PONY UP: Jalen Smith becomes 1st SMU hoops commit of 2021 class
The Mustangs get on the board for 2021 basketball recruiting with a 6-4 point guard out of Orlando, Florida.
SMU basketball has its first pledge of the 2021 class.
The Mustangs got great news Sunday afternoon when Orlando (Florida) Oak Ridge point guard Jalen Smith announced his plans to play on the Hilltop. A 6-4 point guard, Smith chose SMU over offers from Illinois-Chicago, Charlotte, Siena and several other programs.
He was recruited to SMU by assistant coach Yaphett King. And he made the decision without actually taking a visit to the campus.
"This decision was very tough, especially with me not being able to visit the school and get a feel for it," Smith told The HillTopics. "Me and my parents looked at everything when it came down to my top schools. We looked at academics, if it had a strong business school. We looked at how I would fit in the system, me being able to make an impact as a freshman.
"We looked at returning players, relationship with coaches, strength of schedule, and even weather. [SMU] met all of those needs for me."
Smith will be a freshman when SMU point guard Kendric Davis enters his senior year. If all goes as planned, Smith will have the opportunity to see early playing time for the Mustangs as Davis' backup -- assuming Davis doesn't test the NBA waters after the upcoming season.
Smith averaged roughly 12 points and three assists per game for Oak Ridge last season. He's a versatile backcourt option who made 49% of his shots from the floor and 49% from the 3-point line.
Defensively, he uses his 6-9 wingspan well in rebounding and being disruptive. He led Oak Ridge in steals, registering 40 for last season.
Smith is rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com. He has just south of 20 reported offers.