Darius Smith

[tornado]

a new report says Darius is picking up offers rapidly as his play has improved...

"Class of 2009 Chicago Marshall star Darius Smith, one of the top uncommitted
prospects in the United States, is being flooded with inquiries from top
basketball programs from around the country. .... Smith ...remains "wide open"
in terms of his recruitment....

...with the high volume of calls coming in from schools from around the country
including top Big 10, ACC, SEC, Pac 10 and Big East, that it is very difficult to
list all schools that are involved in the process."
...per Brian Stinnette



another report says...
"coaches in attendance...Purdue University head coach Matt Painter,
Indiana University assistant coaches Tim Buckley and Bennie Seltzer,
Northwestern University assistant coach Tavaras Hardy, and University
of Wisconsin assistant coach Howard Moore. The University Of Iowa...
(watching) ...Darius Smith from Marshall High School in Chicago, who is
the top unsigned prospect in Illinois from the class of 2009"
...Roy Schmidt

anyone else think BU may be a long shot??

[lake Camelot]

Yes when I get time I think I'll take his picture off my Avatar. Seems like a lost cause.

[tornado]

Another NEW premium article on Indiana's interest in Darius Smith--

"Indiana might not be done with its 2009 recruiting class after all. The Hoosier staff
was on hand to watch Chicago Marshall H.S. guard Darius Smith over the weekend.

Smith averaged 14.2 points per game as a junior on a team that went 32-4 and averaged
17 points, six rebounds and five assists as a sophomore.
...averaging 20 points per game on a Marshall H.S. team that is off to a 5-1 start.

“Whoever gets him, they’re getting one of the best unsigned seniors in the country,”
College coaches are taking notice. Schools from just about every major conference have
inquired about Smith, and at last weekend’s Loop Capital Shootout a half dozen college
coaches were in attendance

Among those in attendance were members of the IU coaching staff. Cotton said the Hoosiers
began expressing interest in Smith last week as a potential spring addition to their ’09 class.

At this point Indiana’s contact has been from the assistant coaches and a scholarship offer
hasn’t come yet, so Smith is waiting to hear from IU Coach Tom Crean
Throw in the fact that Smith is already academically qualified, and it all adds up to the kind
of impact player that can be hard to find in the spring signing period."

http://indiana.scout.com/2/822580.html

[real fan]

Darius is a good player but if he wants a lot of playing time he needs to think about his best options as a lot of the bigger schools will not give him the minutes that he would get at BU plus we are building a very special program for the coming seasons.

[Stryker]

Yeah, I would really really like to have DS, but who knows what will happen.

[tornado]

Here's a thought.....the Washington teammate of Matt Roth, Sean Johnson, who nobody in DI seemed to want,
is now at Illinois Wesleyan, he is their leading scorer and hits 45% on 3-pt shots.
I think the kid would have been a pretty decent DI player.

[Da Coach]

It was reported that he was offered a walkon spot by ISU, but he chose to go to IWU.

[thefish7]

DePaul? Really, Darius? I don't mind when the big boys start to edge us out... But DePaul's kinda like a kick in the junk.

[Big Mike]

Will JW still be the coach at DePaul next season?

[Da Coach]

I would be surprised if he stays, but I really don't know if JW will be back. The administration there likes him, but I have heard that a number of longtime supporters have pulled away from their program over the last year and a half and the financial impact of that will likely force DePaul to make a change. If DS goes to DePaul, he is taking a risk that the coach recruiting him won't be his coach there.

[scout4126]

It was reported that he was offered a walkon spot by ISU, but he chose to go to IWU.

Not ISU, but EIU.

[Da Coach]

That's interesting news.
I have heard from a reliable source, who is an ISU insider, that they also wanted him (Sean Johnson) to walk-on.