May 17, 2005
Texas A&M signee Eddie Smith of Moberly Area Community College has been named National Player of the Year by the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Smith, a 6-2, 185-pound guard originally from Springfield, Ill., earned first-team All-America honors after leading the team to a 30-7 record and the national championship game. Smith was named most valuable player of NJCAA Region 16 after leading the region in scoring (18.2), assists (6.0) and steals (3.5). He also added 4.7 rebounds per contest. In addition, Smith was named to the NJCAA all-tournament team.
In 2003-04, Smith was one of just five freshmen to be named All-America, earning honorable mention honors, and was a first-team all-region selection. Smith is one of just four players in Moberly Area CC history to twice earn All-America citations and is the first since 1967. Moberly has produced 19 NBA players, including former all-stars Mitch Richmond and Gerald Wilkins.
"Eddie is a fierce competitor, whether he's playing a coach one-on-one or playing in the national championship game," Moberly coach Mark Bernsen said. "He plays to win every possession and is a hard matchup because of his quickness and basketball IQ. He's one of the few guys I've ever coached who can change a game at both ends of the court."