The A&T Men’s Golf team got a new addition to the roster Monday afternoon. 36-year-old J.R. Smith will be a walk-on freshman for the A&T Men’s Golf Team this fall. 

Smith is excited to be playing in a new sport and environment in Greensboro. Smith believes despite there not being thousands of people watching him play golf, there will still be pressure on him to play at a high level. 

“Obviously different environments from playing in front of 20,000 people to playing in a college golf gallery… But it’s still as nerve-wracking as shooting a free throw in front of 5,000 instead of making a 5-foot putt in front of three. So it all correlates the same for me,” Smith said via ESPN. 

Smith has been playing golf for 12 years, however, recently the game has been a bigger focus for him. Smith has been working on his swing for a while, getting consistent practice at the driving range.

Smith sees the way he plays the game of basketball and translates it to the golf course. The former shooting guard was a high-volume shooter who was not afraid to take clutch shots, and he believes his golf game reflects that. 

“As being a shooter and with golf, it correlates to trying to hit different shots and your creativity, and that swing and try to have that flow and tempo,” Smith said. 

The former NBA player wants to be treated like a student, and not an A-list celebrity on campus. Smith has been ridiculed and heckled all throughout his 16-year career and the last thing he wants to do is go through that again for another four years. 

“Not one positive post about going to school and trying to better myself. Y’all make it look so weak/corny to inspire my people to want to do better,” Smith said. 

Nevertheless, Smith is making the best of his freshman experience by joining study groups and embracing this new lifestyle. 

Smith will be joining Seniors Diego Gonzalez, Diego Gonzalez Sanchez, Xavier Williams, and Sophomore Anthony Ford on the A&T Men’s Golf team.