Tolu Smith

About

Galen Edward Mitchell “Tolu” Smith III (born July 26, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Smith was raised in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and played basketball at Bay High School. He moved with his family to Hawaii in 2017 and enrolled at Kahuku High & Intermediate School in Kahuku for his senior season. He was selected as the Honolulu Star-Advertiser All-State player of the year in 2018.

Smith played his freshman season for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and averaged 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. He elected to transfer at the end of the season to join his home state Mississippi State Bulldogs. Smith sat out the 2019–20 season due to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) transfer rules.
Smith appeared in 30 games during his sophomore season but only started 20 during his junior season as he battled multiple injuries. He returned to full health for his senior season in 2022–23 and started all 34 games. Smith averaged 15.7 points with a league…