JR Smith Enrolls At North Carolina A&T University With Hopes of Playing Sports
North Carolina A&T University is getting a new student. Former NBA player, JR Smith has enrolled at the HBCU. He made the decision after chatting with basketball Hall of Famer, Ray Allen. “We had a little golf trip in [the Dominican Republic] and he was talking about some of the things he was doing, about going back to school and challenging yourself for us athletes. I really took heed to it and decided to go back and one of the best liberal studies programs is at A&T.”
In addition to going back to school, Smith wants to join the university’s men’s golf team. He has petitioned the NCAA to be eligible to play. Smith might still have an opportunity to compete as a collegiate athlete because he went to the NBA after high school. NCAA rules state “an individual shall not be eligible for intercollegiate athletics in a sport if the individual ever competed on a professional team in that sport.” However, the rule does not address former pro athletes that compete in a different sport.
Now officials are looking for Smith’s academic records (since it’s been 17 years since his senior year of high school) and working with him on his eligibility.
