Kentucky could be ‘the team to beat’ for top 25 basketball recruit Nick Smith Jr.
One of the best perimeter scorers in the 2022 recruiting class added Kentucky to his list of college possibilities this week. The Wildcats might already be the favorite to land his commitment.
Nick Smith Jr. — a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Sherwood, Ark. — left UK off his initial college top-10 list last month, but increased recruiting efforts from the Cats got them back under consideration Monday. 247Sports ranks Smith as the No. 25 overall player in the 2022 class, and the first Crystal Ball prediction for Smith’s recruitment went in favor of UK on Wednesday.
247Sports analyst Travis Branham logged that pick.
“I know Nick thinks very highly of the Kentucky basketball program and what they’ve done over the years,” Branham told the Herald-Leader this week. “And if they were to come through with an offer and make him one of their guys, I do think Kentucky will definitely be the team to beat.”
There’s no scholarship offer yet, but the increased interest in his recruitment and new involvement from Coach John Calipari should be seen as a positive sign for Smith, who also lists Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oral Roberts and Texas Tech among his college options.
Smith plays for Sylvan Hills High School, the alma mater of former UK guard Archie Goodwin, and Kentucky also had more recent recruiting success in Arkansas with Malik Monk in the 2016 class. Smith has had several games with more than 30 points this season.
“He’s a great scorer. That’s definitely his calling card,” Branham said. “He’s got good size and length for the position. He’s a good athlete. He’s got a good first step. He’s very aggressive. He’s a very confident and aggressive scorer. He can pull up with range. He can attack you off the bounce. He’s got a nice floater. He finishes at the rim through contact.
“What I love most about him is his mentality. Just that confident, aggressive style — he brings it on the defensive end. He’s very competitive.”
Branham added that Smith should be able to defend multiple positions in college, and he’s a player that would complement UK’s only commitment for the 2022 class — five-star point guard Skyy Clark — quite nicely. “They would be able to play off each other well,” he said. “Nick is just a tough two-way player who’s going to bring instant offense wherever he goes.”
Areas for improvement in Smith’s game would be becoming a more consistent outside shooter and developing better decision-making skills with the basketball.
“He is very much score first,” Branham said. “And with that, he’s going to draw a lot of attention. So, learning to facilitate and play-make a little bit more, make those right reads as he draws that attention and those helpside defenders — he can become a real problem on the offensive end.”
Smith picked up scholarship offers from Kansas and North Carolina in December, and he told 247Sports later that month that those two schools, Arkansas, Auburn and Georgetown were the programs recruiting him the hardest at the time.
There’s no set timetable for a college decision, but the growing relationship with Kentucky’s coaching staff will be worth watching.
“Nick doesn’t seem to be in a rush. He’s focused on competing and developing right now,” Branham said. “If Kentucky came through with an offer and really pursued him heavily and prioritized him, maybe he does commit early. But I would foresee him kind of seeing this thing through and maybe (committing) in the fall, during the early signing period.”
