BIO: Darren Smith was born in Box Hill (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Nunawading basketball program.

FAMILY: Darren’s brother, Jason Smith also played 408 games in the NBL. Darren Smith’s daughter Alanna Smith represented Australia with the Opals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and played professionally in the WNBA. His daughter Andie Smith represented Tasmania at the Australian Under-18 National Championships in 2024.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Darren Smith made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

1994
In 1994, Smith averaged 4.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists as the Devils finished with a record of 2-24 and in 14th place during the regular season.

1995
By 1995 Hobart was struggling financially, and coach Bill Tomlinson would continually struggle to maintain a roster with his younger talent being snapped up by richer team’s while his veteran players were retiring. Anthony Stewart (Perth) and imports Lamont Middleton and Calvin Talford (both Europe) were not retained from the previous season as all three received more lucrative offers elsewhere. Wayne McDaniel retired, as did Keith Nelson, after a severe knee injury. Veteran point guard Darren Perry, who himself was still recovering from a ACL injury, was the only player from the team’s fully contracted roster to return in 1995.

Tomlinson would add Jerome Scott and veteran big man Andre Moore from Brisbane as the team’s import players.

The team would be led by Scott (23.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists) and Moore (17.8 points and 10.6 rebounds) over the course of a difficult season where the team managed only four wins for the entire year. The only bright spots that season were the emergence of rookies Smith, who averaged 12 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, and David Stiff, who would fill the stat sheet during his rookie season, averaging 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks. The 19-year-old’s stellar play earning him the 1994 NBL Rookie of the Year award.

1996
For 1996, the Hobart Tassie Devils reverted to the Hobart Devils name as Bill Tomlinson attempted to rebuild a team that had finished 4-22 the previous season. Andre Moore, Darren Perry and Travis Rousell departed, while Jerome Scott, David Stiff, Darren Smith and Mark Nash remained. With the club operating under financial uncertainty, import Jonathan Roberts was added alongside Tim Brenton, Craig Adams and Mark Banovic.

Hobart opened at the Derwent Entertainment Centre against Canberra on April 13, with Smith (3 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist) coming off the bench in a 102-89 loss. Roberts (24 points and 4 rebounds) led the scoring and Scott (16 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals) produced an impressive all-around game, while David Close (24 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists) led the Cannons. The defeat was the first of six consecutive losses to begin Hobart’s season.

Smith (7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across 26 games) appeared in every game for the Devils and remained a regular member of Tomlinson’s rotation. His scoring dropped from the 12.0 points per game he had produced the previous season, although he continued to provide rebounding and defensive pressure from the perimeter.

His highest-scoring game came in Adelaide on July 7, when Smith (24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals) made 10-of-14 field goals in a high-scoring battle with the 36ers. Stiff (21 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 blocks) and Roberts (21 points and 9 rebounds) gave Hobart further production, but Rick Brunson (24 points, 2 rebounds, 13 assists, and 2 steals) directed Adelaide to a 114-110 victory.

Roberts (21.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across 26 games) became Hobart’s leading scorer, while Scott (17.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2.4 steals across 26 games) remained a major part of the backcourt. Stiff (15.9 points, 9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks across 26 games) anchored the frontcourt, with Brenton (13.2 points and 3 rebounds across 25 games) and Nash (8.2 points and 6 rebounds across 26 games) completing the main rotation.

After defeating Sydney 82-81 for their eighth victory, the Devils lost their final six games. Their season ended at home against South East Melbourne on September 27, where Smith (14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) was one of Hobart’s better performers alongside Roberts (17 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Stiff (14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks). Tony Ronaldson (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists) led the Magic to a 101-79 win, leaving Hobart 12th with an 8-18 record and outside the playoffs. The defeat became the final NBL game in Devils history, with the financially troubled club folding after the season.

SYDNEY KINGS
1998/99
After a number of season’s spent playing in the state league Smith returned to the NBL, signing a deal to play with the Sydney Kings for the 1998/99 season.

Sydney underwent a number of key losses as the NBL shifted from a winter competition to a summer one in 1998. The biggest ones being Shane Heal heading to play in Greece for Near East, team Captain Bruce Bolden leaving to play for a brand new NBL team, the West Sydney Razorbacks, and Brad Williams and Stephen Whitehead, who both were not re-signed by the team. Ben Castle (Brisbane) and Darren Smith (state league) signed as their replacements.

