The young Gers will square off against Aberdeen in the final at the national stadium as the side look to lift an eighth Youth Cup crown in the Academy’s history.
Smith was a central figure in 2002 when Gers Under-18s ran out 4-2 winners over Ayr United in the final at New Douglas Park, in a team featuring the likes of Chris Burke, Alan Hutton and Charlie Adam.
Speaking to RangersTV to preview Wednesday’s final, Smith said: “My memory [of 2002] isn’t great, but I remember that we won and it was a tougher game than a lot of us expected.
“We won 4-2, but the game was tougher than what we thought previously.
“It’s hard to gauge at the time, but when you talk about putting players in an environment that replicates the first-team, it’s probably the best example you could get.
“In terms of the players that played in the competition at the time, guys like Chris Burke who was always the one who could potentially get to the first-team, it made his rise a little bit quicker.
“There were definitely players within the group whose development was fast-tracked [by winning the Youth Cup] a little bit quicker than normal.
“It’s still something, and it sounds harsh to say this, that is probably the biggest nights of some players’ careers at that point.
“It’s a big occasion, and everything that goes with it in terms of family coming along, being live on TV and at the national stadium, but for us it’s about keeping everything as normal as possible.
“This is what’s expected when you play at Rangers: to be in finals and competing for trophies. We’ll be keeping everything as normal as possible.”
The Light Blues produced a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Dundee United in the semi-finals, which underlined the character and team spirit within the dressing room.
But Wednesday evening promises to be an altogether different occasion, live on BBC One Scotland and played in front of friends, family and expectant Rangers supporters.
Smith hopes he can call on his experience of lifting the trophy 22 years ago and install a calm in the side once they take to the pitch tomorrow evening.
He added: “What they’ve gave themselves is an opportunity to go and replicate what they’re doing at first-team, which is to win trophies.
“For us as coaches looking to develop players, it’s the perfect environment. We’ll see what players thrive, and some will perhaps struggle which is natural for players at that age, and we’ll find out a lot on Wednesday night.
“We’ve put in a lot of hard work to get to this point, playing against some good teams, and it’s set them up for this point.
“We set the target at the start of the season that we must get to the final and win the trophy, and to be fair to them they’ve handled the expectation really well.
“We’ve had two tough games against Dundee United and Hearts, but we managed to find a way through and now we’re in a final.
“It all comes down to our preparation. We’ll prepare no different despite it being a cup final, and I know there’ll be a slight emotional attachment because of family in attendance, but we’ll be keeping it as normal as possible.
“It’s what we expect at this club, to get to finals and win trophies, and we’ll keep them as grounded as possible with the aim to go and win the trophy.
“There’s an expectation to win, which is always there and will be put on them by myself because I know they can handle it. But they also need to enjoy it.
“I remember the group that I played with in 2002 and, unfortunately, it will be the biggest nights in some of their careers and they also need to enjoy that as well.
“We understand the pressure that they will be under, but it’s up to us to take that away from them.
“This is what this club is about: pressure and expectation. And it’s why I’m looking forward to the game.”