Indiana University Athletics
Carrie Smith a Physical Force for Hoosiers
2/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Every basketball team needs a player to be tough and physical inside to keep the opposing team honest in the post and to make their teammates tougher. For the IU women's basketball team, Carrie Smith fills that role perfectly.
Smith has played an important role off the bench this season, leading the bench in scoring eight times and is the sixth leading scorer on the team.
"Carrie Smith is a very skilled post player on our team," first year head coach Sharon Versyp said. "With her passing skills and offensive moves, she has helped us with her physicality."
Smith, a junior forward out of Indianapolis has not always been a physical player throughout her career.
"I have not always been real physical," Smith said. "I started playing when I was young in a lot of different tournaments, such as the Gus Macker. The first person I played against was (IU senior forward) Brigett Branson, who I did not know at the time. She beat the daylights out of me. It was then that I realized that I needed to toughen up in order to compete at any level."
Sometimes, a person that has a strong physical presence is considered an enforcer, but Smith doesn't view that as her roll.
"I just play a very physical style of basketball," Smith said. "I don't come in and shove people around in order to make space. I just post up hard and set hard screens because that is my job and I have the set of tools to do that."
Versyp has encouraged physical play from Smith, but also the whole team.
"Coach Versyp is very receptive to physical play," Smith said. "She encourages it and has taught me some slick moves in order to be more physical. She has even taught the guards post defense and wants them to be more physical in the lane."
Smith's transformation to a physical post player has not happened without help from the people closest to her.
"My dad worked very hard with me to get stronger," Smith said. "He pushed me to be more and more physical, plus I naturally had the body to play more physical, it was my mind that needed to be tuned."
Thanks to her development into a solid and physical post player, opposing guards will watch out the next time they cut through the lane.
Indiana will continue its schedule on Sunday, Feb. 19 against No. 10/9 Purdue in West Lafayette. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. and will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Fans can also follow the game on WHCC-FM 105.1 with Jeremy Gray on the call. Gametracker also will be available on IUHOOSIERS.com.
