Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State’s Malachi Smith had a steal and breakaway dunk against Youngstown State last week, a play that was important for two reasons.
It not only provided the Raiders with a much-needed spark on the road — giving them a one-point lead with 12:29 to go on the way to an 80-74 victory — but it also was the perfect response to the endless ribbing he was getting from teammates about his lack of jumping ability.
“A lot of people on this team say I can’t dunk,” the 6-foot-3 freshman guard said with a smile Wednesday. “Now they say, ‘You have to dunk four more times to be able to say you’re a dunker.’ Whatever.”
Smith may have work to do before his high-flying teammates allow him into their club, but he showed he’s an indispensable part of the Raiders’ rotation after breaking out of a prolonged funk and earning Horizon League freshman of the week honors.
After scoring 10 points in a season-opening win against Western Carolina, the back-up point guard didn’t reach double figures again until tallying team highs of 17 points and nine rebounds at Youngstown State.
He followed that with an eight-point, four-rebound effort in an 89-66 win at Cleveland State.
