The University of Minnesota men’s basketball program announced today that the NCAA transfer waiver for Malik Smith has been approved. Smith will now be eligible immediately for the upcoming 2013-14 season.
Smith, a
6-2 guard, originally signed a tender to play for the Gophers on May 20,
2013.
“We are
certainly excited that the NCAA has approved the waiver for Malik,” said head
coach Richard Pitino. “He is a
great addition to the roster given his skills and invaluable knowledge of how we
run our program.”
Smith
came to the University of Minnesota after playing his junior season for Coach
Pitino at FIU. He started 31 of 32 games for the Golden Panthers and was named
Third Team All-Sun Belt Conference after averaging 14.1 points and 2.7 rebounds
per game. His 451 points scored last season are the eighth-most in the history
of Florida International basketball.
Smith
set an FIU record for three-point field goals made in a single season with 96
treys and ranked number one in the conference and 16th nationally with an
average of 3.0 three-pointers made per game. He set the Sun Belt Conference
Tournament record with 15 total three-pointers made, including an 8-for-10 game
in the opening round against Arkansas-Little Rock.
Prior to
his junior season at FIU, Smith played his sophomore season at Jacksonville
College and his freshman season at South Plains College. He averaged 15.0
points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game at Jacksonville, earning
all-region and all-conference honors. Smith played 27 games as a freshman and
averaged 5.0 points per game.
A native
of Boston, Mass., Smith led the State of Massachusetts in scoring as a senior
while at Madison Park High School in Boston with an average of 26.6 points per
game. He went on to play one season at Notre Dame Prep, where he averaged 16.0
points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
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