{"id":22041,"date":"2021-08-13T04:34:32","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T09:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=22041"},"modified":"2021-08-14T01:07:53","modified_gmt":"2021-08-14T06:07:53","slug":"two-time-nba-champion-jr-smith-heads-to-college-with-eyes-set-on-playing-golf-jr-smith-petitions-to-play-golf-after-enrolling-at-north-carolina-at","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=22041","title":{"rendered":"Two-time NBA champion JR Smith heads to college with eyes set on playing golf, JR Smith petitions to play golf after enrolling at North Carolina A&T"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThey always told me I could go back (to school) whenever. So, this is whenever.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

JR Smith may be 35 years old, but that doesn\u2019t mean his athletic dreams are extinguished.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smith, a 16-year NBA<\/a> veteran, has enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University with the intention of joining the university\u2019s golf<\/a> team.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He is primarily pursuing a degree in liberal studies \u2013 his classes start on August 18 \u2013 but he is waiting for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to work out his eligibility before he applies for the team<\/a> of one of the nation\u2019s top historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smith skipped going to college and went straight from high school to the NBA in 2004 but said he began thinking about going to college during a trip to the Dominican Republic with Hall of Famer Ray Allen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGolf is one of those games that has you feeling really high and or can bring you down to your knees and humble you,\u201d Smith \u2013 who is a two-time NBA champion \u2013 told<\/a> WFMY News 2 Sports on Wednesday ahead of the pro-am at the Wyndham Championship.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Smith<\/picture><\/strong><\/div>\n
Smith hits his tee shot at the 10th hole prior to The Northern Trust at Ridgewood Country Club on August 22, 2018.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAnd to have that feeling and knowing that all of the game\u2019s pretty much on my own hands, and I don\u2019t have to worry about teammates to pass the ball and receiving passes and playing defense, so I can play my game and just have fun.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smith can often be seen among the gallery at PGA Tour events \u2013 and he says he plays to a five handicap.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He has petitioned the NCAA to be eligible to play but it is not clear on how long that process will take.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According<\/a> to NCAA rules: \u201cAn individual shall not be eligible for intercollegiate athletics in a sport if the individual ever competed on a professional team in that sport.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

It does not ban a former professional athlete from competing in a different sport.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Richard Watkins, who coaches both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams at the university, said Smith\u2019s arrival is a \u201cbig deal.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big deal for A&T. It\u2019s a big deal for him,\u201d Watkins, who was in Smith\u2019s gallery on Wednesday, said<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s not very often that somebody in his position really has an opportunity to have a thought, a dream, an idea, and to be able to go ahead and move in that direction.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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J.R. Smith becoming a college golfer at age 35 is the greatest sports story of the year<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
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J.R. Smith never went to college. The opportunity was there, sure \u2014 but he instead elected to become one of the last players to make the jump straight from high school to the NBA in 2004. After a 17 year career, two NBA Championships and a 6th Man of the Year award he\u2019s heading back to college \u2014 and to make it even better, he\u2019s becoming a golfer.<\/strong> \"a <\/span> <\/span><\/strong>Smith enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University, a HBCU located in Greensboro, North Carolina where he\u2019s pursuing a degree in liberal studies. Now he\u2019s secured NCAA eligibility for the first time, and is going to play golf for the Aggies.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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“Very special. I can’t wait to be part of an HBCU Family.” great to talk with @TheRealJRSmith<\/a> here at @WyndhamChamp<\/a> Pro-Am. Smith is enrolling at @ncatsuaggies<\/a> (went to NBA straight from HS) and hopes to get NCAA Clearance to play on the @NCATAGGIES<\/a> Golf Team. @WFMY<\/a> #wfmysports<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/GzWuiVb95Q<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Brian Hall (@bhallwfmy) August 11, 2021<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Far from a gimmick, Smith is an extremely accomplished golfer who has been working on his game for years. The former Knicks guard said as early at 2014<\/a> that he wanted to play on the PGA Tour one day, so enrolling as a college golfer is just one step towards that dream. It\u2019s also wonderful that he\u2019s committed to finishing his education at a school like NC A&T, regarded as one of the best HBCUs in the country.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It would be easy for Smith to coast for the rest of his life on his NBA earnings and accomplishments, but he\u2019s challenging himself in a new way. Smith credits Ray Allen with pushing him to enroll, saying the pair were playing golf and talking about their lives after basketball. J.R. also said he has \u201cdeep roots\u201d in North Carolina, largely because of Chris Paul. Smith and Paul are extremely close, with Paul being godfather to Smith\u2019s children, and CP3 grew up in nearby Winston Salem, so he has intimate knowledge of the area.<\/strong><\/p>\n

