Edwardsville’s Smith will have ‘special career,’ Illinois coach predicts

New Illinois men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood is “over-the-top ecstatic” that the Illini were able to sign Edwardsville High star Mark Smith on Wednesday.

Smith, a 6-foot-4 guard, chose the Fighting Illini over Michigan State, Ohio State, Kentucky, Duke and many others as he ended a hectic recruiting period that began in November and didn’t stop gaining momentum until Smith made his decision.

Underwood, who left Oklahoma State after one season to replace the fired John Groce as the Illini coach on March 18, said he “couldn’t be happier” about the addition of Smith to the program.

“I’m obviously over-the-top ecstatic,” Underwood said late Wednesday night in a telephone interview. “I’m so happy for him, too. He’s a young man who gets to fulfill a lifelong dream. It’s been a pleasure to get to know his mom (Yvonne) and dad (Anthony) and his family, and for them to have the opportunity to be close to home and see him play.”

Smith, the Belleville News-Democrat’s Class 3A-4A Player of the Year, averaged 21.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 2.1 steals for Edwardsville, which finished 30-2 and was ranked No. 1 in Class 4A for the first time in school history.

“He’s a future point guard. There’s no question about that,” Underwood said. “He’s got so much to offer not just in terms of his physical traits, but he’s such a great teammate and he’s an unselfish player. His athleticism at that position, his size at that position, he’s going to be a challenge for a lot of people.

“He can play a lot of places, but most importantly, he’s a point guard. It’s going to be fun to watch him play with the ball in his hands.”

Smith, an honors student, also was Gatorade’s Player of the Year in Illinois and Mr. Basketball in Illinois. Those awards came on consecutive days in March.

But there’s more to Smith than his accolades. Anyone who has been around him remark about his maturity, kindness and character. Those are qualities Underwood learned about during his recruitment of Smith, which included in-home visits.

“Not only are we getting a great player and a young man with such a promising future, we’re getting a terrific individual,” Underwood said. “He’s a high-character young man whose value will go well beyond the playing floor. He is such a terrific young man, and that excites me a great deal.”

Underwood credited assistant coach Jamall Walker for being “the point” on the recruitment of Smith, and Smith acknowledged Wednesday that having Walker on the staff, in addition to building a relationship with Underwood, put the Illini over the top.

“After the first meeting I had with Mark and his family ... I told Jamall, ‘Very seldom do I walk out of a meeting with someone and am excited going in, but I’m more excited when I left because I found out about the character,’” Underwood said. “Those are the type of young men I cherish. I have tremendous value in what they stand for.

“What a great young man. He’s a high-character guy.”

Smith was a solid player before his senior year, but took his game to a different level this season. He was remarkably consistent, scoring in double figures in 31 of 32 games. He had eight games with at least 30 points and scored a career-high 45 points in the next-to-last game of his career, against Danville in the sectional final.

“He’s a young man that earned the honor of Mr. Basketball,” Underwood said. “To hear his coaches talk about his development from his sophomore year through this season, and to see him grow and know that he’s worked ... That’s powerful stuff. There’s not a lot of kids that have that desire and that passion.

“Mark has that. He’s going to have a special career. He’s ready to break through with some great things.”

Underwood said there were plenty of nervous moments leading up to Wednesday night. That tends to be the case when competing for a player against Michigan State, Kentucky, Ohio State and other programs that have enjoyed more success than the Illini in recent years.

Illinois hasn’t been in the NCAA Tournament since 2013 and hasn’t won the Big Ten since 2005, when it lost to North Carolina in the national-title game in St. Louis.

“It’s been touch-and-go,” Underwood said of the uncertainty about closing the deal on Smith. “That’s very typical of any recruiting process. He’s a great player, and obviously, the schools that were involved ... When you’ve got Duke and Kentucky and Michigan State and Ohio State, those types of people, coming into the home, that speaks volumes for his talent.

“It’s been a pretty uneasy feeling as a coach when you’re in that process. It’s truly a day-to-day process and there are ups and downs. We tried to stay very consistent with our message and his importance to us. I don’t know if we ever felt over-the-top comfortable at any point. I think it was just a matter of trying to stay consistent with what we were talking about.”

This story was originally published April 27, 2017 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Edwardsville’s Smith will have ‘special career,’ Illinois coach predicts."