SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Glenn & Stacey Murphy Notre Dame Men’s Basketball Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry landed a veteran point guard on Wednesday. Rising graduate transfer Braeden Smith will soon call South Bend home, helping man the offense for the 2026-27 season.
A 6-0 guard hailing from Seattle, Washington, Smith will transfer from Gonzaga, where he played one season. He had previously played two seasons at Colgate, which was highlighted by his 2024 Patriot League Player of the Year honor.
“Braeden is exactly the kind of point guard we were looking for. He brings experience, leadership, and a winning mentality to our program. He’s a true point guard who takes care of the ball and creates for others. He’s been a part of winning programs his entire career, and we expect that experience to have an immediate impact here,” Coach Shrewsberry stated.
Smith played in all 35 games last year on a Gonzaga squad that went 31-4 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Smith averaged 5.1 points, 3.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds, plus boasted an impressive 3.34 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranked 12th nationally.
He also recorded a shooting line of 46.7 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three and 80.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Two years prior, Smith became the first sophomore to earn the Patriot League Player of the Year award since 2015. He averaged 12.5 points and 5.6 assists, ranking in the top-25 nationally in the latter. He posted three double-doubles and led Colgate in scoring 12 times, netting five 20-point performances.
In his first year at Colgate, Smith was named a finalist for National Freshman of the Year, anchoring an offense that ranked first nationally in three-point field goal percentage, second in field goal percentage and second in assists per game. In addition, he earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week four times en route to All-Rookie Team honors.
The Seattle native led Colgate to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths after winning the Patriot League Championship in both 2023 and 2024.
Over his three-year playing career, Smith averages 9.7 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals. He’s shot 43.7 percent from the floor, 33.0 percent from three and 80.6 percent from the stripe. Smith’s 478 career assists rank in the top-50 of active players, while his career 2.53 A/TO ratio ranks 18th amongst actives.
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