McKenzie Smith, Amarillo High basketball, Sr.
On the court: The 5-foot-11 guard had a monster week in wins over rival Randall and helping the Lady Sandies claim the Northeast Independent School District Tournament in San Antonio going a perfect 4-0 over the weekend. Against Randall, Smith poured in 17 points during a 57-33 victory last Tuesday. In the NEISD Tournament, Smith averaged 19.5 points a game in wins over San Antonio Lee, San Marcos, San Antonio Johnson and San Antonio Judson with her highest point total of 23 points coming against Johnson. During the past week, Smith averaged 23 minutes, pulling down 6.6 rebounds a night, shooting 68 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point land, and went 73.7 percent from the charity stripe. Smith and the No. 2-ranked Lady Sandies (15-1) face off at No. 1-ranked Lubbock Monterey (11-2) at 6 p.m. on Friday night.
Coach Jeff Williams: “McKenzie has been steady for us this early part of the season. She gets overlooked on certain things, but she is constantly putting up points. She doesn’t rush or force things and is constantly dropping in 17 points a game. It’s not flashy but effective and she has become a better shooter from perimeter. That’s really freed some stuff up for her and the team. She is a really good offensive rebounder; she plays a lot of minutes for us and is so valuable on both ends of the floor. She’s just a great individual and been around the game her entire life. We love having her.”
Smith: “I feel like I played really well last week. I was trying to be really consistent, and I’ve been working on shooting better and making that priority. It’s been a fun year so far because the team chemistry is just so good. We never cut each other slack, and we hold everyone accountable. Our goal is for everyone to be their best and that has made me a better player. My outside shooting and rebounding has gotten a lot better with my length. We just want to get better every day and improve each and every week all the way to the end of the season.”
About Smith
Favorite band or musician: Aaliyah
Favorite social media platform: Twitter
Favorite athlete: Kevin Durant
Bet you didn’t know: She loves to draw
Parents: DeMarkus and Cori Morrow
