Rockets Assign Ishmael Smith to Vipers
January 17, 2011 - NBA G League (G League)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers News Release
MCALLEN, TEXAS - The defending NBA Development League champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers announced Monday that their parent club, the Houston Rockets, has assigned point guard Ishmael Smith (6-0, 175, Wake Forest) to the Vipers.
Smith is averaging 3.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 12.9 minutes in 24 games (three starts) for the Rockets. He made a big impact filling-in for an injured Kyle Lowry (6-0, 205, Villanova) in his third career game on November 6 at San Antonio, scoring 11 points with four rebounds, a career-high seven assists and one steal in 35 minutes. Former-Viper Aaron Brooks (6-0, 161, Oregon), the starting point guard at the time, went down with an ankle injury in that game, clearing the way for Smith to make his first career start the next day against Minnesota, scoring seven points with four rebounds, six assists and a career-high three steals in a career-high 42 minutes. He scored a career-high 12 points on November 10 at Washington and matched that total on November 17 at Oklahoma City. He has not played since January 8, which was the last game before Brooks returned from his most recent ankle injury.
"This is a key development opportunity for Ishmael to come to the Vipers and apply in game settings what he's been working on with the Rockets coaches in practice and individual workouts. Development through playing is something we strongly believe in and this provides us that opportunity. Our staff in the Rio Grande Valley has done a great job with our young players and we expect those efforts to continue with Ish," said Vipers General Manager Gersson Rosas, who is also the Rockets Vice President of Player Personnel.
The 22-year old rookie led the Rockets in assists during the 2010 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas with 4.8 per game. He also averaged 7.9 points on 18-of-31 (58.1%) shooting while starting all five games.
Smith finished his four-year career at Wake Forest averaging 9.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 121 games (91 starts) while shooting 42.5% from the field. A three-year team captain, he is the only player in Wake Forest history to finish with 1,000 points (1,114) and 600 assists (612). He ranks second all-time in assists in school history. He also ranks sixth in minutes played (3,667), eighth in steals (153), 18th in games played and 36th in career points.
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. College
10 Terrel Harris SF 6-5 190 Oklahoma State
11 Jerel McNeal SG 6-3 200 Marquette
12 Ishmael Smith* PG 6-0 175 Wake Forest
14 Antonio Anderson SG 6-6 215 Memphis
15 Patrick Sullivan PF 6-9 215 S.E. Louisiana
21 Richard Roby SG 6-6 210 Colorado
22 Mustafa Shakur PG 6-4 195 Arizona
23 Stanley Asumnu SF 6-5 220 Tennessee
24 Mickell Gladness C 6-11 212 Alabama A&M
32 Mouhammad Faye PF 6-9 215 SMU
50 Jeff Adrien PF 6-7 245 UConn
*Houston Rockets Assignee
Head Coach Chris Finch (Franklin & Marshall)
Assistant Coaches Paul Mokeski (Kansas)
Jai Steadman (Nebraska)
Johan Roijakkers (ELE College)
Ath. Trainer/Strength & Conditioning Coach Joe Resendez (UT-Pan American)
• Discuss this story on the NBA G League message board...
NBA G League Stories from January 17, 2011
- Stampede Confound Wizards - Idaho Stampede
- Rockets Assign Ishmael Smith to Vipers - Rio Grande Valley Vipers
- Houston Rockets Assign Ishmael Smith to NBA D-League Affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers - G League
- Veteran Guard Returns to Dakota - Dakota Wizards
- NBA D-League Daily Developments - G League
- Skyforce's Home Woes Continue As Jam Completes Weekend Sweep - Sioux Falls Skyforce
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
