Arizona Basketball: Dylan Smith responds in a huge way in game 2

Arizona Basketball coach Sean Miller makes a brilliant move in the film room, and Dylan Smith responds in a huge way.

In Dylan Smith’s first official game in his third season playing for Arizona Basketball he did a lot of the things coach Sean Miller asked him too. What he found was a bit of a struggle was to score. Since most fans don’t understand the skills needed to be a great basketball player, they focus on the scoring. We won’t be that media team that focuses on the negatives, we like to focus on athletes positives. So does Coach Sean Miller.

Miller is brilliant. He single-handedly not only gave more confidence to his junior 6-foot-5 guard, but he also shut up all the fans who were only looking at the points column on the stat sheet.

Against Houston Baptist in game one, Smith logged four points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. But Smith only took five shots in total, so he made one three-pointer and one free throw. Four points may not seem like much, but look at those nine rebounds! Smith delivered the defense. Coach Miller told the world and Smith in a published A Player’s Program Film Room video just how he killed it on defense and helped the team win the game.

Miller had full confidence in Smith, “You and me both know that you are a better shooter that you’ve shown so far in games — It’s about doing all the other things to help your team to win and there’s nobody doing that better than you are for our team.” PERFECT! School everyone Miller!

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Those things, Miller explains, include transition defense, where he quickly transitions and is able to take a charge as well as playing off the ball defense defending the ball so that his opponent misses a shot. Miller makes sure that he tells Smith (and everyone else ha ha), “People don’t recognize these are all the plays that you are making right now to help our team win —  I look at you at being our teams best perimeter player — You’re challenging shots — Shots are a very very small part of what we need you to do.”

Just like Miller wrote the script, Smith came out on fire against Cal Poly Sunday night in McKale Center where Richard Jefferson announced his first Arizona Basketball game. Smith scored 12 points (4-8) including 4-7 from beyond the arc. Add to that seven rebounds and two assists and a whole bunch of other things that don’t land in stat columns. Smith may be the glue guy for the Cats this season taking over for Rawle Alkins.

It’s sometimes a thankless job, but no team is great without their glue guy who hits key shots when the team needs them. A man of few words, Smith has a very high basketball IQ.

Here’s what Miller had to say about Smith’s performance in the post-game press conference:

I love these Arizona Basketball stories and this one everyone should have seen coming. Miller did and let us know. There was no way that Smith would not be able to eventually start sinking his signature clutch three-pointers. And we are happy his offensive drought of just a few games, is over and we look forward to both his defense and offense and the glue he provides moving forward.