Former Arizona Basketball star Ray Smith graduates from Arizona

It was a long journey for former Arizona Basketball player Ray Smith, but his hard work and dedication paid off, as he graduated from Arizona.

Life is funny sometimes. Everything you envision for yourself, rarely turns out exactly how you plan, and those words couldn’t be any more true for former Arizona Basketball player, Ray Smith.

Does the name sound familiar? It should! As you may recall, Smith was a highly-regarded basketball player from the state of Nevada, ranked as the No. 18 overall recruit and the No. 3 overall small forward in the class of 2015 according to 247Sports.

Arizona Wildcats

A standout at Las Vegas High School, the sky was the limit for the soon-to-be Wildcat, as many were projecting him to make the NBA. However, that’s when things would derail for the basketball star.

The then senior would miss the entire year, tearing his ACL before even coming to Tucson.

However, not long after coming to campus, Smith would suffer a season-ending knee injury, just ahead of the 2015 season, missing the entire year, and having to put his basketball dreams on hold for another year.

After redshirting, the NBA talent had to wait a year to return to the court, but things were looking promising for a strong return for Smith in 2016. That is until Smith would once again injure himself, again tearing his ACL just before the season officially started, never making an official appearance for the Cats during the regular season.

Devastated, a once promising career was shut down, before it ever really got started. But after three knee injuries in roughly 27 months, Smith would announce his retirement, officially putting an end to his basketball career.

Luckily, even though his playing days were done, Smith would still very much remain around the program, helping coach Sean Miller to coach at his Summer Basketball camp. He even traveled to Spain with the team in 2017, when they Wildcats competed overseas prior to the start of the season.

Even with Arizona Basketball no longer in his future, Smith still stayed a part of Tucson, pursuing his education in Social, Behavioral, and Human Understanding. Well, now after four years, Smith was able to cement his place in becoming a Wildcat For Life by graduating from the University of Arizona.

Smith was joined by fellow Wildcats Justin Coleman, Ryan Luther, Dylan Smith, Chase Jeter and former Wildcat legend, Jerryd Bayless.

https://twitter.com/APlayersProgram/status/1126579006378205184

Life is so much bigger than basketball, and it’s amazing to see a young man like Smith be able to obtain his degree and find success off the court!

At Zona Zealots, we’re so proud of Ray and the obstacles he’s had to overcome up to this point! We will always be cheering you on! Bear Down, Arizona!