From University of Rochester Athletics
University of Rochester senior guard Sam Borst-Smith is accumulating honors as quickly as he picked up points, rebounds, and steals during the year. Borst-Smith is one of 10 men's finalists for The Josten's Trophy. It is one of the highest individual awards a small college player can receive.
The Josten's Trophy is presented by the Rotary Club of Salem, Virginia. It is given for a combination of athletic skill, academic achievement, and community service. The presentation will be made at the men's NCAA Division III Final Four in Salem. Games will be played on March 17 and 18.
Borst-Smith is the third Rochester men's player to be named a finalist for The Josten's Trophy. Seth Hauben was a finalist in 2005 and John DiBartolomeo was a finalist in 2013. This is the 20th year of the award.
He has played an integral part in the success of the men's basketball program, particularly in his senior season. Rochester is 21-4, the 12th 20-win season in school history. The Yellowjackets are hosting a first-and-second round pod of four teams in the NCAA Division III playoffs this weekend.
Heading into Friday night's NCAA playoff tilt against Albertus Magnus College, Borst-Smith tops Rochester in scoring (16.0 ppg), rebounding (5.7 rpg.), and steals (69 – which is a single-season record). He is shooting 50.2% from the floor, 41.4% outside the three-point line, and 78.8% from the foul line. He has 83 assists against 34 turnovers and has blocked 13 shots.
In his career, he has 1,426 points (eighth all-time), 296 assists (15th), 205 steals (first), and 451 rebounds. Friday night's NCAA playoff game will be his 100th appearance in a Rochester shirt.
He was named the Player of the Year in the University Athletic Association and First Team All-UAA. During the season, he was selected as the UAA Player of the Week once and to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week once. He earned three All-Tournament Team honors and was named the tournament MVP one time. He has been ranked among the Division III leaders in steals per game and total steals all season long. He is on the Watch List - one of six from Division III - for the Clarence "Bevo" Francis award which will go to the person judged to be the Small College Player of the Year.
Away from the court, the San Pedro, CA native is an athletics volunteer for the Go4theGoal Foundation, a group that raises awareness and funds for children with pediatric cancer. He is a member of the campus chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He was actively involved in promotion of a campus-wide project titled "We're Better Than That!", a university program devised to raise awareness of racial and gender-based diversity.
Last year, he received national acclaim and international recognition for one assist. On Super Bowl Sunday 2016, Rochester trailed UAA rival Chicago by three points with 2.7 seconds left. Borst-Smith went to the foul line for two shots. He made the first one, then intentionally missed the second, throwing it off the front of the rim. The ball bounced back to him and he passed to teammate Mack Montague who sank a three-pointer just before the buzzer to give Rochester a 77-76 victory. Video of the play went viral, going around the world. Borst-Smith and Montague were interviewed (via Skype) on public television in Germany. Reports of the shot and assist appeared in papers as far away as France and Australia. Borst-Smith received the inaugural State Farm Assist of the Year Award at the NCAA Division I Final Four in Houston, Texas in April.
He is majoring in English: Language, Media, & Communications.