By JACOB POLACHECK
Colin Smith, the 6-foot-7 small forward from St. Mark’s (TX), heard from a number of college coaches on Monday.
Among the schools to reach out include Auburn, Memphis, Michigan, Florida State, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Illinois, Texas Tech, Baylor, Arkansas, BYU, Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Miami, Purdue, Columbia, Harvard, Mississippi State, USC, Butler, UCLA and Stanford.
Smith’s latest call came from Kansas head coach Bill Self late Monday afternoon.
“It was just a check up call,” Smith said. “He was just calling in just to let me know that he is heavily interested in me.”
“We were just talking about everything that’s going on in the world and he asked me how I’ve developed as a player over the break,” he said. “We just started talking about what’s going on at Kansas and that was about it.”
Smith first picked up an offer from Kansas in October of 2018.
“Obviously it’s one of the biggest schools in the country,” he said. “The fan base is crazy. I haven’t been down there to check out the school or any games, but I know the atmosphere there is pretty good.”
“They’re pretty good at developing players and getting players to the league, so that’s definitely a good looking school.”
Smith’s latest offer came on Monday from Texas Tech.
I’ve seen most of their games. I used to play on the same team as Jahmius Ramsey,” Smith said. “We were in the same program, playing with Texas Hard Work. I’m close to him. We’ve been talking over the break a little bit.”
“That’s a nice school,” he said. “I think I’d fit in with the way they play the game.”
Outside of Kansas and Texas Tech, Smith says that he has been in touch with coaches from Stanford, Michigan, Florida State, Baylor and Texas A&M. He broke down each school:
Stanford: “It’s a beautiful campus. I went there right before spring break and we had a long talk about the school and the way they play. The main thing we talked about was life after basketball, all the connections they have there. I have a connection there because my sister is going to be a freshman there, playing volleyball. We have a pretty good connection and it’s a really good overall school.”
Michigan: “I’ve been to Michigan three times. I went to a basketball camp there in eighth grade before they changed their coaching staff. I went on a second unofficial when they hired Juwan Howard. Then, I went there during winter break when they played Michigan State. I met the coaching staff down there, so Michigan we’ve been talking over the break too.”
Florida State: “In December, I was in Florida for my sister’s Under Armour All-American Game. So, we stopped by Florida State, went for an unofficial visit, got to see the campus, talk to some of the guys and coaches. That was about it for the visit, but we’ve been talking on the phone during this whole coronavirus pandemic and seeing how I match up in their system. They’re known as the ‘big guard university’ so it’s appealing to look at what they do over there.”
Baylor: “They were one of the first schools to offer me, so we’ve been connected for a long time. I’ve been there a couple times. My dad is originally from Waco, so there’s already a connection there. I’ve been to some team camps there. I’m really close with the coaches. I’ve been talking to coach [Alvin] Brooks III the most, so the connection there is pretty strong too.”
Texas A&M: “They were actually the first school to offer, however, they got that new staff a couple years ago. After they got that new staff, they came and watched me play a a couple times during the school year and I picked up an offer from coach Buzz [Williams]. They were one of the first schools to call me last night when we were first able to be called. They had their whole staff on the Zoom call so that was pretty impressive. I’ve been down there two or three times. I got to see the campus a little bit. I’d like to go back to take a look, but the people there are great. I know a lot of people that are going there next year like Manny [Obaseki] and Jaxson [Robinson] so I’ve been talking with them a little bit.”
Smith says he’s planning on taking some visits in the upcoming academic year and broke down what he’s looking for in a school.
“Mostly just how I fit in the program,” he said. “I like to see if the coaching staff, especially with what’s going on, I want to know if a coach is going to back me up with what’s going on in the world.
“Just surrounding myself with players and coaches that have the same goals as me, just wanting to win and be the best we can be. Obviously, the school part, life after basketball. I want to go to a school that prepares me for both good academics and good athletics.”
According to 247Sports, Smith is ranked as the No. 26 small forward and the No. 79 overall player in the Class of 2022.
“I would describe myself as honestly, an all-around player. I’m not a selfish player, I like to get my teammates involved,” he said. “I think I’m a good passer. I can shoot the ball. If a defender tries to close out, I’ll just drive and finish or kick it out. I pride myself on my defense. Whenever I play, I try to play the best defense I can, lock up the best player on the other team.”
Outside of basketball, Smith also enjoys acting.
“During school I used to do drama a little bit. I find interest in that,” he said. ” I like to keep my circle tight, but once people get to know me, they see how charismatic I am and I think a lot of people don’t know how good of an actor I am.”
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