Jerrold Smith II
 | |
| No. 15 – UCLA Bruins | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | Pac-12 Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 24, 1995 Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College |
|
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Jerrold Raynard Smith II (born August 24, 1995) is an American former basketball player, social media influencer, actor, and entertainment executive.
He played basketball for the UCLA Bruins from 2014-17, serving as a walk-on for two years, before earning a scholarship for his senior season.
Early life and high school career[edit]
Smith was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the son of Jerrold and Lesley Smith. He has a younger sister named Sydni.
He attended Loyola High School in Los Angeles during his freshman year, before transferring to St. Bernard High School before his sophomore year.
As a sophomore in 2010-11, he appeared in ten games, averaging 1.6 points per contest. However, St. Bernard went 10-0 in league play and won the 2011 Southern California Division V Regional Championship, before finishing runner-up in the 2011 California State CIF Division V Final..[1]
In his junior season, Smith averaged 4.2 points per game in 18 contests as the Vikings were perfect in league play for the second consecutive season. St. Bernard won the CIF Southern Section Division V Championship for the first time since 1996.
As a senior in 2012-13, Smith enjoyed a breakout season, averaging 16.3 points per game, earning All-Del Ray League honors and the team's most valuable player award. Additionally, Smith finished his career earning all-academic honors in each of his three seasons as a varsity athlete.[2]
College career[edit]
Smith was recruited to play basketball out of high school by Oberlin College, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Santa Barbara.
He instead elected to attend UCLA for academic reasons, majoring in political science. A friend convinced him to attend a basketball tryout his freshman year, though Smith was unaware until arriving that he actually was trying out for a position on the UCLA women's basketball team scout team,[3] which he competed on during the 2013-14 season.
In his sophomore year, Smith walked on to the UCLA men's basketball team, joining the team in November 2014. He did not play for the Bruins during the 2014-15 season, which saw the Bruins reach the Sweet 16.
As a junior, Smith saw action in eight games for the Bruins. He made his collegiate debut on November 24, 2015, late in a 92-73 loss against fifth-ranked Kansas in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational. He also appeared late in an 89-76 loss against #11 North Carolina on December 19 at Madison Square Garden. On the season, he totaled one rebound, one assist, and shooting 0-2 from the field in 10 total minutes of play over eight contests. UCLA finished 15-17 in 2015-16 and missed the postseason.
In his senior year, Smith earned a scholarship and saw action in 13 games for the 2016-17 Bruins. In his second game of the season, Smith scored the first collegiate points of his career, hitting both of his shots and scoring four points in a 114-77 win over Long Beach State on November 20, 2016.[4]
Later on in the year, Smith scored one point against Michigan on December 10 and two points against rival USC on February 18, 2017. He made his final appearance of the season in UCLA's win over Kent State in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.[5] Smith finished the season making 3 of 11 shots, with two steals and an assist over 25 minutes played. UCLA finished the season 31-5 and reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons.
In February, 2017, Smith was featured in a Sports Illustrated article detailing his unique rise from the practice squad of the UCLA women's basketball team to earning a scholarship with the men's team.[6]
Smith finished the 2016-17 season with seven points, two steals, and an assist in 25 minutes over 13 games. After the season, he earned NABC Honors Court recognition for academic achievement, maintaining a cumulative GPA over 3.2 over his entire time at UCLA.[7] Smith graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science.
The Basketball Tournament[edit]
Smith played for the Sons of Westwood, a UCLA basketball alumni team, in the 2018 and 2019 editions of The Basketball Tournament[8]. Sons of Westwood made it to the Super 16 before falling to Challenge ALS in 2018, and fell to L.A. Cheaters in Round 1 of the Salt Lake Regional in 2019[9].
Acting and entertainment career[edit]
Smith has appeared in promotional commercials for McDonald’s, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Nike Basketball, and adidas Basketball.
He also appeared as himself in Season 1, Episode 3 of the Netflix original series Floor Is Lava. After debuting on June 19, 2020, Floor Is Lava was the number one show on Netflix for its first 12 days on the platform[10]
Smith currently works as a media/entertainment coordinator for Westbrook Inc., a production company founded by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.[11]
He also hosts a podcast, Bleav in Basketball Adjacent, which discusses basketball, style, and culture.[12]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Jerrold Smith's Basketball Stats". MaxPreps. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ↑ "Jerrold Smith". UCLA Men's basketball. Retrieved 9 July 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Schnell, Lindsay. "For one UCLA walk-on, success of both Bruins basketball teams has special significance". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ↑ "No. 16 UCLA Downs Long Beach State, 114-77". UCLA. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
- ↑ "UCLA vs. Kent State box score". ESPN. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ↑ Schnell, Lindsay. "For one UCLA walk-on, success of both Bruins basketball teams has special significance". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ↑ "Jerrold Smith Secures NABC Honors Court Acclaim". UCLA Men's Basketball. UCLA Athletics. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ↑ TBT Staff. "#4 SONS OF WESTWOOD 90, #13 WE ARE D3 65". The Basketball Tournament. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ↑ TBT Staff. "#5 L.A. CHEATERS 87, #4 SONS OF WESTWOOD 85". The Basketball Tournament.
- ↑ Bean, Travis. "The 25 Most Popular Shows On Netflix (So Far) In 2020". Forbes. Forbes Media LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ↑ "Jerrold Smith on LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ↑ "Bleav". Bleav. Bleav Podcast Network. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
External links[edit]
Jerrold Smith UCLA basketball profile
Jerrold Smith on College Basketball Reference
References[edit]
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