Rice's Shorty Adjusting to Rice

HOUSTON, TX -- A brief chat with Rice Owls freshman point guard D'Frantz Smart. I interviewed 'Shorty' in July; so, now that practice has begun, I checked with her again to see how she's adjusting to life as a college student and a college basketball player.

What has surprised you so far? –
“Practicing six days then one day off – I did that in high school – but, we’re practicing longer now. You don’t stop. Practice is continuous. You don’t stop. You run this drill. You run that drill. Then, you get a sip of water. Then, you get back on the court. I think that’s a huge transition; and, plus everybody is competitive all the time. In high school, we were competitive sometimes but here everybody is competitive all the time every second, every drill.”

Compare summer school to school now –
“Summer school and regular school – there’s no comparison at all. In summer school, you get a totally different view compared to starting Fall academics. I have five classes. I have study hall; plus practice; plus individual workouts if you’re a freshman; plus studying; plus sleep. Forget about the sleep. The sleep is last.”

How have you adjusted to everything? –
“It’s hard because I’m a sleep person. I’m kind of losing it; but, I have to say I’m getting used to everything. But, I think I’ll get accustomed to everything. Give me about two more weeks. Once the season starts, I think I’ll be fine.”