WATCH TAB Courtside 1v1 on SBS with Megan Hustwaite weekly on Thursday from 7pm (AEDT) via , or catch up via , or at the top of this article.
Despite being the daughter of former NBL star Darren Smith, and the niece of three-time champion Jason, Alanna’s path to the court wasn’t as straight-forward as some might think.
“I didn’t seriously get into basketball until I was 14,” Smith said, during the latest episode of TAB Courtside 1v1 on SBS.
“I don’t think my dad wanted to force me into it, so I played tennis, I played soccer and then finally found my way back to the basketball court.
“I remember my very, very first basketball training session at the (Nunawading) Spectres – I walked in, I was late, and everybody was already doing ball-handling drills with two balls.
“I walked in and I was just shocked - I started crying, I looked at my dad and I was like: ‘dad, I can't even dribble one ball and they’re dribbling two!’
“And that was how my basketball career started – it started off real rocky.
“But as I progressed through juniors and everything at Nunawading, I improved really, really quickly.
“I kind of found a love for the game and I kind of unlocked this competitive side that I didn't know I had.”
Smith’s competitive edge and persistence eventually led her to Stanford, where an impressive collegiate career catapulted her to the WNBA as the eighth overall pick in the 2019 draft.
The 24-year-old is now heading into her third season with the Mercury but will first travel to Tokyo, where the Opals will hope to win an Olympic gold medal for the very first time.
A talented forward standing six feet, three inches tall, Smith first represented Australia’s senior side as a 20-year-old – an experience, even upon reflection, she believes “words can’t describe”.
“Representing your country, wearing the colours, it’s always just a huge amount of pride,” she said.
“It’s such an honour first of all and I’m so proud to be able to represent my country and play amongst the best of the best.
“Playing at a world-stage competition like the World Championships or when we were playing at the (FIBA Women’s) Asia Cup, I think we're just really lucky – I felt really, really, really lucky to be able to be there.
“Being able to be amongst a group of Aussie girls playing Australian basketball felt really good. It felt natural, it was just so much fun.
“Playing for the Opals has always been number one, so much fun.”
With preparation for the Olympics now pivotal during the coronavirus pandemic, Smith will look to reunite with her Opals teammates on the Gold Coast for a week-long training camp, commencing March 22.
WATCH the next episode of TAB Courtside 1v1 on SBS with Megan Hustwaite on Thursday, March 25 at 7pm (AEDT) via , or catch up via .
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Smith discussed numerous topics with Hustwaite, including the following:
0:42 - Growing up with a dad and uncle who played at the highest level
1:50 - Grew up in basketball stadiums
2:27 - First training session at the famous Nunawading Spectres. Got off to a rocky start
3:48 - Took it upon herself to reach out to colleges to express her interest in a US scholarship
4:07 - Stanford was the dream, she emailed them for three months and was later accepted
7:46 - How college shaped her as an athlete and person
9:27 - Representing the Opals for the first time and what it meant
11:00 - Low on confidence in her first two years at college but Aussie coach Sandy Brondello filled her with confidence
12:53 - Draft day 2019 and going as a first-round WNBA pick
15:00 - Playing for Brondello with the Opals and Phoenix Mercury
16:00 - Why the 'Wubble' (WNBA bubble) was really tough
16:30 - "I struggled with that"
17:30 - Surgery stopped her playing in the WNBL for the first time but allowed her to mentally refresh after the 'Wubble'
18:24 - Ready for the upcoming WNBA season
19:18 - Olympic dream is now within reach
20:16 - Talking smack with Diana Taurasi about Australia v USA
SBS will again broadcast multiple regular-season NBA games per week in HD on SBS VICELAND and streamed live via SBS On Demand. Plus, every game of the upcoming 2020-21 NBL season will be LIVE, FREE and in HD via , with select games also live on SBS VICELAND.
