When the Mississippi State Bulldogs began basketball practice last Saturday morning, one player who really wanted to excel is third year sophomore Lincoln Smith. The forward who played as a true freshman sat out last season in order to red-shirt. He is now stronger, quicker and a much more fundamentally skilled basketball player.

“Lincoln Smith is a perfect example of a red-shirt,” said MSU basketball coach Rick Stansbury. “He really did not want to red-shirt, but if you ask him now, he’ll tell you that red-shirting was the best decision he made. He got the benefit of gaining another year to get his body in condition and get stronger. He also became a better skilled basketball player without losing a year of eligibility. He is a much more mature player now.”

Ideally, players coming directly from high school red-shirt before playing the freshman year. That was not the case with Smith. He played in 23 games as a true freshman, because of an injury to veteran Quentin Smith, who is not related to Lincoln. The young freshman averaged just over five minutes on the floor and connected on 7-of-15 field goals (47%) and 9-of-13 free throws (69%) during the course of 1999-2000 season. That gave him 23 points, 20 rebounds, six blocked shots and two assists on the year. He even got the opportunity to start a game, when illness further depleted an already thin Bulldog front court.

“Even as a freshman a couple of years ago, Lincoln stepped up and helped us,” said Stansbury. “We would not have won at Mississippi without him. He came off the bench when Robert Jackson was in foul trouble. He was all that I had. He had to go against Rahim Lockhart and helped us beat Mississippi as a freshman.”

“Looking back, red-shirting last year was a great year,” Smith said. “I got to work on different parts of my game like offensive and defensive that I knew I had to work on without having the pressure of preparing to play a game. I worked hard on things like rebounding. As I said, red-shirting was probably the smartest decision that I’ve made.”

Smith makes an ideal center. Standing 6’9”, when he extends his arms outward, he has a 7’ 4” wingspan. “The toughest thing I had to do was lose some weight,” Smith said. “I ran a lot and lifted weights every day during the off-season. Probably the biggest thing that I did to get control my weight was I changed my diet. I did that so I could get in shape to play this year. I’m at 268 right now and Coach Stansbury wants me down to 260 when we play our first game.”

“I hope to have an important role on the team this year,” Smith continued. “Rob (Jackson) and Quentin (Smith) are both gone. There is a spot open for me. If I go out and practice the best that I can, then I will earn that position on the floor.” That is exactly what Smith is now trying to do, earn playing time or possibly a starting role as the power forward.

“One of Lincoln’s leadership qualities is mental toughness,” Stansbury said. “He will definitely help us this year.”

The sophomore feels that this Bulldog basketball team could be very special. “It seems that this year everyone is talking to each other,” Smith said. “We are really a team this year. It was not that way in the previous years. I don’t know exactly why that is, but I’m glad it is. It seems that everyone on the team wants to help everyone else improve. Most of us have the same personal goal – to win the SEC West this year.”

Smith came to Mississippi State after graduating from Simmons High School in Hollandale, Mississippi where he earned honorable mention all-state honors by The Clarion-Ledger as a senior after averaging 21 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.5 blocks an outing. He helped lead his high school team to a 27-10 overall record and an appearance in the semifinals of the 1999 Class 3A state tournament, where he was named to the all-tournament team. Smith also lettered in football and track. “I played high school football and basketball. I had a couple of offers, but I just felt really comfortable here,” Smith said.

Smith also wanted to pass along this message to MSU basketball fans. “This year we’re going to be really good. I hope the fans will come out and support us. We love and appreciate the fans.”