Valparaiso junior Jack Smiley’s development from exceptional player into a star caught about, oh, no one off guard.
Include first-year Valparaiso coach Ben Lieske, a 2002 graduate of the school who spent 18 seasons as an assistant there, among those who set a high bar for the 6-foot-2 guard.
“I knew going into the season he was a really good player, coaching him the year before as an assistant,” Lieske said. “I knew just watching in the offseason, too, what a big jump he was starting to make, just by his strength and conditioning and how dedicated he is.
“In the summer, we go from 6 to 8 in the morning because we do our workouts outside of summer school hours. Then he would go and lift after that for two hours. Then he would do a second workout in the afternoon or evening. So he essentially was doing three-a-days. He put the work in.”
Smiley, the 2023-24 Post-Tribune Boys Basketball Player of the Year, then delivered for the Vikings with 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. He propelled them into a four-way tie for the Duneland Athletic Conference title, won the league MVP award and was named an Indiana Junior All-Star.
“It’s really cool to see my results and to see all the hard work I’ve been putting in paying off,” Smiley said. “But I wouldn’t really say I’m surprised because I’ve been working hard my whole life. It was just a matter of time when the results were actually going to start showing to people. I had to keep staying true to the process and keep working hard. It finally started to show this year.”
Smiley averaged 14.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists during his sophomore season. Lieske noted the graduation of 2023 Indiana All-Star Mason Jones, who started for most of this season as a freshman at Ball State.
“We actually got better because of how Jack distributed the ball and scored,” Lieske said. “We definitely thought we had a chance to be pretty good this summer with all of the effort he was putting in. What’s most important for our success as a team, he’s not just putting that work in, he’s also helping other guys to work at that same level. He was bringing them along with him. He’s not just all about him; he’s trying to help others.
“We don’t win if he’s not a willing passer. He could take a decent shot every single time down the floor because he’s that talented. But he made sure we got a good shot for us as a team. He spreads the ball around and gets it to the right guys. That’s why we won so many games, just him making the strategic pass just as much as the strategic shot.”
Valparaiso’s Jack Smiley practices on campus on Thursday, July 13, 2023. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
Smiley expressed his appreciation for the other people in Valparaiso’s program.
“I have to thank my coaches and teammates for believing in me and letting me play my game,” he said. “Going out there, I had teammates who trusted me and believed in me. They made shots, which obviously boosted my assist numbers.”
Still, opponents largely concentrated on implementing ways to try to contain Smiley.
“We faced five or six box-and-ones, and even if we weren’t facing a box-and-one, he’s getting full-fledged denied all the way down the floor,” Lieske said. “Every time we set a ball screen, they were usually trapping him. And he still was as successful and productive as he was this year.
“I can’t say enough about the kid. He’s a good one. He’s a heck of a player. I’m pretty blessed to coach him.”
College coaches eventually will have that opportunity too. Smiley has offers from Ohio and Valparaiso. Lieske said he consistently receives calls from a half-dozen Mid-American Conference programs, and others have expressed interest. Lieske expected Smiley’s recruitment to pick up next month, after more of the dust has settled in the transfer portal.
“I just know who he is as a person, he’ll be a successful basketball player wherever he ends up going and however it plays out,” Lieske said. “That’s just who he is.
“His game is ready for the next level because he’s making reads out there that are high-level. A lot of college coaches I talk to recognize that. We really didn’t set a lot of ball screens in our offense until this year, but we’re doing a lot of stuff that are collegiate things because he has that type of skill set, at least with the ball screens. We have some stuff we want to add this offseason to make us tougher to deal with.”
So, too, does Smiley, who aims to progress even more heading into his senior season.
“The main thing is to keep working hard,” he said. “Staying in the weight room, staying on the basketball court, just keep working on my strength and athleticism and quickness, making sure I have no weaknesses. I can always improve in every category. I just want to focus on getting myself better and prepared and doing what I was doing last year and make the same jump.”
