Kendall Smith Finds Redemption Since Being Benched After K-State Game

It was after a disappointing loss in Manhattan that Mike Boynton called his team’s performance “gutless.” It was after the Cowboys gave up 53 second-half points to a 1-2 Big 12 team without its starting point guard that the rookie head coach laid out his feelings.

“Credit K-State for grinding it out and winning, but to be honest, it was a pretty gutless performance by my team,” Boynton said. “I have never been more disappointed than I am today since I became the head coach at Oklahoma State.”

And it was after that game that Kendall Smith lost his job as OSU’s starting point guard.

Smith, the fifth-year journeyman who had put up video game numbers at Cal State-Northridge, went just 5 for 15 with a steal, an assist and a turnover in 27 minutes. Now he was going to come off the bench and spell sophomore Brandon Averette.

But instead of pouting or causing a problem in the locker room — instead of listening to the outside noise — Smith approached his coach in humility.

After scoring 4 total points in a combined 27 minutes against Texas and Baylor, Smith played the role of Bedlam hero in his third game off of the bench. He scored 20 points on 16 shots including a couple of buzzer-beaters to end each half (and the 3 that sent the Cowboys to overtime). He was also tasked with getting a hand in the face of would-be spoiler Trae Young.

“I’m sure there a lot of people telling Kendall that ‘Coach should not have benched you’, that ‘you should be playing more’ or ‘you’re better than this guy’ and he never takes into that,” said Boynton.

“He came into my office and said, ‘Hey coach, help me. How can I get better? Let’s watch some film. What am I not doing well?'”

The question was sincere and that attitude has proven to have paid off. Smith stayed engage throughout his time on the bench and continued to find a way to help his team.

Here’s a look at Smith’s splits from starts to coming off of the bench and back.

After a total of five games on the bench, Boynton inserted Smith back into the starting lineup for a chance at the toughest environment the fifth-year player had faced during his career — a Saturday tilt inside Allen Fieldhouse.

He paid it off with a big-time performance, leading all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting (2 of 3 from 3) and grabbing five boards and dishing five assists. It earned him Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, the upset win and made a developing trend very apparent.

Kendall Smith shows up for big games.

The Cowboys’ second-leading scorer has hit the 20-point mark four times this season and three of them were in wins against Oklahoma, Kansas and West Virginia.

Oklahoma State welcomes Kansas State on Wednesday night for a chance to win consecutive conference games for the first time this season and to step up into the top four of the toughest league in college basketball. For Smith, it’s a chance to prove what happened following the trip to Manhattan doesn’t define him. For Smith, this might just be another big game.