All this hits especially close to home for me. I lived in Greensboro for almost 20 years, and have family still in the area. Now, I know I\u2019m pitching this to an EXTREMELY narrow audience of specifically J.R. Smith and nobody else, but I don\u2019t care \u2014 I want to give him some Greensboro tips.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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NBA champ J.R. Smith headed back to school with sights set on joining golf team<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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J.R. Smith had a 16-year NBA career that included two championships and a\u00a0Sixth Man of the Year Award, and now he’s headed back to school with his sights set on becoming a student-athlete.\u00a0<\/strong>Smith, 35, is enrolling at HBCU North Carolina A&T State University\u00a0with plans to join the Aggies’ golf team while\u00a0pursuing\u00a0a\u00a0liberal studies degree. He’s awaiting the NCAA to grant him\u00a0eligibility. Smith went straight from high school to the NBA in ’04 and NCAA rules state “an individual shall not be eligible for intercollegiate athletics in a sport if the individual ever competed on a professional team in that sport.”<\/strong>Smith said when he decided to skip college and\u00a0turn professional 17 years ago, he was told he could go back to school whenever. “Whenever” finally came\u00a0when NBA Hall of Famer Ray Allen convinced him to\u00a0receive a college\u00a0education.\u00a0<\/strong>“Ray Allen kind of convinced me,” Smith told reporters Wednesday at the Wyndham Championship. “We had a little golf trip in [the Dominican Republic] and he was talking about some of the things he was doing, about going back to school and challenging yourself for us athletes. I really took heed to it and decided to go back –\u00a0and one of the best liberal studies programs is at A&T.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smith,\u00a0a 5 handicap,\u00a0has been seen at numerous PGA Tour events throughout his career and said\u00a0he first started playing golf\u00a012 years ago at the late NBA Hall of Famer\u00a0Moses Malone’s charity event.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGolf is one of those games that has you feeling really high and or can bring you down to your knees and humble you,\u201d Smith said. \u201cAnd to have that feeling and knowing that all of the game\u2019s pretty much on my own hands and I don\u2019t have to worry about teammates to pass the ball and receiving passes and playing defense so, I can play my game and just have fun.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Richard Watkins,\u00a0North Carolina A&T State University’s men’s and women’s golf coach, is looking forward to potentially coaching Smith.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a big deal for A&T. It’s a big deal for him,\u201d\u00a0Watkins said to PGATour.com.\u00a0\u201cIt’s not very often that somebody in his position really has an opportunity to have a thought, a dream, an idea, and to be able to go ahead and move in that direction.”\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some might look forward to downtime after their playing days, but Smith is ready for his new journey as a student-athlete-parent with\u00a0his family of five\u00a0joining him in Greensboro, North Carolina, as he starts classes on Aug. 18.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got no free time now,\u201d Smith said. \u201cRaising kids and going to school, my schedule will be full. I can’t wait to be a part of the HBCU family.”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n

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J.R. Smith likes golf so much that he doesn’t have time to watch anything else on TV, including the teams he may get matched up against.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Former NBA standout JR Smith<\/a> has enrolled at North Carolina A&T and intends to join the historically Black university’s men’s golf team if he gets cleared by the NCAA, the university confirmed on Wednesday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

