Jacksonville University recently issued the following announcement.
Jacksonville University is pleased to announce the jersey retirement ceremony of former men's basketball standout Ben Smith on November 13, 2021.
The electric guard excelled for the Dolphins from 2006-10, helping the team to consecutive ASUN Regular Season Championships and back-to-back National Invitational Tournament appearances, culminating in his dramatic three-pointer to beat Arizona State in the NIT First Round in 2010.
The jersey retirement ceremony is scheduled for November 13, with a small gathering taking place prior to the game vs. North Carolina A&T at 2 p.m. and a community recognition taking place at halftime. Smith's number three jersey banner will be hung in the rafters next to the other six retired jerseys in the history of the men's basketball program, as well as Anne Morton from volleyball.
Smith was a four-time All-ASUN selection leading the team in scoring his final three years on campus. He made First Team All-Conference his sophomore through senior seasons, and was additionally an All-ASUN Freshman Team choice in 2007 and an All-Tournament Team pick in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, he was named Preseason ASUN Player of the Year.
The second-leading scorer all-time in the history of the program, he finished his career with 1,971 points, trailing only Ralph Tiner (1962-65) in the JU record book. He is also sixth all-time in points scored in a single-season, compiling 652 in the 2009-10 campaign.
His name is littered throughout the well-decorated record book, as he is the all-time leader in free throws made (609), assists (515), steals (230) and three-point attempts in a career (625), second in three-point field goals made in a career (220), fifth in career field goals attempted (1,407) and fourth in three-pointers made in a season (81), among others. No Dolphin logged more career minutes (4,472) or minutes in a season (1,237) and he is fifth in most career games played (125) in a Jacksonville uniform.
As his number three goes into the rafters, it joins previous retired greats Roger Strickland (52), Artis Gilmore (53), Rex Morgan (24), James Ray (43), Otis Smith (32) and Dee Brown (4).
Original source can be found here.
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