Charles Smith IV saw his college basketball career going a little differently than it has played out.
Like most student-athletes coming out of high school, he thought his first choice would be his best and there he would grow and develop into his team’s star player. But that’s not how it’s gone for Smith, who is spending his final season of eligibility playing for Prairie View – his third stop on this journey.
Smith spent his first two years of college at SMU, then he moved on to Old Dominion for the last two years. He arrived at Prairie View this summer to spend his extra year of COVID eligibility with the Panthers.
To some, it might seem like a whirlwind, but Smith sees his travels as opportunities to grow, get better and move toward his ultimate goal, which is a professional basketball career.
“This journey has been a great learning experience for me,” said Smith, who is spending this year at Prairie View as a graduate student in pursuit of a master’s degree in kinesiology. “Every stop I’ve been on, I’ve kind of picked something up and added it to my game and got something to work on.
“So going from school to school has helped me become much more well-rounded as a player and a person.”
He has come to The Hill and become an instant impact player for the Panthers, where he leads the team and ranks 11th in the SWAC in scoring with a 14.5 points per game average. Once just a catch and shooter, or corner sitter as he calls it, Smith has become a much more versatile player in coach Byron Smith’s system.
Smith sat down recently to discuss his college journey, his time so far at Prairie View, how a team with 12 newcomers on a 15-man roster is gelling and what his goals are for the season.
Charles Smith IV
Position: Shooting guard
Height: 6-foot-5
Classification: Graduate student
Previous stops: SMU and Old Dominion
Undergraduate degree: Physical Education
Graduate pursuit: Master’s in Kinesiology
Hometown: Atlanta
High School: Wheeler High School
Defender: What has your experience been like at Prairie View?
Smith: “It’s been a great experience so far. I didn’t know what I was going to walk into before I came to school here, but it’s actually really fun. Being at an HBCU is obviously really fun. I can’t find any other words to describe it. The workouts … we work really hard, we practice hard, he coaches us hard. But he also gets everybody better, and gets us ready for the next level. So this experience has been great.”
Defender: After entering the transfer portal after graduating from Old Dominion this past spring, what made you pick Prairie View for your final season of eligibility?
Smith: “I did two years of high school (Westbury Christian) in Houston, so I was kind of familiar with the area a little bit. Coach Smith told me I could come in here and we are going to work out every day, get better and have great development. And then he was going to give me an opportunity to play and showcase what I can do. So it was a no-brainer for me, really.”
Defender: With 12 new players on the roster, how has the chemistry piece worked out with you guys obviously still learning each other on the floor?
Smith: “I think it’s worked out great and we are still a work in progress. But we play a lot of pick up basketball here and we’re always in the gym, so it was kind of easy to learn everybody else’s game and for them to learn my game because we played so much with and against each other all of the time.”
Defender: What are your goals at Prairie View this season?
Smith: “A goal of mine is SWAC Player of the Year. That’s what my coach said I have the ability to achieve and some of my teammates are pushing me to go for it. That’s my personal goal. But the main goal is to win the conference tournament and go to the NCAA Tournament because I still haven’t been to that yet.”
Defender: Prairie View was picked to finish sixth in the SWAC this season, but how good can this team be?
Smith: “I think we have a chance to be really, really good this year. We are competing in all of our non-conference games, except for Northern Iowa. We were competing at first but they kind of got away from us. They were at home, so you know how that goes sometimes. But I think we should have a chance to be really, really good and definitely have a chance to win the SWAC with how versatile we are, how deep we are, and how many options we have to score. I think we will be a tough cover, especially in the SWAC and with how hard we play.”
Defender: How has your game developed over the years?
Smith: “I was a catch and shooter. I would stand in the corner and just shoot it whenever somebody happened to pass it to me. But here at Prairie View, I want to be able to showcase that I can get my own shot. I can make plays for other people, I can guard, I can rebound. I’m more than just a corner sitter.”
Defender: Over these last five years, you’ve played for three different schools, so how do you know when it’s time to move on?
Smith: “That a tough question. You can kind of feel the environment, feel what’s going on around you. When I left SMU, a lot of people left at the same time. I thought I was going to be able to and showcase what I can do at my other school. And it was COVID so everything was messed up. So, I was hoping to go back closer to home. When I leave, it’s been about trying to find a better opportunity for me to showcase what I can do. Whenever I feel like I can’t showcase what I can do, that’s when it’s time to find somewhere else I can go, somewhere I can display what I’ve been working so hard on.”
Defender: You said you first fell in love with basketball watching your dad, Charles Smith III play. Why was that the case?
Smith: “He was the first person to teach me how to shoot, teach me how to play. But once I got a little older and people started telling me that I was good, I realized I had a chance to be a pro and make some money playing basketball. So that’s what keeps me going. It keeps me working hard every day, just knowing I have a chance to get to the next level. That’s all I need to keep going.”
Defender: Your dad played collegiately at Air Force for coach Reggie Minton, so are there any similarities in your games?
Smith: “He was a shooter. He couldn’t dribble that well, but he could shoot. But I think I’m a better player than he was. He was always in there reminding me about how to be coachable, how to work hard and get ready for the next day no matter what happens.”
