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I believe I can fly: human highlight reel T-Ray's journey defined by family and ball

By Jacob Knabel on Dec. 17, 2024 in Men's Basketball

@cunebulldogs Instagram: Tristan Smith Highlight Reel

Even for Tristan Smith, this one was a doozy. After a simple ball fake from the right wing, Smith blew past one defender with two left-hand dribbles, sprung himself off two feet and elevated high above a waiting 6-foot-11 post player before violently ripping the ball through the rim with his right hand. The incredible feat of athleticism and posterization brought a roar from the visiting Concordia crowd and even had some Doane fans covering their mouths to hide their own awestruck reactions.

The play was no one-hit wonder. It seems that at least once every game, Smith delights the crowd with a ‘wow’ moment. He’s a showman (without even trying) who feels a sense of euphoria when physically reaching heights that others only dream of.

“It’s pretty hard to explain,” Smith said. “It’s one of those weird feelings. I feel like I kind of black out when it happens and I have to go back and watch it afterwards. Most of the time I don’t think it’s actually as cool as it can be. The crowd is the best part afterwards. When you’re in the game, you kind of don’t realize it and then you go back and watch the reactions. It’s a pretty cool experience.”

Smith has spent the last four years putting together a highlight reel rivaling that of any collegiate basketball player in the country – from any level. As just a freshman in February 2022, Smith played the part of hero in the most watched singular moment in the history of Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball. His buzzer-beating alley-oop lay-in of a baseball-style heave from Carter Kent made the rounds on ESPN and gave the Elizabeth, Colo., native an exceedingly tough act to follow. Somehow, he has managed to live up to that moment and do it in impressive fashion.

The Concordia journey for “T-Ray,” as many his friends and family call him, has included not only ‘the alley-oop’ and the highlight reel dunks but also GPAC championship celebrations, national tournament appearances, a frustrating injury, on-court stardom, strong academic performance (Business Administration) and intense familial support every step of the way. Through the process, Smith’s growth has been undeniable. He’s blossomed in a way that Bulldog Men’s Basketball Coach Ben Limback would want for anyone who comes through the program.

As Limback said prior to the start of the 2024-25 season, “I thought defensively, his sophomore year before he got injured, he was on pace to possibly be the defensive player of the year in our conference. He was that good. We’re asking him to do a lot defensively. I’ve been most impressed with his desire to lead. He’s one of our more vocal leaders. He’s a competitor. He’s just taken that role even more so this year. I can’t wait to see how our team changes throughout the year. It’s in large part what he’s been doing in the locker room. Certainly, he’s making an impact at both ends.”

Tristan arrived at Concordia as a freshman for the fall semester of 2021 at a time when his older brother Gage was a senior on the basketball team. Tristan had no doubt that the atmosphere at Concordia was right for him because he had already lived it through Gage. As Tristan said, “I knew about the environment and the community feel and what type of program Coach Limback ran. That’s kind of what drew me here.”

For anyone who knows the Smiths, it made perfect sense that Tristan would want to team up with his older brother. Wherever Gage and Tristan go, their parents Lance and Michelle, and sisters Kylee and Haley, are likely close in proximity. It seemingly requires an act of God for Lance or Michelle to miss one of their children’s games. Fittingly, when the alley-oop brought the roof off Friedrich Arena in 2022, Lance was one of the first spectators to storm the court in celebration.

Kindness, big personalities, charisma and smarts run in the family. Apparently, athleticism does too. Lance played football and Michelle was a swimmer. From an early age, Gage and Tristan became interested in basketball (among other sports) and Kylee and Haley were strong gymnasts. As Tristan said during his sophomore year, “We’re not good Coloradans. We’ve never been skiing or snowboarding. You put us on skates and we might tear every ligament in our knees.”

The basketball court, a place where Tristan could run, jump and throw down dunks, was more appropriate for his talents. Beginning as youngsters, Gage and Tristan ate chicken and rice and lifted weights regularly while following their father’s lead. The highlight reels dunks started becoming a regular part of the repertoire for Tristan during his time at Elizabeth High School. Lance proudly shared the videos on social media, as he continues to do to this day.

