The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1252590
JUNE/JULY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 31 2 0 2 0 B A S K E T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G I S S U E "The recruiting process, it's hard … it's a business. A lot of people tell you what you want to hear. But Coach Howard, he said that, and he said we need somebody to step in right away, to help the team next year, and he thinks I have the capability of do- ing that." First, though, the coach said he was really looking forward to getting to know Smith. That alone helped them hit it off right away. It wasn't their first meeting, how- ever. The first one happened when Smith was in second or third grade, when he attended Howard's basket- ball camp in Chicago. He remem- bered being "star struck," taking a picture with Howard and taking some pointers he would use to be- come a prep standout at Chicago Fen- wick High, where he averaged 19.3 points and 4.0 assists per game as a senior, leading the team to a record 28 wins and a state Class 3A title. Several mid-majors offered him af- ter he finished second in Illinois' Mr. Basketball voting, and even a few high majors started to inquire. But the Ivy League education won out, and Smith used that opportunity to earn a prestigious degree and prove he could play against NCAA com- petition despite his smallish stature. The two-time All-Ivy League second-team selection (2018, 2020) started 91 of his 92 appearances at Co- lumbia, and left the program ranked among the all-time top four in points (1,653; fourth), assists (393, second), steals (124, tied for fourth) and free throw percentage (82.5, third). After missing most of the 2018-19 season with a torn meniscus, his scor- ing average last year (22.8 per game) marked the conference's highest clip since 1989, while he also ranked in the league's top three for assists (4.5, second) and steals (1.5, third). He went for 20 in 22 of 30 games, and 30 or more five times. He doesn't envision himself scor- ing 20-plus points per game in Ann Arbor, but if they want him to try he will. He's a self-described "fast" guard and a great passer, can score off the dribble and has an excellent midrange game. It is important to him, Smith added, that he not pigeonhole himself into a role without knowing how his game meshes with his future teammates. He is confident he'll be able to do what's asked of him, regardless, be- cause he's a "hard worker" who is willing to do all the dirty work, a guy who just wants to win. He expects to help do that in Ann Arbor. "I had been breaking down a lot of film on Michigan and Gonzaga. Both run ball screen offenses, but I think Michigan runs it a little better," he said. "I really enjoy playing in a ball screen because I can see the floor, read things before it happens. If the low man is in the circle under the paint, I know somebody is going to be wide open, and I know the roll isn't going to be open, so I enjoy reading it. "I think I have a really high IQ, and that really helps me being small. You have to be able to do something re- ally well [at my size], and I think that and my speed are two things that will translate over, for sure. If you can play basketball, you can play basket- ball. People will recognize you." Howard and several other high major coaches did, and now Smith is ready to prove it in the Big Ten. While he would love to start and contribute, winning is the goal, he explained. "We definitely have the capability of doing that. It just depends on if we get to play this year," he said. "We have Big Ten championship goals, regular season and the tournament." And in that respect, Smith seems like he's already been with the pro- gram a long time. ❏ "I think I have a really high IQ, and that really helps me being small. You have to be able to do something really well [at my size], and I think that and my speed are two things that will translate over, for sure. If you can play basketball, you can play basketball. People will recognize you." Smith Smith started 91 of 92 career games at Columbia and ranks among the program's all-time top four in career points (fourth; 1,653) and assists (second, 393). PHOTO BY STEVEN RYAN/COLUMBIA ATHLETICS