KSmith named Big West PoW

Kendall Smith is back on the court and making waves (wish he played for Pepperdine):

"CSUN junior Kendall Smith's (Antioch, CA/UNLV) Matador debut led to a pair of victories and his selection as the Big West Men's Basketball Player of the Week.

"It's a great honor and a priviledge to be be named Player of the Week, being that I did take 13 months off of basketball," said Smith. "It's just a blessing, I thank God for this."

He continued, "It's a great experience to be in a program where coach really emphasizes our development and teaching us how to play the game of basketball."

The UNLV transfer suited up for the first time in a Matador uniform after sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, and responded by averaging 17.5 points in victories over Portland State and Bethesda University.

In Smith's debut, the 6-3 guard scored 13 points with three rebounds, two assists and a steal to help CSUN outduel the Vikings in a 77-71 triumph on Thursday. It represented CSUN's first non-conference road win in two years.

Smith had an all-around impressive game in Sunday's 79-49 rout of Bethesda, posting 22 points, two rebounds, four assists and three steals.  He shot 7-of-16 from the field and knocked down a pair of three-pointers.

Both Smith's 22 points and three steals were Division I career-highs.

CSUN Head Coach Reggie Theus appreciates what Smith brings to the Matadors.

"He has experience, quickness [and] an understanding of how to play and what needs to happen," said Theus. "He has the ability to play more than one position, shoots the ball from the perimeter and takes it to the basket. I think his explosiveness really helps stretch the floor. You can see the tempo of the game pick up as soon as he gets in the game. All those things are really tangible for us and he hasn't even hit his stride yet."