Glenn & Stacey Murphy Notre Dame Men’s Basketball Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry announced on May 27 that Braeden Smith, a veteran point guard, will join the team as a rising graduate transfer for the 2026-27 season. Smith, a 6-foot guard from Seattle, Washington, is transferring from Gonzaga after playing one season there and previously spending two seasons at Colgate.
Shrewsberry said, “Braeden is exactly the kind of point guard we were looking for. He brings experience, leadership, and a winning mentality to our program. He’s a true point guard who takes care of the ball and creates for others. He’s been a part of winning programs his entire career, and we expect that experience to have an immediate impact here.”
During his year at Gonzaga, Smith played in all 35 games for a team that finished with a 31-4 record and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 5.1 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game while posting a 3.34 assist-to-turnover ratio—ranking him twelfth nationally in that category.
Smith’s earlier career at Colgate included earning Patriot League Player of the Year honors in 2024 as the first sophomore since 2015 to do so. That season he averaged 12.5 points and ranked among the top-25 nationally with his average of 5.6 assists per game; he also recorded three double-doubles and led Colgate in scoring twelve times with five games above twenty points.
As a freshman at Colgate, he was named National Freshman of the Year finalist after anchoring an offense ranked first nationally in three-point field goal percentage and second both in overall field goal percentage and assists per game; he earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week four times on his way to All-Rookie Team honors.
Smith helped lead Colgate to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances by winning back-to-back Patriot League Championships in both years there. Over three collegiate seasons, he has averaged 9.7 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and shot over forty-three percent from the floor while accumulating top-fifty marks among active players with his total assists.
