Tears to triumph: Smith’s journey to a second Olympics

Her first rep team tryout ended in tears, now Australian Opals star Alanna Smith is heading to a second Olympics. Her father, former Hobart Devil and current Jackies front office member Darren, reflects on her journey to the top.

Alanna Smith in action during her first Olympics at Tokyo. Picture: Adam Head

She’s about to become a dual Olympian, but Hobart-born Alanna Smith’s first experience at trying to make a representative team didn’t go to script.

About to try out for the Nunawading Spectres under-14s, the 12-year-old burst into tears as she watched the other youngsters complete a drill.

“I was late and everyone was dribbling two balls at the same time. I looked at my dad and started bawling. I said ‘Dad, I can’t even dribble one ball’,” she told her WNBA team Minnesota Lynx’s podcast ‘Lynx Unleashed’ this week.

“If you try and put effort in that’s half the battle, and I think that shows in how I play too. I play with so much effort, I want to compete at every level.”

Her dad is former Hobart Devil Darren Smith, now chief operating officer at the JackJumpers.

He remembers that day like it was yesterday.

“It was her first rep tryout. She tried it (dribbling two balls) and failed, and burst into tears. It was a battle to keep her on the court, but she stuck with it.

“I was just trying to pick up the pieces.”

Alanna Smith as a youngster. Picture: Supplied

It’s fair to say the family were more confident in her selection hopes for Paris after a stellar first season with the high-flying Lynx.

Traditionally a power forward, Smith has played centre and is averaging around 12 points, five rebounds and three assists per game.

“We were confident and we’d already bought flights so we rolled the dice,” Darren, who played 211 NBL games, said.

“She didn’t get picked for the World Cup so we were always on edge a little bit. But the way she’s been playing, it was going to be very difficult not to pick her.

“She was bitterly disappointed (missing the World Cup) and values the opportunity to play for Australia very highly. She doesn’t take it for granted and was keen to get back in the mix.”

The Smiths moved to the mainland when Alanna was very young after Darren accepted a contract with Sydney Kings.

She grew up in Melbourne, went to school at Wesley College and played for US college Stanford University.

Alanna Smith playing for Stanford. Picture: Supplied

After being named an All American she was taken at pick eight in the 2019 WNBA Draft by Phoenix Mercury.

After some early growing pains in the league, she had a breakout season with Chicago last year before fitting in seamless into a Lynx outfit which has started the season with a 16-6 record.

“When she was about 15 I kind of knew we had something on our hands that could be pretty good,” Darren said.

“At that stage she’d been playing basketball for a few years. I spent a lot of time with her individually and before school, just a bunch of hours working on her skills.

“She grew to six-four and was a good athlete and when you put these bits and pieces together, it comes out as a decent basketball player.”

He is proud of Alanna’s resilience in finding her feet in the world’s best league.

Alanna Smith in action with WNBA team Minnesota last month. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

“It (moving to American for college) was tougher than she expected. She got homesick and got sick, her first year was difficult,” he said.

“She matured a bit and got used to things, and by the time she finished she was All American and number eight in the draft.

“In the WNBA it’s something she’s had to battle through, work out her position on a team and add value where she can.

“It’s taken a few years to find the right group and coach. Chicago last year was the breakout, and now she’s continuing that at Minnesota.”

Darren’s twin brother, Jason, played in two Olympics and won Commonwealth Games gold with the Boomers in 2006.

He met his wife Simone through basketball, with her sister Jo Straatsma a former championship player with now-defunct WNBL side Hobart Islanders.

Darren hopes the experiences he can relay to Alanna from his eight-year NBL career has helped her on her journey.

Alanna Smith with dad and former Hobart Devil Darren.

“We’ll talk often after games and critique things, and when she’s back in Austrlaia work on some individual stuff she wants to develop,” he said.

“She trusts my opinion and I’m honest with her, I don’t sugar coat stuff. It’s in her benefit to hear some of that, and she knows I’m coming from a place of wanting her to fulfil her full potential.”

Darren said experiencing the ups and downs of Alanna’s career makes moments like her second Olympic selection more significant.

It isn’t lost on him how special it is to experience her professional journey after a life spent loving the sport himself.

“Younger daughter Andie, 15, already six-foot-three played for Tasmania at the under-18 national championships this year.

“For parents of an elite athlete it’s a roller coaster journey,” he said.

“When they’re playing well and get picked for Olympics that’s the really polished side that everyone likes to experience.

“We’ve been down the other side too when things aren’t going particularly well or there’s injuries.

Alanna Smith in 2022. Picture: Evan Morgan

“You see all the sacrifices the athlete and the family makes, it’s very difficult. We’ve got an appreciation for all of that and we’re super proud.

“It’s a fun journey and particularly for me, coming from a basketball background sharing that with her. It’s quite fulfilling for me as well.”

Given her size and the fact she’s also a front court player, Andie attracts comparisons to her famous sister.

“She’s a good athlete too, but we’ll see,” Darren said.

“It’s unfair for Andie to have that comparison. It’s an obvious one, but she’s her own person and will work out her own path.

Tasmanian basketballer Andie Smith with dad Darren. Mike Farnell

“When she was younger it was something she found quite difficult. A ten-year-old running around on the court and people are asking her are you going to play in the WNBA, and she just wanted to run around with her friends.

“As she gets older she’s looking to get better and will take advice from her sister.”

Smith didn’t need his arm twisted much to accept the Jackies COO role late last year, having moved back to Tasmania from Melbourne.

“It was one conversation and I was hooked,” he said.

“I was excited to get involved in the place it all started for me, it was a fairy tale full circle moment.

Darren Smith speaking during the JackJumpers’ championship celebrations. (Photo by Simon Sturzaker/Getty Images)

“I’d done bits and pieces with them as an ex-player, but it was so exciting to see this thing built from scratch and the performance from day one was unbelievable.

“It’s really nice to see the whole state is proud of these guys and what they’ve achieved.

“My first year (of three) with the Devils (in 1994), we only won two games but it’s definitely the most enjoyable team I played with.

“I really identified with the community and the team, and my wife’s family is here. It was always calling us back.”

But would Alanna consider herself a Tasmanian if asked?

“I think it would be a tough one,” Darren said.

“She knows she was born here, has bought some property here and comes back here, but she spent most of her formative years in Melbourne.

“She’s a bit of a hybrid.”