Julie Smith: The ‘hustle’ of last season’s Canadian duo returns for her final season

Coming off her best season yet, Julie (McMurray) Smith looks to have a great senior season.

“I have to realize that these are my last competitive games that I’m going to be playing, so I have to make the most of every single one of them because I probably won’t have too many more,” said Smith

With her marriage this summer to former UVU golfer Andrew Smith, last season’s McMurray will now be listed on the roster as Smith, but the talent level of the power forward is still the same if not better coming into her final season.
Last season Smith averaged 18.3 points per game and had a career high of 31 points in a win over Utah State.

With practice well underway for the Wolverines and with some changes this season Smith said, “Practice so far is a lot of new things because we have a lot of new players so it’s a lot of teaching and learning.” As a senior with experience Smith has been able to assist the learning freshmen.

Smith is ready with new goals for her senior season and said, “Every year I come in with the attitude that I want to do better than the last season in whatever that means, if it means being more of a leader vocally or if it means contributing more on defense or offense.  Every year I just try to step it up a little bit.”

This season seems different than others because of the large  number of incoming freshmen.  “The biggest difference is definitely our work ethic this year.  Those freshmen bring a lot of work ethic to the team and they’re always working hard and always hustling,” said Smith.

Smith says her career with UVU basketball has been great and is grateful for the friendships. “You build friendships that you’ll have forever and that’s probably been my favorite part.”

After three years as a student-athlete Smith still battles to find an equal balance in her life. She finds herself quite able to manage the task but said, “It’s definitely tough especially when we go on the road for a week or 10 days at a time and you have to stay caught up in your classes.”

Smith looks forward to her final year with UVU women’s basketball and said, “I hope we have a winning season and I just hope I have a good senior year, fun and enjoyable.”

After this season wraps up in the spring Smith will continue her education in PE teaching and will graduate after a semester of student teaching.  Smith hopes to get into PE teaching and coaching and said, “One day hopefully I can become a coach and have the same experience that we’re having.”