North Carolina A&T athletics spokesman Brian Holloway told ESPN that Smith is officially enrolled in the school and has petitioned the NCAA to be eligible to play. Smith’s clock to compete as a collegiate athlete has not yet started because he went to the NBA after high school. Athletes, in most cases, get five years to complete four years of eligibility.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the pro-am at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, Smith told reporters Wednesday he decided to go back to school after a conversation with Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Ray Allen kind of convinced me,” Smith said Wednesday at the golf event. “We had a little golf trip in [the Dominican Republic] and he was talking about some of the things he was doing, about going back to school and challenging yourself for us athletes. I really took heed to it and decided to go back — and one of the best liberal studies programs is at A&T.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Holloway said the next step in the process is navigating the 17 years since Smith’s senior year in high school (2004), which complicates the search for his academic records. But Smith is actively working to gain his eligibility, he said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We’re just going through the normal process we would go through with any prospective student-athlete,” Holloway said. “But this one is just a little different.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Per NCAA rules, “an individual shall not be eligible for intercollegiate athletics in a sport if the individual ever competed on a professional team in that sport.” But the laws do not ban a former pro athlete from competing in a different sport. Multiple collegiate athletes have played professional sports before returning to school to compete in Division I athletics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smith plays with a 5 handicap, according to PGATour.com. North Carolina A&T golf coach Richard Watkins told the site on Wednesday that having Smith on the team would be “a big deal for A&T.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It’s not very often that somebody in his position really has an opportunity to have a thought, a dream, an idea, and to be able to go ahead and move in that direction,” Watkins said. “He’s a former professional athlete, but [it’s] a unique set of circumstances. He didn’t go to college, never matriculated, the clock never started.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smith, a McDonald’s All-American in high school, originally committed to play for Roy Williams and North Carolina before he decided to hire an agent and enter the 2004 NBA draft. The New Orleans Hornets selected Smith with the 18th pick. Smith won two NBA titles as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> (2015-16) and the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> (2019-20). He also won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award during the 2012-13 season.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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J. R. Smith<\/strong><\/caption>\n
\"J.R.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Smith with the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> in 2018<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Personal information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Born<\/strong><\/th>\nSeptember 9, 1985 (age\u00a035)<\/span><\/strong>
\nFreehold Borough, New Jersey<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nationality<\/strong><\/th>\nAmerican<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Listed height<\/strong><\/th>\n6\u00a0ft 6\u00a0in (1.98\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Listed weight<\/strong><\/th>\n220\u00a0lb (100\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Career information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
High school<\/strong><\/th>\n\n
College<\/strong><\/th>\nNorth Carolina A&T<\/a> (2021\u2013present)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NBA draft<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n2004<\/a> \/ Round: 1 \/ Pick: 18th overall<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Selected by the New Orleans Hornets<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Playing career<\/strong><\/th>\n2004\u20132020<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Position<\/strong><\/th>\nShooting guard<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number<\/strong><\/th>\n1, 5, 8, 21, 23<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Career history<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
2004<\/a>\u20132006<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nNew Orleans Hornets<\/a>[a]<\/a><\/sup><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2006<\/a>\u20132011<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nDenver Nuggets<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2011\u20132012<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nZhejiang Golden Bulls<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2012<\/a>\u20132015<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nNew York Knicks<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2015<\/a>\u20132019<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nCleveland Cavaliers<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2020<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nLos Angeles Lakers<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Career highlights and awards<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
