As a media executive and entrepreneur, former Pitt All-American Charles Smith knows the need for contingency planning. It's a lesson he experienced first hand, and one which led him to become one of the greatest players in Pitt basketball history.

An all-state center from Bridgeport, CT, Smith was ranked #28 nationally in the 1983-84 high school recruiting ratings but had only one school in mind: the University of Maryland. But when a Maryland assistant informed Smith that they didn't have a scholarship for him, Smith had no second choice. After some deliberation, Smith decided on an offer from the University of Pittsburgh, and instantly became that school's highest ranked recruit ever. A mobile big man years ahead of his time, he helped awake a golden era for Panthers basketball.

Pitt's first two years in the Big East were forgettable, finishing sixth of nine teams in both seasons,. With the arrival of Smith and fellow freshman Demetrius Gore, the Panthers began to move forward. Though they were 0-6 in Big East play against top 15 teams in Georgetown, St. John's and Syracuse, the Panthers finished the regular season 8-8 in Big East play and earned an NCAA bid with a 17-11 record. Smith started all 29 games for the Panthers, averaging 15 points and eight rebounds a game and leading the team in scoring in five of its final eight games and 13 overall. He was selected as the Big East Rookie of the Year ahead of Syracuse's Rony Seikaly and earned third team All-Big East honors as well, the only freshman so recognized that year.

Smith finished five points shy of Gore for the team scoring title in 1985-86 but averaged 15.9 points and 8.1 rebounds a game, and repeated as third team All-Big East. Though a late season losing streak cost Roy Chipman his job at season's end, the arrival of Navy coach Paul Evans brought a new outlook to Pitt basketball, with Smith at the forefront.

The Panthers took flight in Evans' first year. Smith led the team with double figures in 30 of 33 games, with a season high 25 point, 17 rebound efforts versus Providence en route to a 17 point, 8.6 rebound, and 3.2 blocks per game average, beginning a two year streak where Smith had a block in 53 consecutive games. With five starters in double figures, the 1986-87 Panthers tied for the Big East regular season title with Georgetown and Syracuse, and were ranked in the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since the 1973-74 season. Smith was named to the first team all-Big East roster, a recognition he repeated as a senior.

For 1987-88, Smith's 18.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks a game led Pitt to new heights, including the regular season title in 1987-88 and a top 10 ranking for all but one week that season, giving Pitt consecutive NCAA bids for only the third time in school history. Smith scored double figures in 32 of 33 games, with a career high of 34 versus Chicago State and a 33 point game versus Providence. For his efforts, Smith became the first Big East Player of the Year in seven years from a school other than Georgetown or St. John's.

Charles Smith graduated as the all-time leading scorer in Pitt history, with 10 or more points in 106 of his 122 games in the Pitt uniform and 10 or more rebounds in 42 of them. His 346 career blocks is nearly twice that of the second best in Pitt history. In June, 1988 he became that school's first NBA first round draft selection, and in August, its first ever Olympian in the sport.

Smith played 10 seasons in the NBA, averaging 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. Since retirement, he earned an MBA at Seton Hall, served as the executive director of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, and secured four patents in the area of content management software. He is currently an executive with Mediacom, a London based global marketing agency.