Belus Van Smawley (March 20, 1918 – April 24, 2003) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and coach. A 6'1"

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

from

Rutherford County, North Carolina Rutherford County is a county in the southwestern area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,444. Its county seat is Rutherfordton. Rutherford County comprises the Forest City, NC Micropolitan St ...

, Smawley was one of the first basketball players to regularly use the jump shot. Smawley developed his shot in an abandoned train depot near his home that was fashioned into a basketball court. Basketball historian

John Christgau John Frederick Christgau (February 11, 1934 – August 21, 2018) was an American author of fiction and non-fiction. Christgau was born in Crookston, Minnesota. He later moved to California, where he attended San Francisco State University. H ...

has concluded that Smawley and

Kenny Sailors Kenneth Lloyd Sailors (January 14, 1921 – January 30, 2016) was an American professional basketball player active in the 1940s and early 1950s. A guard, he is notable for inventing the jump shot as an alternative to the two-handed, flat-footed ...

of rural

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

were using jump shots as early as 1934.Joe DePriest. "He's the man who started the jump shot." ''

The Charlotte Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American English-language newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. As of 2020, it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. I ...

''. 4 May 2003. Smawley was an All-American basketball player at

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...

before becoming one of the early stars of the Basketball Association of America (which became the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

in 1949.) From 1946 to 1952, Smawley competed for the

St. Louis Bombers The St. Louis Bombers were a National Basketball Association team based in St. Louis from 1946 to 1950. Franchise history The St. Louis Bombers were originally part of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1946. The BAA merged wit ...

Syracuse Nationals The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA history in wins and playoff appearances. 1946– ...

, and Baltimore Bullets, averaging 12.7

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...

. During the 1948–49 BAA season, Smawley ranked sixth in the league in total points and fourth in

field goals A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

made. After his playing career ended, Smawley served as a school principal and basketball coach. Between 1951 and 1956, Smawley served as the Athletic Director and head men's basketball coach at Pembroke State College, known today as The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, in Pembroke, North Carolina. In December 1951, he took a three-month leave of absence from Pembroke State College to finish his playing career with the Baltimore Bullets. In his absence, Vernon Felton, a member of the Pembroke State faculty and former Appalachian State athlete, led the team to 12 wins and five losses; finishing the season at 12-10.UNC Pembroke 1952 Indianhead Yearbook
/ref> Smawley was inducted into the

North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame The North Carolina Museum of History is a history museum located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is an affiliate through the Smithsonian Affiliations program. The museum is a part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives ...

in 1992.

BAA/NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smawley, Belus 1918 births 2003 deaths American men's basketball players Appalachian State Mountaineers men's basketball coaches Appalachian State Mountaineers men's basketball players Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954) players Basketball coaches from North Carolina Basketball players from North Carolina College men's basketball head coaches in the United States People from Rutherford County, North Carolina Player-coaches Shooting guards Small forwards St. Louis Bombers (NBA) players Syracuse Nationals players UNC Pembroke Braves basketball coaches