Spotlight Report: Jaren Smith (2019)

<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri;">Small guards who can make big plays are always exciting to watch. <strong>Jaren Smith</strong>, a sophomore at Stivers School for the Arts gets the crowd on their feet with his flashy passing and ball handling skills. At just 5’6, the guard blows by defenders to break down the defense, then makes the correct play by finding the open man from making the defense help on him. Smith played varsity as a freshman and will be the starting point guard this year for Stivers as a sophomore. After he has proven he had the assets of being a strong point guard, he will be taking on the big role this year as a starter. </span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri;">Smith is a gym rat. He is anxious to be in a gym each and every day getting better. I asked him what has he been working on during the off season, he said “I would like to apply more pressure on defense the whole length of the court. I also am working on being more vocal as a varsity point guard because we need that.”  </span></p> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri;">The young guard is not receiving any letters of interest or has any offers but that will hopefully change very soon when the season gets under away. Smith makes his presence known when he is on the floor. He is very active and he puts the ball in the rim. He had a big man last season, Isaiah Williams, who will be on the roster for the University of Akron. This year, there will not be any presence in the paint so he will need to really pick up the pace on offense and make sure he is containing his man from getting in the paint because they will be small. </span> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri;">Smith is outstanding in the classroom. He currently holds a 3.85 gpa. He finds school just as important as basketball. He takes being a student-athlete to heart because he understands that if you can’t get it done in class, you can’t get it done on the basketball court because he would not be eligible. </span> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Calibri;">Smith’s height is not a problem when he is on the court. He usually matches up with players taller than him but Smith can hold his own. He is constantly in the weight room and in the gym to perfect his game. It should be an exciting season for Smith with him playing his new role at starting point guard on the varsity level. </span> [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wG0kXvZiis[/embed] <p style="text-align: center;"></p>