More than seven years after playing his final game for Gregg Marshall, Ben Smith returns to Wichita State to learn the coaching ropes. He joined the staff in August, 2019 as a graduate manager.
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Smith, 29, had been teaching seventh-grade geography Summit Middle School in Edmond, Okla. His work with the school’s baseball and eighth-grade girls basketball teams sparked an interest in coaching and ultimately led him back to his alma mater where he will pursue a master’s degree in sport management.
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Smith played two seasons for the Shockers (2010-12) while completing his undergraduate work in elementary education. He was the conference’s sixth man of the year in 2011 when WSU won the National Invitation Tournament title and made the all-defensive team a year later while helping the Shockers to the Missouri Valley Conference regular season crown and their first NCAA tournament appearance under Marshall.
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Success has often followed Smith. He was a Third Team NJCAA All-American at Northern Oklahoma College in Enid and left as the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. Prior to that, he led Oklahoma City Southeast High School to a pair of state title game appearances.
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