University of South Carolina Aiken Athletics

A small town woman with a big-time dream.

That is one sentence that could be used to describe University of South Carolina Aiken women’s basketball standout Mackenzie Reese. Upon talking with her, Reese reveals that although she is playing a different sport than her grandmother, history seems to be repeating itself.

When watching Reese on the court, it can be said she has a pure knack for the game, she has tremendous athletic ability and she is one of the smartest student-athletes on the court.

The exact same thing could be said about her late grandmother, Dorothy Sarazin Smith.

Reese’s grandmother had the same work ethic as the rising senior. While growing up, Sarazin Smith was the second youngest of 14 children. Coming from a big family, Sarazin Smith knew she had to work hard.

As a child, she grew up on a farm. Reese said, “She worked hard and played baseball with her brothers. Playing with them made her a better athlete and as she got older, my grandmother played on all-men’s teams.”

Sarazin Smith was not just on teams, but she played a major factor in whether her team won or lost. In similar fashion to Reese, Sarazin Smith had the ball in her hand often.

“As a pitcher, my grandmother was recruited off her farm in northern Wisconsin in 1949 by scouts from the Chicago area,” Reese said. “When she was just 26 years old, she was on the South Bend Blue Sox team, which played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

“I think it is amazing that she was able to do something where her gender did not matter,” Reese stated. “When she started playing, she was the only female. She was able to do something she loved and was good at it.”

In similar fashion to her grandmother leaving Wisconsin, Reese traversed her way to Aiken in August of 2011 for an outstanding journey. She has upped her points per game in every year and if she just maintains her 11.5 points per game from a season ago, will be one of the few to have surpassed 1,000 career points in her career at USC Aiken.   

Reese, a native of Madison, Wis., has played in all but five games of her illustrious career for head coach Mike Brandt. She also started every game as a junior and led the team with her 11.5 points per game.

Having fine-tuned her game in the spring and over the summer, Reese looks to make the next step in her career. One of two seniors on the squad, she will decidedly play a major role in the team’s success this season.

“It’s cool to compete at a further level and on a stage where not many people can perform” Reese said. “She was able to play professionally and I am able to play here at USC Aiken.”

Reese mentioned that nothing held her grandmother back as she was a big influence on the senior. Needless to say, Reese will have a big influence on this year’s team and the student-athletes on the team, leaving her legacy for many years to come.  

Despite an injury that ended her career earlier than she anticipated, Sarazin Smith managed to play catch with Reese growing up. Although her grandmother passed away seven years ago, Reese can still see how big of an impact she had on everyone as Sarazin Smith is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

It is possible that with a breakout season, Reese could do something just like her grandmother did – and land in a Hall of Fame. That would mean two women from the same family in Wisconsin realized their big-time dreams.