Exclusive: Braden Smith’s family reflects on journey at Purdue WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — “It’s been nothing short of spectacular.” Purdue senior guard Braden Smith has had the career of a lifetime with the Boilermakers. Smith has shot, stole and passed his way into the hearts of Purd ue fans for the last four years. But his life didn’t start out that way, even with two basketball players – and coaches – as parents. “He wanted nothing to do with basketball, so for both of us, being a college basketball player, loving the game, it was like, ‘Man, what do we do?'” Smith’s father Dustin said. “We moved back to Indiana, and he came to us and said, ‘Man, I want to start playing basketball.’ So we’re like, ‘Thank goodness.’ So here we are.” It took some time, but once Smith hit middle school, you could tell he was on another level. “He would make a pass and you’d be like, ‘How did he see that?’ Or you know, ‘Where did that come from?'” his mother Ginny Smith said. “That just became more and more prevalent in what he was doing, and I think the more that you watched him, the more that you could see like he just saw the game a little bit differently than maybe his teammates were seeing the game.” That certainly didn’t stop when he playing at Westfield High School. Smith was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball after leading the Rocks in scoring and assists. Despite his success at Westfield, it took until late April his junior year for a Power 4 school to call. It was Purdue, and Smith’s decision was made immediately. “I think in his mind, he was like, ‘This is my shot. I could win a national championship there,'” Ginny said. “We wanted him to understand, ‘Are you willing to go somewhere and sit on the bench because that could happen, and you’ve never had to do that before.’ … His response was classic. He’s like, ‘Why would I sit on the bench?’ “He has some resolve about him. He was like, ‘I’m going to go to Purdue, and I’m going to start,'” Ginny said. That’s exactly what he did, and he’s started every game since. “This has been unbelievable,” Dustin said “Just the coaching staff, the fans, the players, all the families around, all the fans, all the Purdue fans from around the U.S., like when they come up and they talk to us, it’s been unbelievable. I don’t know if I could’ve scripted this.” “I tell Braden all the time, ‘Thanks for taking us on this journey with you.'” Ginny said. “That’s kind of what he’s done. He has allowed us to be a part of something special with a really, really great group of guys.” It’s also been special for his younger brother Maddox, who’s currently an 8th grader at Westfield Middle School. He said the coolest part about being All-American Braden Smith’s younger brother is the chance to break his records. “Knowing that I need to be better than he is, I’d say (is the coolest part),” Maddox said. “When he comes home, we go to the gym. We play one-on-one, trying to beat him. I’ve come close a couple times, but I’ll get there. He wouldn’t let me win. If it comes down to anything – it could be a dollar on the line, he’s still not letting me win. So he’s very competitive.” The competitive fire has fueled Braden to be just two assists away from breaking the NCAA’s all-time record. “It’s surreal. I mean, I don’t know how else to describe it,” Ginny said. “I don’t even know if I can articulate what it’s going to feel like.” “Seeing your son’s name as No. 1 is going to be… it’s awesome, right?” Dustin said. “And the way he did it. Braden is so unselfish, to a fault sometimes… He just wants to win. and if he’s got to go out and score 25 to win, he’ll do it, but he loves seeing his teammates be successful. Like, he gets so much joy out of that.” “I think what probably makes us the proudest is, you know, he’s just a kid that has been overlooked because his metrics don’t meet whatever… He’s not passing any eye tests, right?” Ginny said. “So I think for us, it’s a testament to what hard work, what resiliency, a grittiness can get you.” Perhaps even that elusive national championship. ...read more read less