In their place, coach Tomlinson chose to build the squad around young local talent Matthew Nielsen and Aaron Trahair. Veteran point guard Brad Rosen was named team captain after the loss of Bolden and Kelsey Weems, who joined the team with 12 games left in the previous season, was re-signed and paired incoming import Alonzo Goldston.

The Kings’ opening game came against Bolden’s Razorbacks, in their NBL debut. Sydney lost, 97-103, and went on to lose seven of their next eight games.

This saw the axe fall on import Goldston (14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks in six games), and NBA big man Acie Earl signed as his replacement.

Earl was a monster, standing 208cm and 110kg, who had spent two seasons with the Boston Celtics before being selected by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 expansion draft. Earl didn’t take the Celtics’ decision to let him go kindly and exploded for 40 points against his former team when they met the following season.

His 1998/99 season statistically is one of the most efficient in NBL history. Five games in, he dropped 33 points (12/19 shooting) and collected 12 rebounds while holding Brisbane’s star big man Thadderous Delaney to 4 of 14 shots, and he finished the year averaging 21.6 points (on 50% shooting), 12.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.9 blocks per game.

Beyond Earl, the remainder of the team’s roster was a little hit-and-miss this season. While Weems (15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals) didn’t have the same impact as the previous season, the continued development of Matt Nielsen (20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks) who boosted his scoring from 16.4 points the previous season, saw him become the new face of the franchise.

The Kings couldn’t seem to win at home (5–8) or abroad (4-9) and finished the season in ninth place, missing out on the playoffs once again.

Smith rounded out the season by averaging 6.1 points, 3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game.

1999/00
In 1999/00, Smith averaged 5.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists, playing a key role in the King’s rotation, helping the team finish reach a seventh place finish in the regular season with a 11-17 record.

VICTORIA TITANS
2000/01
After three years in the NBA, Chris Anstey returned to play for Brian Goorjian and the Titans. Although Anstey’s signature was a major coup, Victoria also suffered a major loss with Frank Drmic signing with Brisbane. In a surprise move, however, Drmic would exercise a European out clause before the start of the season and head overseas before backflipping, returning to Australia and inking a deal with the Sydney Kings. To fit Anstey in, Victoria released Nathan Taylor (to Melbourne), replaced David Smith with Jason Smith’s older brother Darren and signed Kiwi guard Mark Dickel to replace Drmic. Dickel, who just graduated from UNLV, was signed as a import player as New Zealand players weren’t considered local players in the NBL until 2003.

Dickel (13.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists) and Jason Smith (20.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists) formed quite a duo, with Smith leading the team in scoring while having a career-high scoring season himself.

Anstey (16.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks) returned a vastly improved player from the NBA, but coach Goorjian surprised many by bringing Anstey off the bench this season, favouring Brett Wheeler (13 points and 8 rebounds) in the starting lineup as he looked to replicate the success of the double-headed centre that was Anstey and John Dorge during the Magic’s 1996 championship run. Darren Smith would also play a key role for the Titans this season, averaging 6.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists.

Later, young players Marcus Wright and Pero Vasiljevic, originally signed as development players, were elevated into the roster during the season as a result of mid-season injuries to Ben Pepper, and the Titans finished the year in first place with a franchise-best record of 22-6. Anstey, who was named Titans MVP that season and the fact he did it all from the bench, made him a easy choice for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.

This saw them face off against long-time rivals, the sixth-placed Adelaide 36ers and behind a season high scoring performance from Anstey (27 points and collected 16 rebounds) took out game one (101-96). The Sixers, behind star duo Darnell Mee and Kevin Brooks, would then rebound to win games two (96-83) and three (115-103). Mee (22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists) and Brooks (25 points and 7 rebounds) put up big numbers over the three-game series.

As a result of finishing first, the Titans being the highest placed loser in the Qualifying Finals allowed them to proceed to the semi finals. There they would face the Townsville Crocodiles, led by 37 year old Robert Rose, who had just become the league’s oldest winner of the NBL’s MVP award. Thanks to veteran players Tony Ronaldson (22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists) and Darryl McDonald (20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) stepped up and delivered a game one win for Victoria (106-97). a injury to Anstey in the early moments of game two saw him miss the remainder of the series, which saw the Titans lose both game two (98-82) and three (101-97). A major factor was Anstey suffering a injury in the early moments of game two which kept him out of both games.

