Malachi Smith came to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga three years ago focused on goals.
He wanted to focus on personal growth during the 2019-20 basketball season, so instead of transferring from Wright State to UTC with intentions of playing, he chose to sit out. Given the opportunity to get on the court the following two seasons, Smith and the team thrived.
Now he believes it is time to move on, with the 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard announcing Tuesday his intentions to enter the NBA draft pool.
It's similar to the decision he made last season to test the draft waters, but in a phone interview with the Times Free Press on Tuesday evening, he seemingly shut the door on another possible return.
"I feel like Chattanooga was great to me, and I feel like I did everything that I wanted to do when I came to Chattanooga," said Wright, who is from Belleville, Illinois, near St. Louis. "I came in with goals and expectations, and not just individually but as a team. We completed a lot of those goals, most of them, if you want to be honest.
"I feel like I did everything I was supposed to do, and it's time for the next step."
Smith's decision comes as UTC makes the transition from five seasons under Lamont Paris, who recently accepted an offer to become head coach at South Carolina, to Dan Earl, who after seven seasons at Virginia Military Institute has taken over in Chattanooga. It's one early step - and an important one - in Earl learning what his options are for the 2022-23 roster.
In Smith's two seasons on the court with the Mocs - they went 45-16 during that time - he averaged 18.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. Told he needed to work on certain aspects of his game the last time he went through the draft consideration process, Smith improved his shooting percentages from the field, from 3-point range and from the free-throw line while also averaging 1.7 steals per contest in 2021-22, which culminated in the Mocs' first Southern Conference regular-season and tournament titles since 2016 and a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Smith was named the SoCon player of the year, and he recently won the Lou Henson Award, which is given to the best mid-major conference player in the country.
"Last year, just being realistic, I know I had a good season, but honestly I just wanted feedback," Smith said. "This year, improving my game so much and being on a national stage, I feel like it's just time for me to compete against the best and just show that everything I do I can do against anybody. Not just small schools or mid-majors, whatever you want to call it, I just think it is time to showcase my abilities."
There will undoubtedly be challenges. Questions to be answered. Some will point to his 4-for-20 shooting against Illinois in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but Smith could quickly point out that he was 14-for-17 for 36 points with six rebounds during a regular-season game against Murray State, which advanced to the tourney's second round. What happens now is out of his hands, which is why the staunchly faithful Smith will rely on that faith going forward.
"I'll lean on my faith a lot more this time around," he said. "There are a lot more people in your ear trying to tell you different things and stuff like that, so I feel like there is one person I know who has the right answer all the time.
"That's who I'm leaning on; that's just how I move. I follow that."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.