Prospect Watch: Kobe Smith (2018)
Class of 2018 guard Kobe Smith of Ritenour has an excellent role model when it comes to reaching success on the basketball court.
The 6’4″ Smith is the younger brother of former Lafayette High standout Aareon Smith, who became a NCAA Division II All-American player at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Aareon Smith is now playing professionally overseas, but when he is in town, he spends his time working with his younger brother.
“My brother is my big motivator,” Kobe Smith said. “He keeps me going more than anybody else. He wants me to reach my full potential and I trust him. We work out at least four times a week and it has made me much better.”
Smith is a talented offensive player who has received recruiting interest from schools such as Eastern Illinois, UMSL, Lindenwood and Milliken. His combination of size, physical strength and skills have made him a potent offensive weapon.
“I feel like I can score whenever I need, but I also like to get my teammates involved and get them going,” he said. “I like to use my size to my advantage because there are not a lot of guards my size that can do what I do. It comes in handy because I can shoot over smaller guards and attack the basket and get fouled.”
As a junior, Smith averaged 15 points a game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point range. He made a total of 55 3-pointers during the season. Those numbers figure to increase considerably this season with the graduation of leading scorer Robyion Hughes. Smith should really excel in Ritenour’s up-tempo offense that creates a lot of turnovers and fast breaks.
“I really like the wide open style,” Smith said. “It opens up the floor for me and my teammates to space the court and play our game.”