The closeness that permeates the Smith family stands out as unique in how it shines through so obviously. The magnetic pull proved so strong that the family has its own Seward house right on one of the town’s main drags leading to Concordia University. Lance and Michelle, both of whom work from home, never have to worry about making the seven-hour drive back to Elizabeth on a late Wednesday night of basketball. Some young adults go off to college happy to escape their parents, but that’s never been the thought process for Gage or Tristan.

Said Tristan, “It’s awesome. Basketball at the college level is pretty demanding. It’s nice having your family there when you have good games and bad games. They’re always going to support me. I don’t think my folks have missed many games. It’s really nice having them up here. It’s definitely huge for the success I’ve had as an individual.”

Just as Tristan will forever be remembered for ‘the alley-oop,’ he’ll always be linked to his brother Gage. On Nov. 23 of this season, Tristan tallied 33 points at Dordt and joined his older brother in the program’s 1,000-point club. The Smiths are just the second brother duo to hold down spots in that club (in addition to Darin and Derek Engelbart). The trajectory of Tristan’s basketball career has been similar to Gage’s in the way the arrow has consistently trended upward. Raw talent and athleticism have translated into efficiency and dominance.

Tristan has certainly come a long way from the skinny high school freshman who was once dwarfed by his brother Gage. Recalled Tristan, “I came to a lot of games. That’s actually how I got my offer. I was pretty small my freshman, sophomore and junior years. I showed up to watch a game at Briar Cliff and Coach came up after and said, ‘Hey, you’ve gotten pretty big. We should get you in for a visit.’ I went on a visit and committed pretty soon after that. But yeah, I watched Gage play here all three years before I came here. I came to a lot of games with my dad.”

It was during Gage’s ‘COVID Year’ of 2022-23 that Tristan was dealt a dose of adversity. In a late December game in Chickasha, Okla., Tristan came down awkwardly on his ankle. It was the type of injury that makes one’s stomach churn when watching on replay. His ankle twisted in a direction completely unnatural to the human body (Gage took himself out of the game and accompanied Tristan to the hospital). In another show of Tristan’s freakish athleticism, he returned to play in the national tournament in March of 2023. It meant Tristan had one last opportunity to play alongside Gage at the collegiate level.

At that point, Tristan’s game was just beginning to take flight. He averaged 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore before returning from the injury to average 18.0 points and 9.3 rebounds as a junior in 2023-24. Tristan had become widely known as one of the top players in the GPAC. A potentially devastating injury had been averted.

“A lot of people go through big injuries in college,” Smith said. “A lot of it is just building the confidence back in that ankle and trusting it again when I jumped and landed – not thinking about it. The coaches threw me back into it as quickly as possible, so I didn’t have time to think about it. That was really helpful in terms of the mental side of things.”

Now two years removed from that injury, Smith looks as dynamic and refined as ever. His post moves are more fluid and difficult to defend, and he has the savviness of someone with 89 games of college experience under his belt. He’s become so much more than just a single highlight – he’s a walking highlight reel who ranks among the GPAC leaders in virtually every major statistical category. But he’ll never live down ‘the alley-oop,’ no matter what happens moving forward.

Says Tristan, “My dad definitely brings it up a fair amount with new people for sure. That was definitely a pretty special moment and one that is tough to back up the next few years of college when you have an event like that happen your freshman year. It was a special moment against a great team.”

For Tristan and his family, the special nature of the relationship with Concordia and its community will be greater than any one singular moment on the hardwood. Tristan and the Smith family have embraced the entire experience, and it has embraced them back. Tristan is the type of guy who is willing to give anyone and everyone the time of day. He’s also the team’s representative on the Bulldog Council of Student-Athletes and a fine example of a Christian man.

There’s something extra about Tristan. As Gage had remarked during his final season as a Bulldog, “T-Ray is really good. He could have gone D-I, so I think it’s pretty cool he came to Concordia to play with me. It’s been a great ride.”

Gage’s ride continued with social media fame as the MVP of SlamBall and has carried on to the next adventures that life has to offer. For Tristan, there’s a second semester of basketball that he plans to make the most of. Rest assured, there will be more thunderous dunks coming to an arena near you. Along with the emphatic jams will be the simultaneous roars heard from Lance, Michelle, Gage, Kylee and Haley, as well as a certain girl named Bree. There’s nowhere else the Smiths would rather be.