|
Whitewright,
Texas is Matt Smith's hometown. There's about 1,800 people in the
town. It's the same neck of the woods as Marquette coach Buzz Williams
grew up in -- Buzz's hometown of Van Alstyne, about 12 miles from
Whitewright. Despite the closeness to Dallas these towns are
country. Smith at 6-7, 205 pounds and growing is the only skyscraper
in Grayson County.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&resnum=0&q=whitewright,+texas&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=image
Despite some good numbers in his junior season, 19.1 points and 4
rebounds, Smith wasn't getting a lot of notice until he switched AAU
teams. After joining the Dallas Hoop Dreams program interest picked
up considerably.
The Nix recruit told Rivals Sports, "At first, I was on a team where
there were a bunch of individuals and I pretty much never touched the
ball. So me and my point guard went to Dallas Hoop Dreams and it was
a family there. Everything went really well after that. My shooting
improved a whole lot and I played good defense against top prospects when
we played against them."
In May Smith's only offer was from Texas A&M-Commerce. By August the
offer list included UW-Milwaukee, Loyola, Illinois-Chicago, Wright
State, Evansville, Arkansas-Little Rock, Utah State, North Texas, Texas
State Stephen F. Austin and UWGB. GB and North Texas were the
finalists. Despite not liking cold weather Smith says there was
something about Green Bay that he really liked.
"I really wanted to go somewhere where I fit in," Smith said.
"I don't really know how to explain it, but somewhere that I'm home
but at the same time I'm still exploring new things. Something with a
family feel to it. I wanted to stay close to home at first, but now
distance isn't a factor."
Texas Hoops Analysis: Matt Smith has a strong body, works hard on the
boards, and finishes strong in the paint. He also has a soft touch and can
hit 15 footer. He runs the floor well.
(Update
March 09) Whitewright senior Matthew Smith was selected for the Class 2A
all-state team. Smith was also chosen all-state as a sophomore.
|
