The greatest rebounder and shot blocker in the history of Nebraska women's basketball, Janet Smith owns four of the top 10 single-season block totals in school history to rank first on the Husker career chart with 238 blocks.
The 6-2 center from Omaha Burke High School provided a truly dominant presence inside during the early years of Husker basketball. Along with ranking first all time in blocks, Smith holds a commanding lead on Nebraska's all-time charts with 1,280 boards and a 9.4 rebound per game average during her career. Smith's 136 games played also rank first at Nebraska, while her 122 career starts rank sixth on NU's all-time list.
Smith earned a spot on the Big Eight Conference All-Tournament team in 1979-80, along with Husker teammate Diane DelVigna.
Smith produced one of the best seasons in Nebraska history by averaging 14.4 points, 13.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game in 1980-81. She scored a career high with 22 points, while pulling down 14 rebounds in an 82-81 loss to Iowa State at the Big Eight Tournament in Lawrence, Kan., on Jan. 16, 1981. She added a 22-point performance in an 83-65 win over Central Missouri at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Jan. 23, 1981.
Smith set the Nebraska and Devaney Center single-game record with 25 rebounds in a 74-64 win over Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 19, 1980. She grabbed 20 or more rebounds in a single game on two other occasions, including 21 boards in a 72-60 win over South Dakota on Jan. 30, 1981, and 20 rebounds in a 65-64 win over Northwestern on Nov. 29, 1980.
Smith is a high school administrator in the Kansas City area.
Smith's Career Statistics
|
Year |
G-GS |
FG-FGA |
Pct. |
3P-3PA |
Pct. |
FT-FTA |
Pct. |
TRB-Avg. |
Pts-Avg. |
| 1978-79 |
34-23 |
92-194 |
.474 |
NA |
NA |
35-53 |
.660 |
201-5.9 |
219-6.4 |
| 1979-80 |
40-40 |
148-326 |
.453 |
NA |
NA |
48-94 |
.510 |
372-9.3 |
344-8.6 |
| 1980-81 |
31-31 |
205-404 |
.507 |
NA |
NA |
35-72 |
.486 |
417-13.5 |
445-14.4 |
| 1981-82 | 31-28 | 124-283 | .438 | NA | NA | 28-49 | .571 | 290-9.4 | 276-8.9 |
|
Career |
136-122 |
569-1, 207 |
.471 |
NA |
NA |
146-268 |
.544 |
1, 280-9.4 |
1,284-9.4 |