Jordan Smith’s personality is as large as he is, so it’s not surprising that when he walks through the halls of Ludlow High School he’s hard to miss. He says he’s, “Six-foot-three, ton’s of fun, and always dresses to the T.”
Spend as much as a minute around him and you’ll learn that he’s a very confident person. “People may say I’m cocky. I’m not cocky. I’m just proud of myself a lot,” he says.
As a star of the varsity basketball team, Smith describes himself as “a team player; I look to pass before I shoot and get a thrill from assists. I play every play like it’s my last.”
He looks up to athletes J.R. Smith of the New York Knicks and basketball legend, Michael Jordan.
Smith also admires his cousin, former LHS student, Kyle Wright.
“Growing up with [Wright] I always pushed hard to be as good as he is at basketball,” he says. His cousin was his motivator.
Smith believes many of his skills benefited from his cousin’s inspiration but he realizes that there is always room for improvement. He tries to live by the concepts that one can achieve anything with dedication.
“I see the words, ‘I believe I can fly’ because I’ve always wanted to be able to dunk when I was younger. Now I can, and I just want to go higher. If you ain’t first, you’re last, baby,” he said.
While basketball may seem like Smith’s life, his favorite sport to play is soccer. “I grew up playing soccer. After I’m done playing I love the feeling that I’ve gotten a great workout while having fun,” he says, adding “I also like wearing those small shorts to show off my perfect legs.”
Aside from playing sports, Smith enjoys singing and dancing. His favorite songs to sing include R. Kelly’s “The World’s Greatest” and Chris Brown’s “She Ain’t You.” He knows how to move to popular dances such as the “Dougie” and “Cat Daddy” and of course, classic Michael Jackson songs.
Smith is a huge fan of shoes, especially sneakers. His collection of 33 pairs include Michael Jordans, Nikes, Clarks, Timbs, and British Knights.
“My favorite pair are my blue, black, and white Jordan 11’s,” he adds. “Michael Jordan wore them in the movie Space Jam.”
Living in Springfield and attending their school’s his whole life, coming to Ludlow for high school his freshman year was very different for him. Now as a senior, looking back on everything he says that favorite part about LHS was meeting great new friends and “being apart of the best class there is. Best you’ve seen: 2013.”
Smith’s idea of a perfect day would be to wake up in the morning to a clean bedroom and a delicious breakfast made by his parents followed by shooting hoops and hanging out with friends. The charming Jordan Smith’s perfect day, however, would not be complete unless he was able to see that one special girl, Jocelyn Forcier.
So, sorry ladies, but you can’t have him for your prom date.