Prospect Spotlight: Ethan Smith (2019)
Ethan Smith is well-known for his shooting ability, but after a red hot summer for Union High School, Iron Athletics Sixers, and SFD Elite, there’s no doubt that he is one of the top scorers in the state of Washington.
Coming off of a junior season in which the 6’0 guard emerged as quite possibly the top shooter in the state of Washington, as argued by his school-record 87 made three-pointers on 45% three-point shooting, Smith showed this summer that he has a lot more to offer. After averaging 14.3 points per game last season at Union, Smith nearly doubled his scoring average this summer. This was highlighted by his performance at the Curtis Shootout in June, in which he averaged 32.3 points per game and was named to the All-Tournament team. One week later, at the University of Oregon Team Camp, Smith hit a personal-record 9 three-pointers in a game.
Performances like these have only made him hungrier. He hopes to return Union High School to the Tacoma Dome for a chance at the WIAA State Title next year, and wants to put himself in the conversation for the 4A Player of the Year, something that Cameron Cranston of Union did in 2017 when Smith was a sophomore. While he understands that some may be critical of his lofty goals, Smith says “I always have the highest goals possible so that I don’t sell myself short.”
Looking forward to the future, he feels that he can have a real impact on a college program. “I feel like I can be a scorer and bring a high basketball IQ to a college program,” says Smith, “Through my shooting ability and craftiness in the paint, I can score in multiple ways.” As a result of his success during the season and over the last few months, Smith has several colleges showing serious interest, including: Whitman University, University of Puget Sound, Pacific University, Pacific Lutheran University, George Fox University, Lewis and Clark College, Lewis and Clark State College, Northwest Christian, and Maine Maritime Academy.
We highly encourage you to check out Ethan Smith’s highlights from his junior season at Union, which can be viewed below: