Chadwick’s breakout star on the Cardinals’ road to their state championship could have easily remained anonymous simply because of the all-too common nature of his name.
Tristan Smith’s birth certificate actually reads John Tristan Smith. But everybody knows him as Tristan.
“I didn't want to go around having everyone know my name is John Smith,” he said about the decision to go by his middle name. “You look up the most common name and it's John Smith. You see credit card commercials with the default name John Smith.”
Smith distinguished himself enough during his junior season to join his Chadwick teammate, Clayton Garrison, on the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association’s Class 1 All-State Team, released earlier this week.
Garrison, a repeat All-State selection, is the Class 1 Player Of the Year.
Smith averaged 13.9 points and 3.5 assists a game while helping Chadwick to a single-season school-record 29 wins. His shining moment was a game-winning 3-point goal in the Cardinals’ 52-49 State semifinal win against Green City.
Smith posted 28 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five steals at the Final Four.
He was quick to thank his father for his success.
“My Dad is the main reason why I'm here and I can do what I do,” Tristan said. “He built me up so I could be a better player. He played basketball (as a youth), but quit because he had to work. He's wanted me to experience what he couldn’t.”
Tristan’s father is also named John Smith. His friends call him by his middle name, Travis.
“He feels the same way I do about (John Smith),” Tristan said.
Tristan’s grandfather is another John Smith.
Another namesake will be in the family’s future, with Tristan planning to name his first son John Smith.
“I’ve got to keep (the trend) going and punish him, too, right out of the womb,” Tristan said with a laugh. “(His middle name) will have to start with Tr. I’ve got to keep that going, too. I'll think of something. Hopefully, I've got a lot of time before that.”
Garrison put a capper on his junior season by collecting 24 points, 15 rebounds, five steals and four assists in Chadwick’s state championship victory versus Braymer.
Garison averaged 22 points and 10.5 rebounds a game on his way to reaching 1,500 career points.
Chadwick opponents also on the Class 1 All-State Team include Braymer’s Jordan Haley, Green City’s Asher Buggs-Tipton and Xander Salas, Niangua’s Ethan Scheetz, Richland’s Tucker Hughes and South Iron’s Marquise Burse and Sawyer Huff.
Chadwick’s Shawn Guerin is the Class 1 Coach Of the Year.
On the girls side, Chadwick junior guards Kerrigan Guerin and Rae Little are both Class 1 All-State selections.
Class 3 All-State selections include Sparta senior forward Jacob Lafferty and Clever senior guard Ireland Jones.
