Mark Smith (basketball)

Mark Smith
No. 13 – Missouri Tigers
Position Guard
League Southeastern Conference
Personal information
Born Edwardsville, Illinois
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight 225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school Edwardsville (Edwardsville, Illinois)
College
Career highlights and awards

Mark Smith is an American college basketball player for the Missouri Tigers. He transferred from Illinois, announcing his intent on March 5, 2018.[1] On April 14, 2018 Smith announced he would transfer to Missouri.[2]

Early life

Smith is the son of Anthony and Yvonne Smith.[3] His father, Anthony, played college basketball at Southern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville and his mother, Yvonne, also played college basketball at SIU Edwardsville.[3] As a child, Smith was a three-sport athlete, competing in baseball, basketball, and football.[4] While in high school, Smith participated in AAU basketball with the Ramey Jets United program through the Adidas circuit.[4]

High school career

During his junior year of high school, Smith originally committed to play college baseball for Missouri as a right-handed pitcher.[5] However, in July 2016 Smith decommitted from Missouri given Tim Jamieson's retirement and because of an injury to the flexor pronator tendon in his throwing elbow.[5] Prior to switching his athletic focus to basketball, Smith featured a fastball in the low-90s and was considered a major league baseball prospect out of high school.[5][6]

As a high school senior, he led Edwardsville to a number one ranking in Illinois for the first time in history while averaging 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and was named to the first-team Associated Press All-state team.[7][8] Smith was also selected as the 2017 Illinois Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year and as 2017 Illinois Mr. Basketball.[7]

On April 26, 2017 Smith announced he would attend college at the University of Illinois to play for the Fighting Illini under new head coach Brad Underwood.[9] In talking about schools he was considering through the recruitment process, Smith listed Duke and Michigan State as his finalists.[10] Smith also considered scholarship offers from Kentucky and Ohio State.[10]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Mark Smith
G		 Edwardsville, IL Edwardsville 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 27, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 76, 1 (IL), 18 (PG)   Rivals: 52  ESPN: 6 (IL), 22 (PG)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Illinois 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.

    References

    1. ↑ "Mark Smith to transfer from Illinois". Sporting News. 2018-03-05. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
    2. ↑ Larkin, Will. "Mark Smith, former Illini and Mr. Basketball winner, to transfer to Missouri". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
    3. 1 2 Tupper, Mark (Jan 3, 2017). "Illini now chasing Edwardsville's Mark Smith". Herald & Review. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
    4. 1 2 Helfgot, Mike (March 25, 2017). "Mr. Basketball of Illinois for 2017: Edwardsville's Mark Smith". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
    5. 1 2 3 O'Donnell, Ricky (April 25, 2017). "How Mark Smith went from potential MLB draft pick to a big-time college hoops recruit". SB Nation. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
    6. ↑ Landis, Bill (April 26, 2017). "Mark Smith commits to Illinois basketball over Ohio State, others". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
    7. 1 2 Kvidahl, Dave (April 27, 2017). "Edwardsville's Smith lives out his dream, signs to play for Illinois". STLtoday. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
    8. ↑ "2016-17 Associated Press Boys Basketball All-State Teams". IHSA. March 16, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
    9. ↑ Ryan, Shannon (April 26, 2017). "Mark Smith, 2017's Mr. Basketball from Edwardsville, chooses Illinois". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
    10. 1 2 Richey, Scott (April 26, 2017). "Smith: 'We're going to be really good'". News Gazette. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
    Awards and achievements
    Preceded by
    Charlie Moore    		 Illinois Mr. Basketball Award Winner
    2017    		 Succeeded by
    None
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