By Blake Chadwick

Coming in as one of the better teams in Class 2A, the Bennington Bulldogs had a lot of hype surrounding their name because of the amount of talent they brought back.

Mister Smith was one of those key players for the Bulldogs.

The senior is an all-around player who plays the forward spot for the Bulldogs and is very efficient, as he is currently averaging 14 points and seven rebounds per game. But the numbers aren’t what will satisfy him.

“My goal this season is to better myself,” Smith said. “I feel like I still have a lot of potential left. So every day is room for improvement.”

Smith has been playing basketball since first grade. For the better part of that time, he’s been playing with his fellow seniors, Eli Lawson, Talan Pickering and Kian Wilson.

“We seem to know each other’s strengths, and using that allows us to play smoothly together,” Smith said.

He, Lawson, and Pickering were a group that were “thrown into the fire” as freshmen and have been playing great basketball ever since.

“Playing with these guys for a long time is almost every hooper’s dream,” Smith said.  “Not only growing up with your best friends but also playing with them for that long truly is the best feeling in the world.”