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ccgeneral

(2017) SF Justin Smith to IU

By ccgeneral, in Indiana Men's Basketball

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Class of '66 Old Fart    91,371

Class of '66 Old Fart
Posted

Four-star 2017 forward Justin Smith of Lincolnshire (IL) Stevenson commits to Indiana

1283261.jpg?w=50&h=50&faces=true
Jeff Rabjohns
Yesterday at 7:31 PM
 

Indiana added a significant piece to its 2017 recruiting class today with the commitment of Scout.com top-100 prospect Justin Smith.

Indiana added a significant piece to its 2017 recruiting class today with the commitment of scout.com top-100 prospect Justin Smith.

The 6-foot-6, 190-pound forward from Lincolnshire (IL) Stevenson in the Chicago suburbs and Mac Irvin Fire AAU program is a four-star prospect ranked No. 91 nationally by scout.com.

Smith is an outstanding athlete who can score in the mid-range and off the bounce, is a solid defender and a very good rebounder from his position.

Smith fits what Indiana coach Tom Crean likes in terms of versatile, athletic players who can function in various spots on the floor and defend players with different skills.

Smith joins Berkmar (GA) guard Al Durham in Indiana's 2017 recruiting class so far.

Smith made an official visit to Indiana earlier in September and made several unofficial visits to IU. He was at Hoosier Hysteria in the fall of 2015.

Indiana offered a scholarship in May of 2015.

Crean and IU assistant Rob Judson were very active in Smith’s recruitment, with help from IU assistants Chuck Matin and Tim Buckley.

Smith comes from a Big Ten family that is well-versed in IU lore.

His parents are both Illinois graduates, and his father grew up in Danville, Ill., and followed IU basketball closely.

“What I like is the fact that Indiana has great history and great tradition,” Ed Smith, Justin’s father told peegs.com earlier this month. “I’ve been watching Indiana basketball as well as Illinois basketball since I was a young kid.

“I knew all the history of Indiana basketball, growing up watching Bobby Knight’s teams. I knew all the players names on the Indiana teams, the Quinn Buckners, Wayne Radfords, Bobby Wilkersons, Scott Mays, all of those guys, as well as watching Illinois when Rob Judson was a player. It’s about the rich history of Indiana basketball.

“I grew up in Danville (Illinois) which is about an hour from Bloomington. I had all that history and knowledge from the past, and the rich tradition has always been appealing.”

IU built a strong relationship with Smith during the recruiting process that stretch over a couple years.

"Just the way that they communicate with me. Not just the ‘We want you to come here and we want this, this and this.' It is more making me feel we're just having a conversation," Smith told peegs.com this summer.

Crean’s player development program also stuck out to Smith.

"Just the way they develop players," Smith told peegs.com this summer of why IU stood out to him.  "Coach Crean and his staff do a really good job of developing players. They make players who may not be highly touted out of high school and turn them into pros. Just the way they develop and have confidence in their players."

WayneFleekHoosier, Crimson and Cream, Bobman1 and 5 others reacted to this

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Baltimore Hoosier    986

Baltimore Hoosier
Posted
9 hours ago, HoosierAloha said:


I'll bite..

Hartman is a senior, OG likely gone. McSwain and now JSmith. Add in JMo and Wilkes and that's four good players for two positions. If Wilkes commits he'll get his lions share of the minutes.

Let's hope you're right. Would like to see Wilkes and Waters added to the mix. Not getting my hopes up though. 

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Class of '66 Old Fart    91,371

Class of '66 Old Fart
Posted

 

High school coach breaks down Justin Smith’s game

Pat Ambrose won’t forget the jump, the dunk and the sophomore year that changed it all for Justin Smith.

During a 2015 postseason game, Jalen Brunson — now a starting guard at Villanova — drove to the basket, drew a foul and tossed the ball at the rim. Smith flew in from the foul line, grabbed the ball and twisted in the air, throwing down a reverse, two-handed dunk just for fun — just because he could.

“Everyone turns and looks at each other like, ‘Did we just see that?'” said Ambrose, coach of Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill.

Smith’s highlight reel was only beginning.

The 6-foot-7 wing will now have a chance to add to that reel at Indiana, committing to the Hoosiers’ 2017 recruiting class on Monday night. Smith gives IU coach Tom Crean another long, athletic forward to run end-to-end, a player who can attack the rim and defend it on the other side of the floor.

“He can really get up,” Ambrose said. “He’s not like Vince Carter unbelievable, but for a high school kid, he really has good hops. He’s blessed with incredible athletic hops. His quickness, I’d say, is definitely above average. I’d say his jumping ability is way above average. His athletic ability, his size will serve him well.”

Smith was a priority target across the Big Ten. Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana were among the schools Smith considered closely.

Within the last month, he whittled that list down to two options — Indiana and Villanova, which is Brunson’s new home and, of course, the home of the defending national champions.

Indiana won.

He picked up his IU offer after his sophomore season and made an unofficial visit to Bloomington last August. When he recently took his official trip during the weekend of Sept. 10, Ambrose said Smith came away impressed with the approach of IU coach Tom Crean and his assistants.

“He really liked the coaching staff,” Ambrose said. “He really liked Coach Crean, Coach Judson, Coach Buckley. They really did a good job with him. They really showed him how he can get better. He came back and said, ‘Coach, you’re not gonna believe this,’ — and I did — he said, ‘Coach, they showed me videotape of how I can get better.’

“He liked that. He thought that was different. They didn’t scream at him and they didn’t tell him he was bad. They said, ‘Look, you can do this better and you can do this better, and we can help you.’ He took it to heart.”

Outside of the paint, Ambrose said Smith is more of a catch-and-shoot player. Mostly, Ambrose has told Smith to make the most of his opportunities within 10 feet.

“Even if he throws up kind of a bad shot or a quick shot, his ability to go back and get it (is impressive),” Ambrose said. “I saw that on the freshman level and I was like, ‘My goodness. You can’t teach that.'”

Entering his senior year of high school, the 185-pound recruit has to continue getting bigger and playing tougher. He has to continue developing his shooting ability.

But Ambrose likes where Smith is as a prospect — and where he’s headed.

“He’s very excited,” Ambrose said. “He’s very excited to play in the Big Ten. I think he’ll look good in the candy stripes. He has long legs.”

[Those last 2 sentences are priceless!]

 

Dalton26, ALASKA HOOSIER, HoosierTrav and 8 others reacted to this

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GloryDays    6,228

GloryDays
Posted
From that article sounds to me like Smith fits better as a stretch 4 and might be well aware of that. 


Thought the same thing.Watching his highlights I thought of Watford.His shot looks very similar.Of course the twisting two handed putbacks are a bit different.
HoosierAloha reacted to this

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