January 20, 2009
- Dwight Hayes
Alli
Smalley, who won the hearts of many fans
during her basketball career at Arab High
School, was honored by fans, coaches, and
Mayor Gary Beam during a special ceremony
January 16. Smalley had her # 5 jersey
permanently retired by the school. In
addition to the jersey retirement, Arab
Mayor Gary Beam presented Smalley with a
plaque declaring January 16 as Alli Smalley
Day in Arab. The ceremony brought a
standing room only crowd to the Arab High
School gymnasium.
Smalley, who now
plays for the Auburn Lady Tigers, made the
trip from Auburn to Arab Friday afternoon
and prior to the ceremony Smalley returned
to a familiar place as she sat on the bench,
went into the dressing room at half time,
and huddled with the current Arab Lady
Knights team during their game against the
Fort Payne Lady Wildcats.
Smalley's # 5 jersey was
encased in a shadow box made from the wood
of the old bleachers that were once used in
the gymnasium. The shadow box
containing the jersey and two plaques will
be on permanent display in the trophy area
of the gymnasium lobby.
Alli Smalley was
honored with the permanent retirement of her
# 5 jersey during ceremonies Friday night at
the Arab High School gymnasium.
Smalley was also presented
with a special commemorative basketball from
Coach Steve Flack which details the stats
from her career at Arab High School. A
duplicate basketball will also be placed
into the trophy area in the gym.
Smalley was also honored by
Mayor Gary Beam and the Arab City Council.
Beam presented a plaque and proclamation to
Smalley in recognition of her athletic
accomplishments and as a role model.
The proclamation reads in part, "From your
early childhood, you have been an example to
others through your commitment to hard
work. Your moral strength and outstanding
character is a testament of your desire to
achieve only the very best in life." (Read
the entire text here.)
In her high school career
Smalley set a school record for scoring in
both boys and girls basketball with 3,114
points. The scoring record also earned
her the eighth all-time scoring record in
the state. With 675 career assists is
seventh in the state and 603 career steals
ranks fifth. In her senior year
Smalley was ranked as the No. 21 prospect
among guards and the No. 38 prospect
nationally by Scout.com. She averaged
21.2 points, 6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.9
steals per game in her senior year.
She was twice named to the All-State First
Team., was a two-time Alabama Miss
Basketball finalist, was named the 5A state
Tournament MVP, and was a two-time member of
Alabama Sports Writers Association Super
Five. In 2005 she wowed both Arab fans
and opponents alike with a 41 point shooting
exhibition against Jess Lanier at the 5A
State Championship as she set the single
game Final Four scoring record. She
was also listed among the Who's Who Among
American High School Students.
According to her player
profile on the Auburn Lady Tigers website,
she was named to the SEC All-Freshman team
.Averaged 10.6 points in SEC play ...
Started 19 consecutive games ... Scored in
double figures 21 times this season ...
Ranked third on season 3-point field goal
attempts list (162) and ninth on 3-pointers
made (47) ... Ranked eighth in freshman
class list for assists (89) and ninth for
points (341) ... Led Auburn with 17 points
vs. Arkansas. Tied season high with three
steals ... Blocked a career-best two shots
vs. Georgia ... Grabbed a career-high nine
rebounds vs. George Washington ... Earned
first career start against Saint Joseph's;
Named to Hawk Classic All-Tournament team
after averaging 13.5 points ... Tied season
high for steals with three vs. Davidson ...
Grabbed a season-best eight rebounds at
Stephen F. Austin ... Named SEC Freshman of
the Week (Nov. 19) after performance vs. UAB
... Led Auburn from 3-point range vs. UAB,
making 4-of-6 en route to scoring 20 points
off of 8-of-10 shooting ... Scored 12 points
in collegiate debut vs. Detroit.
Smalley is the daughter of Bruce and Jackie
Smalley. She has one brother, Blake,
who is a manager for the Auburn women's
basketball team. She is majoring in
elementary education.
Additional photos from the ceremony....
