Longhorns spotlight: Harrison Smith

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Smith. They are not exactly your typical set of parents -- one was a pro football player, while the other was an All-American collegiate athlete. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that their three children all excel in sports as well, namely, the second child, freshman guard Harrison Smith (Houston, Texas).

Like his other teammates, Smith came to the Forty Acres with an extensive high school playing resume from Jones High School in Houston. Ranked as the No. 96 prospect nationally, Smith was also named the MVP of his district and garnered an all-state selection his senior year. Furthermore, Smith played alongside former UT guard Daniel Gibson on Jones' Class 4A state championship team as a sophomore.

"My brother hit the game-winning shot in the state championship game," Smith recalled. "My mother was pretty proud of us after that game. I didn't understand it then, but I do now."

But when one reads the personality profile of this down-to-earth guard, they will find a little surprise about Smith's personal life. As the second son of Doug and Rebecca Smith, Harrison has had sports surrounding him his whole life.

The story starts way back in the 1980s, when Rebecca Jackson was an All-American standout at Auburn University, tearing up opponents en route to setting school records in scoring (2,068) and rebounds (1,118).

"I haven't seen old college tapes of my mom playing," Smith said, "but my aunts and uncles always tell me stories, and I read news clips of my mom's college games. I read about all her stats and it is pretty amazing."

At the same time, a defensive tackle by the name of Doug Smith was playing for Auburn before embarking on an eight-year NFL playing career with the Houston Oilers.

"I remember going to every home game and it was fun," Harrison said. "We would get to play on the field and just run around. At that time, I didn't really notice anything special about my dad being in the NFL. I kind of took it for granted, but it was pretty fun."

Sometime during their busy schedules of practices and games, Rebecca and Doug met each other and a relationship formed. Upon graduation, they married and the Smith family was formed around two very hectic playing careers.

"My parents got married after they graduated and had my oldest brother," Smith recounted. "Sometime in between the time he was born and when I was born, my mom was playing basketball overseas while my dad was playing for the Oilers."

Flash forward twenty-something years, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith are now the proud parents of three tremendous athletes -- oldest son, Doug Jr., is playing football at a California junior college; second son, Harrison, is in his rookie year at the Forty Acres, having seen action in five games and diligently working his way into more playing time; while the youngest daughter is in her junior year at Jones, also exploring the game of basketball as a 6'5" post.

In a family where sports runs through each other's veins, another trait is pertinent within the group -- height. Needless to say, Harrison stands shortest in the family at 6'2".

"My mom and brother used to tease me a lot because I used to be the shortest in the house. My younger sister has a good few inches over me, but I can still beat her because I have quickness. Both my parents are tall, and my older brother is about 6'6", so we have a fairly tall family," said Smith.

Though he may be shortest, this self-proclaimed "mama's boy" earned himself a scholarship to head coach Rick Barnes' basketball program through his accomplishments on the basketball court, many of which came at the aid of his mother. Having his own personal expert in the comfort of his own home, Smith always went to the same person whenever he had a question regarding the game of basketball.

"My parents taught me a lot of stuff, especially my mom, who taught me my jump shot. My mother was a post but she taught me a lot of basketball techniques," said Smith. "She probably has been the biggest influence on my basketball career because not only did she teach me skills but also all the tiny things that make a big difference in the game."

Nonetheless, basketball wasn't always the only sport in Harrison's mind. As the son of a professional football player, Smith initially grew up with dreams of following his father and playing football.

"I always thought I was going to be a football player; I grew up in football, but then I started watching my mother play in pick-up leagues and when I was 13, I realized that I liked basketball more," said Smith. "I couldn't wait for basketball season to start, and as I got older, I started watching more basketball, my mom started teaching me more skills, and I learned that I could really excel in basketball."

So, when the time came that Harrison began to solely focus on basketball, his father had a hard time adjusting to the change.

"My dad was a little upset when I gave up football for basketball. He kept trying to throw in comments about football to get me back to the sport, but by then I liked basketball too much for him to change my mind," said Smith. "There never was any rivalry in between my parents regarding what sports their kids chose to play, but I knew that they secretly wanted us to play their sport over the other."

Upon becoming a more diligent student of the sport, Smith also learned how great of a legacy his mother left in the Auburn basketball program.

"When I was in high school, I was starting to get really serious about basketball," Smith said. "I remember reading about basketball and asking my mom all these questions. I remember looking at all her trophies and learning that she was an All-American, and the more I picked at her brain about the game of basketball, the more I realized just how good she was.

"She used to beat me by posting me up, and she is still pretty good. During her prime, my mom played in leagues and other travel teams, and always did so well in those. If it was around at that time, I think she could've played in the WNBA."

However, for now the attention has now shifted from Mr. and Mrs. Smith to the children. As a teacher at Jones High School, Mrs. Smith finds as much time as she can to drive up to the Erwin Center to catch some games.

"My mom tries her best to make it to every game and she always picks apart my game," Harrison said. "It used to be annoying, but I realized how right she usually is, so now I try to listen to her and just take in her advice."

While many may expect the pressure of living up to his parents' legacy to be quite high, Smith was blessed to have never felt that pressure.

"When people find out about my parents, they always expect me to play their sport and to be an athlete. My mom and dad never put any pressure on me to be a great athlete; they just wanted me to be the best I could be," said Smith.

Nonetheless, it may be safe to say that Harrison Smith has done quite a job exceeding the expectations of others by working his way to the Forty Acres.

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