A Sea Of Red

JackCentral.com wrote:Transfers not losing a step after big jumps

by Stayson Isobe on April 15, 2010 at 12:01 am under Sports

Lack of playing time, homesickness and change of scenery — all of these are reasons for someone to transfer schools. For sophomore men’s basketball forward Austin Smith, after a year at Liberty University, he realized Lynchburg, Va., was not for him, and he found himself back in the friendly confines of his home state.

“I really loved Liberty and all the guys out there,” said Smith, a Tucson native. “But I just wanted to be closer to home. NAU was the closest school that offered me [a scholarship], so I had a pretty good idea I’d come here.”

Due to NCAA rules, transfer athletes such as Toney and Smith, who transfer from one Division I school to another, must sit out a mandatory year before they are eligible to play again. After sitting out this past season, Toney claimed the Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year Award in her first season with the Lady Jacks. As for Smith, he is eager to return to the court in 2010 after sitting out this past season.

“Not being able to play was hard,” Smith said. “Not being able to travel, I couldn’t single out one thing that was the hardest. I’m ready to go. Everything has been building up, and I’m eligible again. I can’t wait to get out there and be part of the team.”

Flagstaff (AZ) Daily Sun wrote:

One of the reasons the squad may have had such high-level practices was the welcomed arrival of a few newcomers. Point guard Danny Redmond, who has practicing with the first team for the majority of the practices, and freshman forward Gaellan Bewernick and sophomore forward Austin Smith have all gotten off to good starts in their careers.

Smith was with the Jacks last season after transferring from Liberty University in Virginia, but had to sit out per NCAA rules. Like Redmond, who is a transfer from Riverside (Calif.) Community College, Smith has been practicing with the starting group.

"Their intensity and effort has really raised the level of everybody else and it's been good," Adras said of the three newcomers. "It's created more competition among our team. If we're not competing against ourselves, it's hard to turn it on when you're going against someone in a different jersey.

"If we're competing against hard at practice, just at practice, the games should be easy. That's hopefully what's happening right now."