November 19 2009

10:45 A.M. CST

The only thing that can ever be predicted accurately when it comes to any player who plays for the Mac Irvin Fire traveling team program is that their recruitments are always unpredictable.  With that being said, another Fire prospect has pulled a last minute surprise.  We are talking about Reggie Smith, the 6'0 guard from Thornton Township High School in Harvey, IL.  Smith decided to sign late last night with Marquette University.

Smith's decision came on the final day of the Fall signing period and we would be lying if we were to say that it didn't catch us somewhat off-guard.  That is because we really thought that Smith would end up waiting until the spring to weigh all of his options and see if he would attract offers from other high major programs.  However, he quickly realized that Marquette presented him with as good of an opportunity as any that would come his way.  Needless to say, he jumped at the offer that was put in front of him.

Smith had long been in the mix as a possible recruiting option for Golden Eagles head coach Buzz Williams in his 2010 recruiting class.  However, knowing how much Williams and his staff like to keep a tight lid on things recruiting-wise, it was never really known how high of a priority Smith was up until now.  As it turns out, Williams and his staff had been hoping to sign a guard before the end of the Fall signing period and Smith was one of three guards that were under consideration.  After holding an intense closed-door meeting last night, it was decided that Smith would be the choice.

Several high major programs have debated whether or not Smith can play the point in college, which is why they wavered over offering him a scholarship.  However, we believe that is a moot point when it comes to Smith and Marquette.  That is because Smith has freakish athleticism and the high level of energy and defensive intensity that could prove to make him a great fit for Marquette.  While a couple of other high majors did offer Smith early on, the Golden Eagles ended up benefitting from the fact that those programs no longer had room as the result of filling all of their available 2010 scholarships.

In many ways Smith is comparable to former Marquette guard Jerel McNeal.  We are not saying that Smith is as good as McNeal right now, but he possesses a lot of the same traits.  Plus McNeal was not a great shooter coming out of high school--that is something that he got better at over the course of time.  With that being said, there is no question that Smith showed considerable improvement in the areas of ball handling and shooting this past spring and summer while playing for the Fire.

As we have stated on numerous occassions, the Golden Eagles coaching staff continues to make the state of Illinois and the Chicago area in particular a top recruiting priority.  That is why a huge kudos must go to assistant coach Tony Benford, who has been Marquette's lead recruiter on most all Chicago-area prospects.  At the present time the Golden Eagles remain in the running for a number of top players in Illinois from the class of 2011, including 6'5 Wayne Blackshear from Morgan Park High School in Chicago, 6'7 Mike Shaw  from De LaSalle Institute in Chicago, 5'11 George Marshall from Brooks High School in Chicago, and both 6'5 Dre Henley and 6'6 James Siakam from Brehm Prep in Carbondale.      

Continue to check in with Illinois Prep Bulls-eye for all of the latest as it pertains to recruiting and high school basketball in Illinois.