Malachi Knight-Smith (born December 6, 1999) is an American college basketball player for the Gonzaga Bulldogs of the West Coast Conference.
No. 13 – Gonzaga Bulldogs | |
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Position | Shooting guard |
League | West Coast Conference |
Personal information | |
Born | (1999-12-06) December 6, 1999 (age 22) Evansville, Indiana |
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
Career information | |
High school |
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College |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Smith started playing high school basketball at Belleville High School-East in Belleville, Illinois before transferring to Belleville High School-West for his senior season.[1] At Belleville West, he averaged 15.5 points alongside E. J. Liddell and helped his team win its first Class 4A state title.[2] Smith committed to playing college basketball for Wright State in November 2017, choosing the Raiders over Lindenwood, Montana State and Denver.[3]
As a freshman at Wright State, Smith averaged 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, earning Horizon League All-Freshman Team honors. For his sophomore season, he transferred to Chattanooga and sat out for one year due to transfer rules.[4] Smith averaged 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, earning First Team All-Southern Conference (SoCon) honors from the league's coaches, in his first year with the team.[5] He declared for the 2021 NBA draft before returning to college.[6] On November 18, 2021, he scored a career-high 36 points in an 87–76 loss to Murray State.[7]
At the close of his sophomore season, Smith was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year by both the league's coaches and media.[8]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
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2018–19 | Wright State | 35 | 0 | 15.1 | .435 | .222 | .820 | 2.9 | 1.7 | .8 | .1 | 5.4 |
2019–20 | Chattanooga | ![]() | ||||||||||
2020–21 | Chattanooga | 25 | 25 | 35.8 | .460 | .383 | .802 | 8.8 | 3.3 | 1.5 | .2 | 16.8 |
2021–22 | Chattanooga | 35 | 34 | 35.4 | .493 | .407 | .827 | 6.7 | 3.0 | 1.7 | .1 | 19.9 |
Career | 95 | 59 | 28.0 | .473 | .380 | .818 | 5.9 | 2.6 | 1.3 | .1 | 13.7 |
Smith's mother, Connie, served in the United States Air Force for 12.5 years and became an executive assistant for footwear company Caleres. His parents divorced when he was six years old, and he was subsequently raised by his mother. Smith's grandfather, Larry Knight, played professional basketball and was a first-round draft pick by the Utah Jazz.[9]
Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year | |
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Lou Henson Award winners | |
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