The Northeastern women’s basketball team gained a deadly weapon for their arsenal this season thanks to their America East Rookie of the Year point guard, Shaleyse Smallwood.
Smallwood, a freshman and Mattapan native, is ninth in the conference in scoring with an average of 13.1 points per game.
She decided to come to Northeastern for its location, rather than just the athletics program, she said.
“It was close to home and the team was pretty good. I liked the surrounding areas and I just felt like I fit in here,” Smallwood said.
The transition from high school to college sports is a difficult one, Smallwood said. She said there are a lot of differences between the two, but she has been able to adjust to the changes.
“The biggest difference is that college basketball is much more disciplined,” she said. “In high school sometimes you don’t take it so serious. Sometimes you can just fool around and do what you want.”
One of a handful of freshmen this past season, Smallwood was the only rookie seeing significant playing time. In fact, the 5-foot-5 guard is second on the team in minutes per game; trailing only senior Francesca Vanin. Smallwood, who averaged 33.4 minutes on the floor, said her teammates have been helpful in making the jump to NCAA basketball.
“I was accepted right away. People didn’t dislike me because I was a freshman. We get along really well,” Smallwood said. “They call me things like ‘fresh meat’ and ‘freshie’ but they’re just playing around. I like my teammates a lot.”
On-court adjustments are not the only thing student athletes have to be able to deal with. Trying to fit the daily grind of practice and games in with the rigors of class can be a daunting task, especially for a freshman.
“If you wait to the last minute, it will be hard to get everything done. If you know you have a game, get your paper done ahead of time … work hard and do what you need to do,” she said.
Smallwood said grades don’t take a backseat.
“I want to graduate. That’s definitely number one,” she said. “I want to become a better basketball player, but getting good grades and graduating are the most important.”
In addition to her classroom responsibility, Smallwood places her family at the top of priority list.
She gives her family a lot of credit for making her the person she is saying their support has been helpful in her life.
“They have taken care of me, brought me up and taught me right from wrong. They have influenced me and supported me always through everything; been there for me no matter what,” she said.
Her family has also had a hand in developing her interest in basketball.
“I used to watch it on TV all the time with my family and after a while I just started playing,” Smallwood said. “I started really early, when I was seven or six. I had a lot of encouragement from my family and my coaches. They told me that I had potential and that if I could stick with it, I would be a good player.”
That confidence, along with talent, has turned Smallwood into a powerful force in America East basketball. She has become one of the premiere athletes on the team.
Smallwood said her best attribute on the court is her ability to get her teammates involved in the game.
“I think that I have good court vision. I like to get other people the ball,” she said.
Smallwood said she looks to NBA stars as well for inspiration.
“I like to watch Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady,” Smallwood said. “Iverson is a great athlete and a real tough guy. He plays through all kinds of injuries. I admire him for that. McGrady can do whatever he wants on the court sometimes and he gets his teammates involved a lot.”
Her most memorable moment happened not with Northeastern, but three years ago in an Atlantic City for a PAL (Police Athletic League) tournament.
“It was the championship game and the other team had the ball. They were inbounding and I got the steal with three seconds left. I hit the game-winning three at the buzzer. That was such a great moment” she said.
Despite being eliminated in the conference tourney, the Huskies look to have a bright future with Smallwood at the point.