The NC State men’s basketball team recently saw its season end with a loss against the Creighton Blue Jays in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It also could be the last time sophomore guard Terquavion Smith dons the red-and-white.
Time after time, Smith has proven his loyalty to NC State, which began before he even stepped foot on campus.
From the beginning, Smith was a Wolfpacker through-and-through. He verbally committed to NC State as a 10th grader and followed through with his commitment in a time where loyalty is a lost trait. Players will often decommit from schools when a better offer comes, but Smith always knew in his heart that he belonged with the Pack.
Head coach Kevin Keatts took a gamble by offering such a young talent, but it looked like a promising investment when the Greenville, North Carolina native put up video game numbers at Farmville Central High School. His efforts landed him the elusive Gatorade Player of the Year Award in 2021, given to the best men’s high school basketball player in the state.
Upon his official arrival on campus in fall 2021, Smith made an instant impact on the hardwood. He was a bright spot in an otherwise dreary year for the team, which finished the season with an atrocious 11-21 record. Paired with Dereon Seabron, Smith put up 16.3 points per game for the Wolfpack. After an impressive first collegiate season, “Baby T” was named to the ACC All-Freshman team and was on the honorable mention list for the All-ACC team.
Following his freshman year, Smith decided to test his draft stock and enter into the 2022 NBA Draft. He participated in the combine and proved that he deserved to be drafted in the lottery. Despite all the hype — and the appeal of fulfilling a lifelong dream — Smith decided to return to Raleigh to once again lead the Wolfpack. This time, things were going to be different.
Smith came back and got better, averaging 17.9 points per game as the face of a new-look NC State team. In addition to his self-improvement, the Pack won games, thanks in large part to Smith and a host of newcomers, such as graduate guard Jarkel Joiner and graduate forward DJ Burns. This crew had PNC Arena loud every time they took the floor, bringing excitement such as the fan base hasn’t seen in a while.
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that Smith gave everything he had for NC State, sometimes literally laying his body on the line for his team, such as a scary injury suffered in a loss against North Carolina. But being the warrior he is, Smith bounced back like nothing even happened and continued to ball.
Smith was awarded for his efforts with a spot on the All-ACC Second Team following the conclusion of the regular season. He also landed a spot on the 2023 ACC All-Tournament First Team after dropping 30 points on the Virginia Tech Hokies.
In what could be his only NCAA Tournament appearance as a member of the Pack, Smith left it all on the floor. He finished with 32 points as NC State fell to Creighton, a disappointing end to a really fun season for the Wolfpack. Despite the loss, the 2022-23 team should be remembered as winners.
If this really is the end of Smith’s college career, his name will be remembered alongside the other NC State legends. Smith scored over 1,000 points in just two seasons, and he will be mentioned amongst NC State greats such as Julius Hodge, Rodney Monroe and David Thompson.
Now, we wait and see what the future holds for the Wolfpack star. It seems likely that he will re-enter the NBA Draft and finally accomplish his lifelong dream of playing professional basketball. However, he is only a sophomore, which means he could run it back for a third time in Raleigh.
Regardless of his decision, Smith will go down as one of the best guards in NC State history. If he does take his talents to the NBA, he will surely be missed in Raleigh. Hopefully he can have similar success at the next level.
