Smith is an athletic and skilled lead guard that looks to create his own offense, as well as impact the defensive end, and is evolving as a playmaker. Smith has a dynamic handles, keeps the dribble alive to survey the floor, has the court vision to make precision passes in tight windows, is a great positional rebounder, which allows him to get out and push the ball up the court, and improved decision making on passes up the court to players running the floor. I was impressed most with his poise and control of the flow of the offense at the Fall Varsity Shootout, especially on Day 2, where he slowed the game down at times and orchestrated the offense to put pressure on the defense. Smith is a high-level athlete that has great on-court speed, but he is showing that he can adapt to the flow of the game and not feel the need to push at all times. Smith is efficient with the 3-ball off the dribble or the catch, uses the crossover, behind cross, and toss cross to get his defender off balance, has a quick burst off speed off the bounce, and is a creative finisher at the rim with the use of the up and under lay-up. In the open court, Smith can go coast to coast and looks to punch it in, or pull-up for the transition jumper. He is an underrated shot-blocker/rim protector, as well as the lateral quickness and active hands to put pressure on opposing guards. 

Smith was the only underclassmen to participate in the showcase, and had played in the Next Up Showcase the day before. He came to the Junior/Senior Showcase on Sunday with some of the players registered for this event, and, given that there were 2 players that were not able to attend, I needed to fill a spot. Smith was an easy choice to add to this event, and he took full advantage of the opportunity. He would be the only player to score over 20 points in both games and was the event’s overall leading scorer, as he would go for 25 points in his 1st game, followed by an event scoring high of 27 points in the final game of the event. Smith is a good positional rebounder, has the handle to push the pace of play up the court, has the court vision and precision to throw darts in tight windows to teammates cutting off the ball in the half court setting, as well as finding players up the court in transition. Smith has a strong handle, makes great use of the hesitation, the crossover, and between-cross to get his defender off balance, gets a nice burst of speed off the dribble, combined with long strides, to get by his defender, and is a creative finisher at the basket. Smith gets good lift on the jumper, connects on the perimeter shot with accuracy from the mid-range to the 3-point line, off the dribble or the catch, and has good body control when contacted in the air, with creativity on finishes around the basket. Defensively, he has the bounce to alter shots on the weak side, as well as the perimeter, has active hands to deflect passes that lead to turnovers, and has great footwork to be a lock down on-ball defender. Great weekend of basketball for the sophomore combo guard with big expectations this coming season for Clovis. 

Smith has been one of the more dynamic players in the class of 2028 in the Central Section, and has continued to gain notoriety throughout California and the West Coast. He came into the Next Up Showcase as one of the top prospects and he lived up to the hype at the event. Smith had 15 points in the opening game of the event, and really got going in his second game with 22 points and 8 rebounds, making some tough shots in the process. Smith has elite handles, uses the crossover and between cross to get his defender to lose focus, has a great burst of speed, with long strides, off the dribble to get by his defender, has lift on the pull-up jumper, uses the pump fake to get to the basket, where he uses his bounce to score in creative ways around the basket. Smith moves well off the ball, as well as creates space with the dribble, with accuracy on the 3-ball. Smith is a good situational defender, and jumps passing lanes and gets out in the open court, where he can make plays for others or get his own buckets. He will be a big factor for the new look Cougars and he is capable of handling the moment.