In a twist of fate, the Crocodiles roster was made up of a number of players discarded by Brian Goorjian in recent years. In addition to Rose, both Pat Reidy and Mike Kelly were Titans cast-offs, both playing huge roles in eliminating the Titans. Reidy (19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists) was a equal game high scorer (with Rose and Andrew Goodwin) in game two, while Kelly (17 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists) was the clear difference maker in the deciding game three.

The Titans falling short of the Grand Final was also the first time a Brian Goorjian team hadn’t reached a NBL Grand Final since 1996 (seven years).

2001/02
Victoria’s 2000/01 minor premiership ended with a semifinal loss to Townsville, leaving Brian Goorjian outside the Grand Final for the first time in seven years. The Titans responded by abandoning the three-centre rotation, with Ben Pepper (to Wollongong) and Glen Siegle (to Brisbane) leaving the roster. Darryl McDonald’s naturalisation opened another import position for Goorjian to recruit Jamahl Mosley (via Salamanca), while Nathan Crosswell (via Melbourne’s state league squad) joined the backcourt and Mark Dickel remained an import because New Zealand players were not considered locals until 2003.

Victoria opened the season against Melbourne on October 13, where Darren Smith (13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block) made six field goals in 42:47 minutes. Dickel (21 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) and McDonald (19 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals) led the Titans, but the Tigers won 109-103.

Smith (8.8 points and 3.8 rebounds across 28 games) provided size and versatility across the wing positions, lifting his scoring and playing time from the previous season while remaining a regular part of Goorjian’s rotation.

Smith’s best regular-season scoring game came against Melbourne on February 8, where he made eight of 13 shots and finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists as Victoria defeated the Tigers 123-98. Jason Smith (27 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block) and Mosley (18 points and 5 rebounds) helped the Titans record their largest win over Melbourne during the season.

His strongest rebounding performance came at the AIS Arena on November 1, where Smith (17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) collected five offensive rebounds as Victoria defeated Canberra 112-83. Ronaldson (36 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists) made nine three-pointers, while Anstey (17 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks) helped the Titans complete the 29-point road win.

Smith delivered another productive road performance against Adelaide on December 1, making seven of 10 shots and finishing with 15 points and 8 rebounds as Victoria defeated the 36ers 111-91. Anstey (16 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block) and McDonald (15 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals) helped the Titans control the game and leave Adelaide with a 20-point win.

Smith’s final regular-season appearance came against Melbourne on March 9, where he finished with 7 points, 1 rebound, and 2 steals as the Tigers defeated Victoria 127-121. Ronaldson (17 points and 1 block) and McDonald (14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) led the Titans before Smith missed the remaining three games and Victoria finished first with a 21-9 record, securing its second consecutive minor premiership.

Ronaldson (19.5 points and 4.5 rebounds) led Victoria in scoring, while Jason Smith (18.8 points and 5.4 rebounds) returned from a serious knee injury and strengthened the team during the second half of the season. Anstey (16.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks) was named Titans MVP and selected to the All-NBL First Team, with McDonald (12 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 2.3 steals) leading the league in steals and joining Ronaldson on the All-NBL Third Team.

Dickel (11.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.1 assists) gave Victoria another playmaker, while Mosley (11.5 points and 6.7 rebounds) became the first import to win the NBL Best Sixth Man award. Brad Sheridan (8.1 points), Brett Wheeler (7.3 points and 6.2 rebounds) and Crosswell (5.3 points) completed the main rotation as Goorjian was named NBL Coach of the Year.

Victoria opened the qualifying finals against sixth-placed Melbourne with a 113-107 win, although Darren Smith did not play. Jason Smith (27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals), Anstey (19 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and McDonald (9 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 steals, and 2 blocks) led the Titans, while Hoare (20 points and 13 rebounds) was Melbourne’s best.

Game two remained in Melbourne, where Darren Smith again did not play as Copeland (41 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals) and Timmons (19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) carried the Tigers to a 107-105 win. Jason Smith (22 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals), Ronaldson (13 points and 3 rebounds) and McDonald (11 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block) led Victoria as Melbourne forced a deciding game.

