Spring Break
The Daily OrangeBig East Notebook | No regrets for Smalligan's transfer from Butler to West Virginia
By Jason Tarr
Posted: 1/31/07, 1:45 AM EST Section: Sports
Standing at 6-foot-1 in his freshman year of high school, Jamie Smalligan didn't envision a future in college basketball.
He had played for as long as he could remember and was inspired by watching the
"Fab Five" play at Michigan in 1992. But his height barely placed him at the average for an NCAA point guard.
At the beginning of his sophomore year, though, there were seven new reasons why he could play college ball.
Smalligan grew seven inches to 6-foot-8, but what happened in the years following that growth spurt surprised him even more.
"I was expecting to be taller because my older brother is 6-foot-8," Smalligan said. "But I figured once I got to 6-foot-8 I'd be done. But I kept growing."
Smalligan, now at 7 feet tall, is a fourth-year junior transfer for West Virginia. So far in his first season of eligibility at WVU, he has helped guide the Mountaineers to a 16-4 record (5-3 Big East) and sixth place in the conference.
Smalligan and West Virginia play at Rutgers tonight and at Seton Hall on Saturday.
A 3-point shooting big man, Smalligan averages 4.6 points and three rebounds while shooting more than 47 percent from the field.
"In middle school I never really thought about being a college basketball player,"
Smalligan said. "But I think once I saw my brother and his friends get recruited, I
wanted to play NCAA basketball and take it more serious."
He did take it more seriously, averaging 20 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots in his senior year at East Grand Rapids High School in Michigan. He soon found himself being recruited by Butler.
He was part of an incoming class the year the Bulldogs made an unprecedented run in the
NCAA Tournament. Recruits Nick Brooks, Brian Ligon, Brandon Crone, James Parker and Smalligan were said to be the most talented recruiting class in Butler history. The five players were supposed to help Butler sustain its success and seven consecutive 20- win seasons.
He had played for as long as he could remember and was inspired by watching the
"Fab Five" play at Michigan in 1992. But his height barely placed him at the average for an NCAA point guard.
At the beginning of his sophomore year, though, there were seven new reasons why he could play college ball.
Smalligan grew seven inches to 6-foot-8, but what happened in the years following that growth spurt surprised him even more.
"I was expecting to be taller because my older brother is 6-foot-8," Smalligan said. "But I figured once I got to 6-foot-8 I'd be done. But I kept growing."
Smalligan, now at 7 feet tall, is a fourth-year junior transfer for West Virginia. So far in his first season of eligibility at WVU, he has helped guide the Mountaineers to a 16-4 record (5-3 Big East) and sixth place in the conference.
Smalligan and West Virginia play at Rutgers tonight and at Seton Hall on Saturday.
A 3-point shooting big man, Smalligan averages 4.6 points and three rebounds while shooting more than 47 percent from the field.
"In middle school I never really thought about being a college basketball player,"
Smalligan said. "But I think once I saw my brother and his friends get recruited, I
wanted to play NCAA basketball and take it more serious."
He did take it more seriously, averaging 20 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots in his senior year at East Grand Rapids High School in Michigan. He soon found himself being recruited by Butler.
He was part of an incoming class the year the Bulldogs made an unprecedented run in the
NCAA Tournament. Recruits Nick Brooks, Brian Ligon, Brandon Crone, James Parker and Smalligan were said to be the most talented recruiting class in Butler history. The five players were supposed to help Butler sustain its success and seven consecutive 20- win seasons.
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