For the past few days, the Marcus Smart fiasco has had college basketball fans in an uproar.
Since Smart pushed a heckling Texas Tech fan during the late moments of his team’s loss Saturday night, critics have condemned the Oklahoma State guard for his behavior and lack of self-control.
The sophomore has begun to earn the contentious label that Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) and other examples before and after him have seen stick with their careers.
But Billy Donovan, who coached Smart with the U.S. national team, does not view him as a troublemaker. When asked about Smart on Monday, the Florida coach sympathized with the Cowboys point guard and called the situation “unfortunate.”
“Obviously, I think as [Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford] mentioned, he crossed the line; it’s something he shouldn’t have done,” Donovan said. “But I think, to echo what Travis said, he is a great kid. I never had one bit of a problem with him, coaching him for the two years with USA.
“I remember the first year we had him, there were a couple of games where we were up by 30, 40 points at halftime. I told him because we had to play five games in a row, I said, ‘Marcus I’m not playing you in the second half.’ ... ‘No problem, Coach, whatever I can do to help.’ He’s always been that kind of kid.
“What people saw from him in that situation against Texas Tech to me is totally uncharacteristic. I never saw anything like that, ever, coaching him.”
On Sunday, the Big 12 suspended Smart, Oklahoma State’s leading scorer with 17.5 points per game, for three games for pushing the fan.
But Saturday night was not an isolated incident for Smart.
After picking up his second foul during the first half of a victory against West Virginia on Jan. 25, Smart walked to the bench and repeatedly kicked a chair in frustration.
An NBA Draft lottery-caliber talent, Smart decided to stay in Stillwater, Okla., for his second season after Oregon knocked his team out of the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
Donovan believes the heightened expectations surrounding Smart during his sophomore season have affected him mentally.
He compared Smart’s situation to one a former player of his, Joakim Noah, experienced after deciding to wait on the NBA Draft and remain at Florida for his junior season following a national championship in 2006.
“Because he was a top-five pick a year ago, you feel like you have to play like a top-five pick. Whatever that looks like in his mind, what happens is you can never reach that level,” Donovan said.
“Whether he thinks he has to score 30 points or have 10 assists, five steals, it’s not going to happen. But you feel this unbelievable pressure and I saw it with Noah. When Noah came back after his sophomore year, the pressure he felt to perform every game was totally out of control. Him, he made it out of control.
“And I told Joakim this: ‘You cannot allow people to rob you of your happiness playing the game.’ And I think in some ways, Marcus has allowed some happiness to be robbed from him a little bit in this whole process of coming back, not going, maybe not playing like they want to.
“I saw it with Joakim. Joakim hit the NCAA tournament as a sophomore like a lightning rod. We were unranked, everybody loved the kid, and then once the next year started, he was like completely a complete villain, like chest pumping and all that stuff. But he did that since he was a freshman.
“What happens is that gets very confusing for young guys, and Marcus is a young kid and he’s a competitor, and he wants to win and I think he’s one of those guys that just kind of keep on grinding. There’s no question his emotions got the best of him.”
Follow Landon Watnick on Twitter @LandonWatnick.
OSU basketball player Marcus Smart addresses the media at a news conference in Stillwater, Okla., Sunday in regard to an altercation during a game the day before.
