Wofford edges The Citadel in regular-season finale
Eighth-seeded Terriers begin SoCon tournament play at 11:30 a.m. Friday in Asheville
By Todd Shanesy
todd.shanesy@shj.com
Published: Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 11:54 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 11:54 p.m.
With The Citadel charging, Wofford stepped right into the path.
The Terriers had their 17-point lead in the second half Saturday night sliced to just two but held on for a 69-62 win against the Bulldogs in the regular-season finale at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
Wofford (12-18, 6-11) is the No. 8 seed of the upcoming Southern Conference tournament in Asheville and will open the event at 11:30 a.m. Friday against No. 9 seed Georgia Southern at the U.S. Cellular Center.
Junior forward Lee Skinner matched a career-high with 21 points to go with 11 rebounds, five assists and no turnovers. The Terriers also got 16 points and six boards from freshman guard Spencer Collins, while sophomore guard Karl Cochran added 17 and four, respectively.
One of the biggest plays by Wofford, however, did not go on the stat sheet. It was made by a guy who had two points and one rebound in 25 minutes.
With less than two minutes remaining, Dylen Setzekorn of The Citadel drove the lane for a layup that would have brought the Bulldogs back within three points. But he plowed into Wofford junior forward Aerris Smith, who slid over with help defense just in time to draw a charging foul.
“(Setzekorn) is a pretty good athlete and he turned the corner on us,” Wofford head coach Mike Young said. “Aerris made a huge play. It's a play that needs to be made. It's a two-point game if the foul shot goes down. Then it's dicey. But a real heads-up play from Aerris. He saved our bacon. Play of the game, in my opinion.”
Setzekorn,
Despite injury, Wofford's Smith has unfinished business
Wofford's Aerris Smith
Wofford's Aerris Smith (14) fights for the ball against Furman on Feb. 20. Smith is the lone senior on the Terriers' squad.
ALEX HICKS JR/alex.hicks@shj.com
By Todd Shanesy
todd.shanesy@shj.com
Published: Friday, February 28, 2014 at 7:05 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, February 28, 2014 at 7:05 p.m.
Almost every day at 6 a.m., Aerris Smith can be found at the Spartanburg YMCA doing laps in the pool.
It's not because he has a love of swimming. It's because he has a love of basketball.
Smith, the only senior on the Wofford team, has an injured knee that will require surgery at the end of the season. He's recently regained his starting role, but his minutes in games and practices are limited. In fact, he always comes out just two minutes into each game.
To stay in good cardiovascular condition, he swims.
“I wouldn't say I'm a great swimmer,” Smith said. “But I've definitely improved.”
Smith found out at the start of this season that he needed surgery. For a player whose production had dipped to 2.9 points and 3.2 rebounds as a junior despite becoming a fulltime starter, he was faced with a dilemma.
Call it a career, take a redshirt season and come back for one more, or tough it out?
“I would say that 98 percent of the people in his situation would shut it down,” Wofford head coach Mike Young said. “He was ready to get started with his career in the business world. But he wanted to be part of this team and contribute as much as he could.”
Wofford's Smith has emotional impact
Senior’s farewell draws attention as Terriers enter dance
Aerris Smith
Wofford’s Aerris Smith (14) helps defend ball against UNCG on March 1.
MIKE BONNER/ For THE HERALD-JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
By Todd Shanesy
todd.shanesy@shj.com
Published: Thursday, March 13, 2014 at 11:21 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, March 13, 2014 at 11:21 p.m.
The Aerris Smith interview went viral.
Smith broke down in tears Monday night after his team won the Southern Conference championship as he told Wofford radio that it was the end of the road for him. His right knee, badly in need of surgery, couldn’t go another minute. The team’s only senior wouldn’t be able to play in the NCAA tournament.
“What a great story,” Wofford head coach Mike Young said. “The emotion after that game was raw. It was real.”
By the next day, Smith’s story had hit news outlets from coast to coast. Twitterverse exploded as thousands of people shared the interview. On Thursday afternoon, Smith was a guest on a national ESPN radio and television show hosted by Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo.
“It’s been crazy,” Smith said. “Completely unexpected. It’s a great thing, for one, because Wofford is getting national recognition. Everyone finding it so inspirational is just beyond amazing. In the interview, I was just so happy and all my hard work was coming back to me. I was expressing myself in the only way I knew.”
Smith got through the season by practicing very little and instead swimming at the YMCA every morning at 6 a.m. just to keep in cardiovascular condition. The Charlotte, N.C., native (Butler High School) started 28 games last season and 11 this season despite the injury.
