Report: Gophers interested in second team All-MEAC transfer guard

Minnesota is showing interest in the MEAC's third-leading scorer from last season.

Delaware State's Robert Smith gets two points against Maryland-Eastern Shore in the first half at Delaware State's Memorial Hall, Thursday, March 6, 2025. | William Bretzger-Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Gophers have reached out to Delaware State transfer guard Robert Smith according to a X from @ThePortalReport on Wednesday night.

Delaware State G Robert Smith (@2_Manman1) has received interest from the following programs, he tells TPR:

UAB
Temple
Minnesota pic.twitter.com/1xcURJgnrD

— The Portal Report (@ThePortalReport) April 16, 2025

Listed at 6-foot-1, Smith was one of the best players in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) last season with Delaware State. He averaged 18.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game on 43.0/36.4/75.3 shooting splits.

Hailing from Philadelphia, Smith began his college career at West Chester University, a Division II school in Chester Country, Pennsylvania. He played three seasons, appearing 27 or more games each year, and he averaged more than 14.2 points per game each campaign. He opted to transfer up for his senior season to play for Delaware State, where he earned second team All-MEAC honors.

According to his personal Instagram @2.manman, Smith entered the transfer portal yesterday with, "an appeal pending." He has played four full seasons of NCAA basketball, so based on the current rules he is out of collegiate elligibility.

There have seemingly been more questions than answers with regards to college eligibility in the last 12 months. Wisconsin cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean recently won a case against the NCAA in February, which granted him an extra season of eligibility after spending his first two seasons at Division II Grand Valley State. Smith has a similar situation, and it could bode well for his hopes of getting another year.

Ultimately, Smith has a lot of hoops to jump through before being eligible to play college basketball next season, but if things get to that point, he would be an intriguing fit into Minnesota's system. Isaac Asuma, Chasney Willis Jr. and Langston Reynolds seem to be their top three guards, but Smith could make a dynamic four-player rotation.