When the names of the great Georgetown centers are remembered, Josh Smith will not be among this list. A talented player with all the physical attributes of an NBA great, Smith lacked the will to be that player, and two schools learned the lessons of his indifference to greatness.

In high school, Josh Smith was a big name in more ways than one. Standing 6-10 and 300 pounds, Smith was ranked #18 nationally in a 2010 high school recruiting class that would boast an eventual 16 NBA first round selections. The Seattle-area native chose UCLA over Washington in the fall of 2009, and arrived in Westwood with high hopes of becoming the Bruins' most dominating center since Kevin Love.

Smith's freshmen year numbers were encouraging, with 15 starts in 33 games and a 10.9 point, 6.3 rebound average, good for an all-freshmen Pac-10 selection. Weight problems began to take its toll, and by his sophomore season, Smith started in only nine games and averaged less than 10 points a game. By his junior year, Smith looked disinterested, labored to get up and down the court, and was severely overweight, with some claims that he was approaching 375 pounds. In a November 19, 2012 game versus Georgetown in the Legends Classic, Smith played just 12 minutes and finished with four points. A week later, he scored just two points against Cal-Poly, and announced his transfer to Georgetown in January.

"A committed Josh Smith, I'm not sure there is a better big man in the country," coach John Thompson III told ESPN. "He has the instincts and the physical tools to be better than any big man I've had...[but] he's got to put himself in position to where he can stay on the court. We're trying to get him to the point where he understands it's on him. He has to understand that he has to be as committed as everyone around him. He has to be more committed."

Smith arrived at Georgetown in the wake of Greg Whittington's ineligibility, and it was not altogether clear how many semesters of eligibility he would have, given a midyear transfer from UCLA. With some expecting as few as one semester, and others one full year, the NCAA surprised many in October 2013 by awarding Smith two full seasons at Georgetown, beginning immediately at the start of the 2013-14 season.

Smith checked in at 350 pounds when the 2013-14 season opened versus Oregon, scoring a career high 25 points. But Smith tired early in games and fouls were commonplace. By the end of the non-conference half of the season, Smith had averaged less than six points per game in his last four contests, for about 18 minutes of play. His spring semester was cut short with a failing course grade that led Georgetown to declare him ineligible for the remainder of the season.

"This is Georgetown, and we have a set of standards, and everyone has a responsibility above and beyond what goes on outside of those doors," said Thompson.

Smith regained his eligibility for his senior season, where he averaged 10.8 points per game but struggled to stay in games. He played a total of 23 minutes in the Hoyas' two NCAA games in 2015, averaging just six points. Smith quit school shortly after the season and failed to earn his degree, focusing instead on an NBA draft invitation which never came. His weight was listed at 383 pounds during a short stint in the NBA G League.

At an announced weight of 327 pounds, Josh Smith now plays in Japan.