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Stats<\/a>\u00a0\"Edit<\/a> at NBA.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stats<\/a> at Basketball-Reference.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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@TheRealJRSmith<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Earl Joseph “J. R.” Smith III<\/sup> (born September 9, 1985) is an American former professional basketball<\/a> player. He played high school basketball at New Jersey<\/a> basketball powerhouse Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School<\/a> in Newark<\/a>. He entered the NBA out of high school after being selected in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft<\/a> with the 18th overall pick by the New Orleans Hornets<\/a>. He has also played for the Denver Nuggets<\/a> and New York Knicks<\/a>, as well as for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls<\/a> of the Chinese Basketball Association<\/a>. Smith has won two NBA Championships<\/a>, with the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> in 2016<\/a> and with the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> in 2020<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Born in Freehold Borough, New Jersey<\/a>,<\/sup> Smith grew up in the Clarksburg<\/a> section of Millstone Township, New Jersey<\/a>.[3]<\/a><\/sup> He spent five years in high school.\u00a0 A freshman in 1999\u20132000, Smith went to Steinert High<\/a> for the first semester and then McCorristin Catholic High<\/a> for the next, both in New Jersey. Having not competed in sports for either school, he was permitted to transfer to Lakewood High<\/a> and repeat his freshman year. He played two seasons of basketball for Lakewood before transferring to Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School<\/a> in 2002. Smith was highly rated in football<\/a> and also played baseball<\/a>. He focused strictly on basketball as a senior. He committed to play college basketball at North Carolina<\/a> after a lengthy recruiting battle. However, after winning co-MVP with Dwight Howard<\/a> at the 2004 McDonald’s All-American Game<\/a>, Smith decided to forgo college and declared for the 2004 NBA draft<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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@BKoepka<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Two-time NBA champion J.R. Smith<\/a> has left professional basketball to enroll at North Carolina A&T with hopes of joining the university\u2019s golf<\/a> team. With Smith\u2019s sights seemingly set on become a pro golfer, four-time major winner Brooks Koepka<\/a> has some thoughts.<\/strong> \"a <\/span> \u00a9 Provided by The Spun<\/span> A closeup of Brooks Koepka on the golf course. <\/span> <\/span><\/strong>Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Koepka congratulated Smith on giving golf a chance. He called it \u201cawesome\u201d that he was giving it a chance, even in his mid-30s.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNever too late,\u201d Koepka wrote. \u201ccongrats @TheRealJRSmith this is awesome!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smith will be starting his golf career at the age of 36. He\u2019s already about five years older than Koepka, though Koepka started his professional golf career at age 22.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Never too late\u203c\ufe0f congrats @TheRealJRSmith<\/a> this is awesome! https:\/\/t.co\/y8wRgDjla3<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) August 12, 2021<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While the odds of J.R. Smith becoming a major contender (let alone winner) are low, there\u2019s nothing stopping him from becoming a solid golfer. Some golfers haven\u2019t gone pro until their 30s, and went on to enjoy very good careers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vijay Singh, Allen Doyle and Juli Inkster all got started in their late-20s to mid-30s and enjoyed tremendous success in their careers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And given that J.R. Smith is a professional athlete, he\u2019s probably in much better shape than many who go pro even younger than he is.<\/strong><\/p>\n

All of that said, Smith still needs to get clearance from the NCAA and make the team.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But if he does, he\u2019ll have one of the best golfers in the world in his corner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThey always told me I could go back (to school) whenever. So, this is whenever.\u201d JR Smith may be 35 years old, but that doesn\u2019t mean his athletic dreams are extinguished. Smith, a 16-year NBA veteran, has enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University with the intention of joining the university\u2019s golf team. He is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2405,330,11,8,1314,2432,1456,1156,110,13,2404,2406,14,106,1,12,7,9,10],"tags":[4665,4656,4661,4034,4660,4655,4657,4659,4658],"class_list":["post-22041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-basketball-sports","category-business","category-entertainment","category-global-business-entrepreneurs","category-global-gamers","category-global-news-updates-and-more","category-global-sports","category-golf-sports-news","category-health","category-high-school-sports","category-mbs-hss","category-most-commented","category-nba-sports-news","category-news","category-scitech","category-sports","category-us","category-world","tag-bkoepka","tag-1985-age-35-freehold-borough","tag-4661","tag-4034","tag-4660","tag-j-r-smithj-r-smith-40627108671-cropped-jpg-smith-with-the-cleveland-cavaliers-in-2018-personal-information-born-september-9","tag-new-jersey-nationality-american-listed-height-6-ft-6-in-1-98-m-listed-weight-220-lb-100-kg-career-information-high-school-lakewood-lakewood","tag-new-jersey-college-north-carolina-at-2021-present-nba-draft-2004-round-1-pick-18th-overall-selected-by-the-new-orleans-hornets-playing-career-2004-2020-position-shooting","tag-new-jersey-st-benedicts-prep-newark","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}