The Island of Misfit Toys

We all remember that TV seasonal classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." And who could forget when Rudolph stumbles upon the Island of Misfit Toys? There's Hermey, the elf, who wants to be a dentist, and the mysterious Misfit Girl Doll, who, to this day, we have no idea why she was an outcast.

ANYWAY, all season we have been watching closely the maturation of Ishmael Smith, the short (5-11) and light (155 lbs) and young (only a freshman) guard for unheralded Weak Forest. Tonight, as we watched Smith, who grows in confidence each game, slash and share and shoot against a very good Virginia Tech team, we came to the conclusion that he reminds us of Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys(IOMT). Stay with us here.

Remember that when Rudolph got to the IOMT that he found a bunch of toys that were down-and-out. They were outcasts and losers. Taking a leap here, that's pretty much what Ishmael Smith came upon when he walked into his first Weak Forest practice. Outcasts and losers. The Deacons had fallen to the lowest caste in the ACC since Chris Paul had exited early for the NBA, and they were desperately searching for a leader--someone to get them off of the IOMT. Enter Ishmael. Enter Rudolph.

While he struggled early in his starting role, Smith has proven himself in the last 10 games to be a leader and a player. He drives and dishes now with a confidence and even a swagger that Weak Forest needs. Just look at his stats last night in a double-OT win over Georgia Tech in which he played more minutes (46) than any other player on either team. 13 points, 3 rebounds, and an astonishing 15 assists. In their pre-tourney win over #25 Virginia he had 9 rebounds (yes, he is 5-11) and 8 assists.

Yes, this season is, for all intents and purposes, lost for the Deacons. But, one thing everyone needs to remember is that what Wake has accomplished in the late season can only be attributed to Ishmael (Rudolph) starting to lead his team off of the IOMT.