WKU Basketball: How Will Galen Smith III Fit In?
At 6'10" and 240 pounds, WKU will get the depth and athleticism the Tops have needed in their frontcourt. Let’s say “aloha” to Kahuku High…
At 6'10" and 240 pounds, WKU will get the depth and athleticism the Tops have needed in their frontcourt. Let’s say “aloha” to Kahuku High & Intermediate School’s Galen (aka Tolu) Smith III.
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Galen Smith, III - Center for W Kentucky on InsideHilltopperSports.comn.rivals.com
Smith is listed as a three-star recruit according to 24/7 Sports and was a McDonald’s All-American Game nominee. He is from Mississippi where he played for Bay High School in St. Louis, Mississippi until his junior year when he moved to Honolulu to play for Kahuku High in Hawaii his senior year. Here’s some of his junior year highlights:
Smith will provide some much needed depth to WKU’s frontcourt next season. WKU lost two of its best players in Justin Johnson and Dwight Coleby to graduation so filling those spots is going to be a challenge. Besides Smith, Stansbury has three other players on his roster over 6'8" (Bassey, Diagne and Matthew Horton are the others) but Stansbury could be able to have a big man under the basket at all times if he elects to do so this year. Last season, you could definitely tell when Coleby was off the court due to foul trouble so being able to have more depth under the basket can help in many ways.
Smith could see some pretty good minutes off the bench for WKU next year if he’s healthy. He did have a foot injury this offseason and was in a boot throughout most of the summer but all current indications show he’ll be ready come November.
I definitely see grad transfer Desean Murray taking the starting power forward spot for WKU this upcoming season but that doesn’t mean he won’t get to play a lot. Depending on how healthy he is and how fast he learns, he could still see the court a hefty amount of time.
Even coach Stansbury said at the most recent HAF social that he believes Smith is just as talented as Bassey is (which is a pretty bold statement) so he has potential to come in and make a big difference.
Smith can provide all the things you want from a big man with the ability to block shots and finish at the rim but he can handle the ball extremely well for someone his size. He grew almost five inches from his freshman to junior year of high school so having the ball handling skills of small forward can provide a lot of versatility in transition for WKU.
Look for him to provide the skill and depth to help fill out WKU’s loaded frontcourt next year.