Four-star guard Mark Smith picks Illinois over Michigan State
Michigan State missed out on two of its top late recruiting targets in less than 24 hours.
Illinois Mr. Basketball Mark Smith announced he has signed a letter of intent to play for Illinois this fall. The four-star combo guard from Edwardsville High picked his home-state school over MSU, Ohio State, Missouri and a number of other late high-major suitors that included Kentucky and Duke.
Smith told WDWS-AM 1400 he “always knew where he was going,” even though he admitted he opened his options with MSU and other schools after Illinois fired John Groce in March. He said new Illini coach Brad Underwood “had a plan for me, a blueprint.”
The 6-foot-5 Smith said his second choice was Indiana before the Hoosiers fired Tom Crean. He said MSU and Duke were his runners-up to the Illini.
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“It was a tough one,” Smith said of calling Tom Izzo to let him know he would not become a Spartan. “Tom Izzo, he’s a great guy, a great person. I built such a great relationship with him. There’s just nothing like home.”
Smith averaged 21.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 2.1 steals as a senior to lead Edwardsville to a 30-2 record. Rated the No. 52 player for 2017 in the final Rivals.com national rankings, Smith previously had been a baseball player committed to Missouri before an arm injury shifted his direction toward basketball.
MSU also lost out late Tuesday night on five-star big man Brandon McCoy from San Diego. The 6-foot-11, 244-pound center and McDonald’s All-American announced on Twitter that he picked UNLV over the Spartans, Oregon, Arizona and San Diego State. McCoy is rated No. 13 overall in 247Sports.com’s composite national rankings.
Tom Izzo has one open spot available for his 2017 class, with one more in flux depending on Ben Carter’s appeal to the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility.
The Spartans have been chasing swingman Brian Bowen, a five-star wing from Saginaw. The 6-7 McDonald’s All-American, who is prep school teammates with MSU signee Jaren Jackson Jr. at La Lumiere School in Indiana, said he plans to announce his college choice this month. Bowen has listed the Spartans, Arizona, Creighton, Texas and North Carolina State as his five finalists.
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@chrissolari.