Temple’s AJ Smith hits 1,000-point milestone in his final year. He looks to check off more boxes.
The senior guard is playing at his third school after joining the Owls this offseason from the College of Charleston. He has a different role at Temple, but his focus is the same: playing in March.
Before Temple’s season opener against Delaware State on Nov. 5, guard AJ Smith was on the verge of a career milestone. Smith, who transferred in from the College of Charleston this offseason, entered with 992 career points — just shy of 1,000.
“It was on my mind a little bit at Charleston because I realized that the season was coming to an end, that I could potentially get there,” said Smith, who’s averaging 10 points in two games with the Owls. “When I came in here this season, I had no idea. I completely forgot about it.”
When he checked into the game against the Hornets, Smith took the first half to get into rhythm. He then scored eight of his 10 points in the second half to surpass 1,000 career points.
When Smith got back to the locker room, he was just happy the Owls secured the win. Personal accomplishments are great, Smith said, but the native of Charlotte, N.C., says his main focus is helping Temple win in his final collegiate season.
In a world where the transfer portal moves at a quick pace, Smith decided to take his time in deciding his next destination, which would be his third school. The senior guard entered the portal on April 1 after one season at Charleston. He averaged 11.5 points and started 22 games for the Cougars. Smith played his first two seasons of college ball at The Citadel, where he started in all 29 games and averaged 16.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in the 2023-24 season.
Temple coach Adam Fisher was one of the first people to reach out to Smith and had him visit North Philadelphia early in the process.
» READ MORE: Temple shows it has several players who can score in a rout of La Salle
“When you enter the transfer portal your phone goes crazy,” Fisher said. “You get so many schools calling you. ... We were one of the schools that called him early. I think his process was longer than some would be, but everybody’s different. We wanted him to take his time and make sure he chooses.”
Fisher and Smith reconnected during the summer, and the Owls used Smith’s ties to the area as part of their recruiting pitch. His grandparents are from Media, while his mother went to Temple and his uncle, Wayne Williams, is a professor in the Fox School of Business.
Fisher even joked with Smith’s mother that she doesn’t need to buy any Temple gear since she already has some. However, AJ didn’t need much convincing. He was already bought into Fisher’s vision for the team.
Fisher went into the transfer portal looking to bolster a defense that allowed 77.7 points per game last season, while adding a scoring touch.
The stars aligned with Smith, who committed on June 11.
“I looked at schools all over the country, from every different level,” Smith said. “I actually talked to [assistant coach Bobby] Jordan and Coach Fish early and I didn’t commit immediately. The fact that they were still on me and still wanted me to be part of their program after some time showed me that they were serious and they had a potential vision for me that could mutually benefit both of us.”
Smith joined a team that had 10 other new pieces. While the amount of new players could be hard to adjust to, it was simple for Smith, he said, and made it easy for Temple to create a foundation.
The new depth also put Smith in a position he was unfamiliar with: coming off the bench.
» READ MORE: Temple showcases its new talent and look in a season-opening win against Delaware State
However, that doesn’t matter to him. What matters is how he can impact the game when he does step on the court.
“He’s a super mature young man,” Fisher said. “Everything he does is professional. The way he attacks class, the way he attacks practice, film, you name it. I think that experience is great. It also helps younger guys: When you see a guy that acts professionally, this is the standard. This is what we’re supposed to do, and he’s a great example for all our guys.”
Smith’s main goal is to help Temple make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
“Temple has a great and rich history,” he said. “They’ve had a lot of good players come through here, but they haven’t been to the tournament in a while and haven’t really made a run. We’re looking to do that. I think just with our defensive identity, when it comes to March, if you can get stops you can be in every game. I think we put ourselves in a good position to be victorious in just about every game we play.”