Dennis Smith's lone season at North Carolina State was one to forget. The Wolfpack went a disappointing 15-17, and Smith, while productive, was hardly the program-changing superstar many thought he would be. Two years later, North Carolina State continues to reel from the fallout of his brief time in Raleigh.
The Wolfpack have been targeted in the pay-for-play scandal that continues to rock college basketball. According to the NCAA, a representative for Adidas, the school's athletic outfitter, paid assistant coach Orlando Early to give to Smith's family in return for him to attend North Carolina State. With the investigation into the alleged misdeeds in full swing, Smith has reportedly told investigators he was never aware of any payment made to one of his family members.
“Smith, the ACC freshman of the year in 2016-17 and the No. 9 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, told NC State officials that he didn't know former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola, whom the NCAA has accused of providing $40,000 from Adidas to former Wolfpack assistant Orlando Early to give to Smith's family in October 2015,” writes ESPN's Mark Schlabach.
“Smith told NC State officials that he wasn't aware of the payment Gassnola allegedly made or any payments from Early or former Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried, who is now coaching at Cal State Northridge.”
Smith, the No. 9 overall pick of the 2017 draft, averaged 14.7 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game with the Knicks last season, putting up an ugly true shooting percentage of 47.3 in 21 appearances. He was acquired by New York in late January as a centerpiece of the blockbuster trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks.
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