Darren Smith remained out for game three, where Anstey (32 points, 20 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), Ronaldson (24 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block) and Jason Smith (11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block) led Victoria. Copeland (37 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Timmons (21 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks) carried Melbourne to a 103-97 win, although the Titans advanced as the highest-ranked losing team from the qualifying finals.

The semifinals opened in Melbourne, where Darren Smith did not play as Farley (25 points and 4 rebounds) and Maher (23 points and 8 rebounds) led Adelaide to a 99-92 win. Ronaldson (27 points and 5 rebounds), Jason Smith (19 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Anstey (17 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals) were Victoria’s main contributors.

Game two moved to Adelaide, where Darren Smith again remained out as Anstey (26 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks), Jason Smith (20 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists) and McDonald (13 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists) led Victoria to an 86-81 win. Farley (24 points) and Maher (15 points) led Adelaide as the Titans levelled the series and forced a deciding game.

Game three remained in Adelaide, where Farley (33 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists), Maher (16 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Rees (16 points and 9 rebounds) led the 36ers, while Ronaldson (26 points and 6 rebounds), Jason Smith (16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Dickel (14 points, 3 rebounds, and 9 assists) carried Victoria. The 103-92 defeat became the final game played by the Victoria Titans, with the club’s financial problems leading to its licence being sold to a group headed by Peter Fiddes and the team being rebranded as the Victoria Giants, where Smith remained for the following season after scoring 3 points in 6:34 minutes in the loss.

VICTORIA GIANTS
2002/03
After Victoria Titans folded in mid-2002, a group fronted by businessman Peter Fiddes was granted a licence in their place, and with new ownership primarily made up of former North Melbourne personnel, still upset about the Giants/Magic merger in 1998, re-branded the team to the Giants.

The team was put together on a shoestring budget and could not retain head coach Brian Goorjian nor the majority of the team’s higher-profile talent. The club was able to re-sign veteran Darryl McDonald and import Jamahl Mosely to new (reduced) deals but lacked the financial backing to re-sign much of the local talent losing Chris Anstey, Jason Smith and Mark Dickel to more lucrative European contracts and Tony Ronaldson and Brett Wheeler to the Perth Wildcats.

The Giants had been able to re-sign some of the Titans’ younger talent, Nathan Crosswell, Darren Smith and Marcus Wright and committed to giving them increased minutes and becoming a club focused on giving young Aussie talent a pathway to the NBL. This saw the team fill the remaining roster spots with young players who had been playing in the state leagues, giving them their first big break into the national league. Nik Mirich, who had just graduated from George Mason University, was signed, both Lindsey Tait and Miles Pearce were recruited from the semi-professional New Zealand NBL and Rhys Carter (AIS), David Cooper (Dandenong Rangers) and 36-year-old David Biwer (Nunawading) who had all been playing in the SEABL state league rounded out the bench.

The team would be led by former North Melbourne backup guard Mark Wright, who helped the Giants win a championship in 1989. First year coach Wright and the Giants and budget roster had been picked to finish last on the ladder and began the season with a 95-85 loss to the Wildcats in Perth. The team would surprise everyone by beating the West Sydney Razorbacks 122–106 in their home opener before reeling off demolition of their crosstown rivals Melbourne, defeating them 130–102.

The team were led by Jamahl Mosely (21.2 points, 9.5 rebounds) and team captain Darryl McDonald (14.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.5 assists and a league leading 2.4 steals), while mid-season addition Pero Vasiljevic (16.5 points, 8.3 rebounds) and Nathan Crosswell (15.1 points, 2.9 assists) grabbed the increased playing opportunities by the horns and moved into the starting lineup. Smith would also add 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.

By round nine, Victoria was sitting on a respectable four win, five loss record and were in the middle of the NBL ladder.

The wheels truly fell off from here, however, as the Giants lost the next seven games in a row, culminating with the release of import forward Dusty Rychart (16.5 points and 8.3 rebounds) was viewed as underperforming. The team quickly signed former Magic star Adonis Jordan as his replacement, whose presence didn’t change anything in the win-loss column. The Giants (9-21) went on to finish second from the bottom of the ladder (above Brisbane).

Darren Smith played eight seasons across four NBL teams. This included the Hobart Devils, Victoria Titans, Sydney Kings and Victoria Giants. He averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 201 NBL games.