ENID — When NOC Enid’s hardwood coaches asked basketball player Ben Smith to move from the inside to the outside last year, he more than met the challenge.

Smith averages a double-double in scoring and rebounding each time he takes the court and was a preseason All-American this year for the Jets.

“He’s turned into a guard,” NOC Enid coach Greg Shamburg said. “He didn’t shoot any three’s in high school. Now, he’s shooting close to 42 percent. He’s turned into a really good player.”

Smith already owns the school’s career marks for scoring and rebounding.

Smith has netted 1,088 points in his 54-game career, breaking NOC Enid’s record of 983 points set by Jeremy Lay in 2007-09.

Smith also has 633 rebounds, which tops the school mark of 426 set by Wayne Runnels in 2007-09.

“He’ll put up numbers that’ll probably never been beaten because he put up such good numbers his freshman year,” Shamburg said about the record. “He puts up big numbers.”

Shamburg said Smith’s game last year was a hidden gem in the Jets’ run through Region II last season. Smith, then a freshman, worked on improving his game while sophomores shouldered the load.

“He likes to play the game,” said Shamburg. “If you say, ‘Hey, here’s a weakness,’ He’ll work on it. So he’s made the adjustment a lot better than most kids do.”

Smith averages 19.6 points a game this year, 24th in the NJCAA ranks. He also averages 11.5 rebounds a game, which is sixth nationally. Smith averaged 20.1 points a game and 11.8 rebounds a game last season.

Not surprisingly, college recruiters have been watching Smith.  Among those teams which offered Smith are Creighton, Texas Christian and Georgia State. Smith said he won’t make a decision on where to attend school until after the season.

Smith rates his game so far this season as fair.

“I’ve been playing all right,” Smith said. “My teammates have been doing a good job getting me into the game and getting the ball.”

This year, Smith has adjusted to a different Jets cast, which have affected his numbers. Thirteen freshmen dot the club’s roster this season. Smith’s now the older guy waiting for the freshmen to develop. He thinks the squad has improved since the beginning of the season.

“I’ve seen us develop in spurts,” Smith said.  “We’ll play well and then not so well. Once we reach our full potential, I think we’ll be a pretty good team.”

And how far that may lead? Smith believes he and his fellow Jets have the potential to reach nationals.

“If we can come together as a team, we can do it,” Smith said.

Smith not only excels on the court, but in the classroom at NOC Enid. The childhood-education major has been on the Dean’s list since he first arrived last year on campus.

“He’s a great basketball player but he’s a better kid,” said Shamburg. “He never misses class, never late, good GPA. He’s got well over 3.5 He’s a great kid. We’d take 10 of him every year.”