guard spot who is comfortable serving as a complementary player. Smith has attempted a half-dozen or more shots only five times in 19 games and entered the IU game averaging 5.2 points. But teams inviting Smith to become part of the attack – by concentrating their defenses on the three stars – have learned he is capable of making them pay. A lefty with an economical shooting motion, Smith is hitting (13-27) from 3-point range and (32-67) from the floor.

Indiana got a bigger dose of Lenzelle than any team to date. He hit two 3-pointers in the first 4 minutes and wound up with a career-high 18 points – by halftime. He actually outscored the entire Hoosiers squad in the first 20 minutes and finished the game with 28 points and seven rebounds.
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Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-ba...e-smith-must-be-guarded-closely#ixzz1jao6zSfb
 
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Interesting to note in the article below that they designed specifics sets for Smith went his man left him to go double-team.

By Bob Baptist​
It was a lonely few days for Lenzelle Smith Jr. after the Ohio State men?s basketball team returned from its loss at Illinois on Tuesday.
The sophomore guard was diagnosed with strep throat and quarantined from his teammates.

?This is my family, so not being able to be with these guys has been the hardest thing,? he said. ?I will say I got some great sleep and some chicken noodle soup.?

Though not still contagious today, Indiana treated him as such, and Smith got something even better than sleep and soup out of it.

The odd man out in the Hoosiers? defensive strategy to double-team Jared Sullinger in the post, Smith scored a career-high 28 points as fifth-ranked Ohio State avenged its New Year?s Eve loss to them with an 80-63 victory in Value City Arena.

Sullinger added 16 points and nine rebounds, and William Buford scored 12 points and Deshaun Thomas 11 points for the Buckeyes (16-3 overall, 4-2 Big Ten). Aaron Craft had eight points and seven assists without a turnover.

Cody Zeller had 16 points and Christian Watford 13 for Indiana (15-3, 3-3), which lost its second straight game.

Smith entered the game averaging 5.2 points per game and with a career high of 12. He averaged fewer than four shots per game. He made 10 of 12 shots from the field, including four of five three-point attempts, against Indiana.

?Throughout the game, I just saw my man leave me every single time,? Smith said.
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more
http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/...2012/01/01-15-12-buckeyes-defeat-indiana.html
 
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So I have seen a lot of chatter on the internet making fun of Lenzelle's college major, Exploration. I honestly had no idea such a major existed. Can someone with actual knowledge enlighten me as to what this degree is actually about cause everyone thinks Lewis & Clark and well that just sounds fishy to me lol.

Edit: now that I look most of our guys have that that listed as their major? Does it mean they are undecided perhaps?
 
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