This past season, as a high school sophomore, Tyler Smith averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game on the basketball court.
He’s unlikely to put up numbers quite that high on the Adidas 3SSB circuit this month, but that has nothing to do with any lack of ability on his part or even the heightened level of competition he’ll be facing.
Smith — a 6-foot-10 forward from Sugar Land, Texas — is not only playing primarily against guys a year older, but he’s playing alongside a star-studded group of teammates that includes top-five national recruit Keyonte George and a few other highly touted players in the rising senior class.
So, while Smith might take a bit of a backseat this summer, this experience of competing with and against an older group of talented players should pay off down the road.
“I think there’s a real benefit,” said Ani Umana, director of 5-State Hoop Report and an expert in Texas grassroots basketball. “The speed and the physicality of the game is obviously different, compared to a 16u (team). I’m a proponent of — if a kid is capable of playing up and playing a good role — then they need to do it. And a team like that, it teaches a guy like Tyler how to affect basketball games without scoring. Moving without the basketball. Rebounding.
“Tyler might have a few games where he explodes offensively, but most of the time his impact is going to be around the rim and rebounding and defending and being a switchable defender. And just being active. He’s not going to get a high volume of shots, but he can impact the game in other ways with his length and athleticism.”
Smith did that in a big way this past week in Alabama, the first stop on the Adidas circuit this month and the first time college coaches got to see him play with his electric Southern Assault squad.
He got buckets here and there, but Smith also showed flashes of what makes him such an intriguing recruit. He used his length and athleticism to hit the glass and wasn’t afraid to bang with older opponents in the paint. He ran well in the open court, slashing to the basket and trying to make things happen without the ball.
In the marquee matchup of the entire week — Southern Assault vs. top-five recruit Chris Livingston’s We All Can Go squad — Smith helped break open a close game late when he cut toward the basket, caught a perfect pass from George in stride and threw down an emphatic two-handed slam that had the parents’ section on the baseline jumping to its feet.
UK assistant coach Orlando Antigua was in the stands for that one, along with coaches from Kansas, Texas, and just about every other school that might have an interest in recruiting a top-tier prospect like Smith. The day before, John Calipari and Chris Beard were among those who watched him play.
“My first time playing in front of a bunch of college coaches — I’m still getting used to it,” Smith said.
A little shy off the court, Smith’s game already speaks volumes on it. He’s a long, tall left-hander and an exceptional shooter from the mid-range and three-point line for his size. He has a smooth stroke, a player who could certainly play facing the basket in college.
“They know I can score,” Smith said of the college coaches recruiting him, but he’s looking to show them other aspects of his game this summer. He specifically said that he wants to improve as a defender and prove to coaches that he’s capable of defending multiple positions — even out to the perimeter — at the next level.
Umana said he has the potential to do that. The Texas-based talent evaluator said he’s seen Smith — when he gives top effort — defend three or four positions, noting that he remains effective when switching to smaller offensive players on the fly.
Continuing to harness that defensive versatility and improving as a rebounder, especially on the defensive end, is how Smith can unlock even more of his potential before he heads to the next level.
“I know he can handle himself in space,” Umana said. “He can hit open shots. He’s athletic. So it’s really about improving his rebounding and just overall defense.”
Recruiting Tyler Smith
Much of the attention in Alabama last week was placed on the older players from the 2022 class — especially with Smith’s Southern Assault squad that features a few Top 100 seniors — but there were plenty of eyes on Smith, as well.
He’s ranked as high as No. 9 overall (by ESPN) in the 2023 class, he’s a consensus top-20 prospect in that group, and his unique potential for a player of his size leaves lots of room for growth in the national rankings.
Kentucky appears to be making him a priority recruit in the early going.
June 15 marked the first day that college coaches could directly contact players from the 2023 class, and Smith heard from plenty of them. He told the Herald-Leader that, since then, three have stuck out the most as far as the level of mutual interest: Kentucky, Texas and Arkansas.
UK assistant coach Jai Lucas has been Smith’s main contact — Lucas watched him play in his first game of the evaluation period last week — and Smith said he worked out with former UK guard De’Aaron Fox in Miami not long before heading to Alabama for the Adidas event.
He spoke highly of Lucas and Fox, and he’s followed Calipari’s track record with elite recruits.
“Coach Cal knows how to get people to the league,” Smith said. “Especially if you’re a freshman, he tries to get you out of there.”
That’s looking a little too far into the future. Smith, of course, still has two more seasons of high school basketball ahead of him. He also has two more summers on the grassroots circuit.
This time next year, he’ll likely be among the biggest stars for whatever shoe company league he plays in. Right now, he’s content with playing more of a supporting role, a short-term sacrifice that likely will turn into a long-term advantage.
“He has a lot of upside,” Umana said. “Tyler has grown as a player, obviously — he’s stretched it out and he’s able to operate from the perimeter and attack slower-footed guys. But he holds a massive amount of talent. A kid with length, athleticism, touch around the rim and perimeter. Just a really, really high upside kid that hasn’t even unlocked half of his potential.”