BU recruit- class of 2009- Darius Smith

[Da Coach]

According to a new article by Daniel Poneman, Bradley is recruiting junior (class of 2009) Darius Smith of Chicago Marshall High School. He is a 6'2" point guard who plays with another BU recruit, Ryan Hare.
http://www.illinoishsbasketball.com/...d=584&Itemid=1 (see 3rd paragraph)

http://www.illinoishsbasketball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=118&Itemid=1

Profiles--
http://hsillinois.scout.com/a.z?s=22...=1&nid=2431543 (rated 2-stars by Scout)

http://studentsports.rivals.com/view...2&pr_key=73641 (rated 3-stars by Rivals)

http://www.midstatehoops.com/players/profiles/2009/darius_smith.html

Other links--

http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/boys_basketball/749824,011908marshallbbk.article

http://illinoishsbasketball.com/inde...id=19&Itemid=1 (ranked #5)

http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/2009rankings.html (ranked #10)

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:cAdttkwQHYgJ:websportschicago.com/+%22darius+smith%22+marshall&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=us

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache...nk&cd=11&gl=us (scroll down to see a second picture of Smith being interviewed by Daniel Poneman)

[Big Mike]

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/preps/830417,CST-SPT-spot07.article

[OrangeandBlack74]

We'll get to see him in Peoria this weekend, as they play in the 3A state semi-finals on Friday against Washington.

[real fan]

I really like Smith as a player; he shoots the ball well and seems to be all over the floor , I think he plays much bigger then 6-2 as he is long and jumps very good.

[Big Mike]

Smith is a player period.......he would be a steal for the Braves! Go get him staff!

[real fan]

He looked good in the state tour. last weekend, anyone else there to see him play?

[OrangeandBlack74]

He looked good in the state tour. last weekend, anyone else there to see him play?

I saw him play against Washington in the 3A semifinals. He is definitely a good player, and will get long looks from a number of D1 programs.

[houstonbrave]

Rivals is reporting that Smith said he has heard from Iowa, Indiana, Valpo, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Dayton and Illinois and he has an offer from Bradley.

Here is the Rivals article-the comment on Darius Smith is at the bottom.

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/content.asp?cid=799483

[tornado]

Premium coverage of the Fayetteville, Arkansas Real Deal includes a few comments about Darius Smith.

"Darius Smith came alive in the second half of the Illinois Warriors-Spiece
Mo-Kan Players game. Smith scored 18 second half points for the Warriors and
helped seal the victory. In fact, his play down the stretch sparked the team's
run to the championship game. Smith said he has heard from Iowa, Indiana,
Valpo, Wisconsin, Bradley (offer), Nebraska, Dayton and Illinois."

[tornado]

Another AAU report mentioning Darius Smith

"......detailed look at 6-foot-2 guard Darius Smith of Chicago Marshall. Indiana was
mentioned with him last week in Arkansas. Playing alongside D.J. Richardson on the Illinois
Warriors, Smith is more of a combo guard right now with a solid outside shooting stroke and
enough of a handle to develop as a point. He told us afterward he views himself as a point
guard for college and showed very good decision making on the court. He gets lots rave
reviews for his defense despite not being very physically strong. He has been compared by
some to Marquette guard Jerel McNeal. Smith says he has visited Bloomington for an Indiana
game but at this point his only scholarship offer is from Bradley."





And here's a separate report from another observer:

"Darius Smith, Ill. Warriors – Smith’s admirers are lining up and who knows what his highlight
reel will look like at summer’s end. Smith kickstarted the Warriors with his athleticism and attacks
while (DJ) Richardson closed the deal as he again made shots late."



and one more report:
"Darius Smith, who continues to shine on the big stage.
The 6-foot-1 point guard has a great feel with the ball in his hands. His speed with the ball in his hands is
one of his best strengths and he knives through the defense with few problems. Smith is a great ball-handler
and a strong defender. A shooter he's not but he's solid in nearly everything else. For a class where the point
guards are still trying to find it's collective voice, Smith's call has been heard in April."

[real fan]

I would hope since Bradley offered him a scholarship that he decides to play here as the other schools that have not offered do not believe in him like BU does as will as myself because I thought he was one of the best players in the state tour.

[Da Coach]

Darius Smith has been getting more attention from many major schools with his great play for the Illinois Warriors AAU team this summer.

A new report from the DePaul Rivals site TheDemonsDen.net by Michael Ciepierski, an occasional poster on Bradleyfans, says DePaul is recently recruiting Darius Smith aggressively and has now offered him.
This is a premium article--

http://depaul.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=826401

Smith says DePaul wants him to visit soon. He plans to make a decision about which schools he will visit when he returns from the Peach Jam this past weekend, then make a decision where he will play by September.

It reports that Smith now has offers from DePaul, Marquette, Bradley, and Loyola, and interest from Baylor Clemson, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Indiana State, Kent State, Western Michigan, and VBalparaiso.

Darius Smith profile-

http://depaul.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=73641

[real fan]

DePaul would be a huge mistake for Smith to choose as a lot of hihly ranked players have totally failed at DePaul. (poor coaching is probably the main reason) Players that come to BU and work hard end up playing professionally so it should be an easy decision as to what your choice should be.

[Da Coach]

IllinoisPrepBullseye reports on Darius Smith from last weekend--

6'2 guard Darius Smith from Marshall High School in Chicago is the #1 recruiting priority for Bradley and head coach Jim Les, who was on hand to watch all of Smith's games at Peach Jam. DePaul head coach Jerry Wainwright also followed Smith closely, as did Marquette head coach Buzz Williams, Baylor, Loyola-Chicago, Illinois State and Kent State. All of these schools have offered Smith a scholarship. Smith continues to receive interest from Indiana, Iowa and others as well.

[Da Coach]

Here is the latest news on Darius Smith. A new premium article from 8/7/08 from the Minnesota Rivals site includes an interview with Smith.--

http://minnesota.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=835031

Here are a couple clips from the article--

Minnesota offered four star point guard Darius Smith out of Chicago this past weekend. The 6-foot-1, 170 pound Smith is a ultra quick guard with solid handles and the ability to defend the entire length of the floor. At this point in time Smith is very open to his future college choice and Minnesota has put themselves in the thick of his recruitment.
"Tubby Smith and Minnesota offered me last Sunday," Darius stated. "Minnesota, Kentucky, UAB, Bradley, Iowa State, and there are several others schools that have been after me. At this point there is not a school on top of my list and I have no time table on my decision."

The offers for Smith now include DePaul, Marquette, Minnesota, Bradley, Chicago-Loyola, Illinois State, and Baylor and more could be on the way. The next stage for Smith's process is deciding on visits but he's still not sure about the trips he is going to make.