Winona State University alumnus John Smith was recently inducted into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame, and is currently the only Warrior basketball player to earn this award.

Some notable honors Smith received during his time at Winona State includes three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and Regional Championships, ‘06 and ‘08 NCAA Division II National Champions, 2007 NCAA Division II Finals (2^nd place), ’06-’08 1^st team all-NSIC, NSIC Most Valuable Player in ’07 and ’08 and ’07 and ’08 1^st Team all-American honors.

Smith also holds the title of Winona State University’s all-time leading scorer with 2,265 career points, along with holding a title as second all-time in rebounds with 1,334.

More achievements for Smith include being second in the nation in blocked shots having reordered 423 and second all-time field goal percentage at 56%.

When talking to Smith about what memories stick out most to him about his career at Winona State, he said there were just too many to talk about.

“The obvious ‘on court’ memories at WSU were winning two national championships,” Smith said. “Though, to be honest, when I think back about my college basketball experience, the things I think about most are the good times and funny stories with my teammates. It was a great group to be around.”

The opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of Winona State University, the Minnesota State Colleges and University system, or the Winona State University student body.