By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
Times are tough. With the economic slowdown and the plunge of the stock market, it’s difficult to know where to invest your money.
Here’s a tip. Invest in glass backboards, especially in the neighborhood of Covington, Washington. They’ll be needed in abundance there because Covington is the home of one of the top rim-rattlers in the country; a 6-foot-10 junior at Kentwood High School named Josh Smith.
To say that Smith dunks the basketball would be to underemphasize the word dunk. Josh Smith DUNKS! And with each dunk he brings swaying backboards, cowering opponents and wincing athletic directors who know that Smith’s next dunk might be the last for that particular backboard.
And yet dunking is only part of the game for Smith, a mountain of a man who at just 16 years of age and 270 pounds, already dwarfs defenders and teammates alike. His athleticism and made-for-the-NBA body already have college scouts drooling and have helped him earn the tag of the No. 1 junior in the country. It’s a badge he wears with honor, if not trepidation.
“It felt good at first,” Smith said about the recognition. “But then I had a big bullseye on my back. Everyone expects you to score 50 points every time out and that’s not going to happen.”
Nevertheless, Smith has battled a variety of zone and trick defenses aimed at stopping him and few have found success. He is averaging 26.8 points for the season and he scored 40 and 43 points in back-to-back games last month in wins over Jefferson and Kentridge. The latter outing helped avenge one of Kentwood’s few losses (16-5 overall) in the last two months.
“I used to get frustrated with the zone defenses,” Smith said. “My coach wants me to be the first option in our offense but that doesn’t mean I have to score every time. If I have a shot I take it, but I’ll try to get the ball to someone else if they have a shot.”
Kentwood coach Mike Angelidis says that defenses aimed at stopping Smith are nothing new.
“We’ve seen those types of defenses since the end of Josh’s freshman year,” Angelidis said. “We’ve told him he’s got to be bigger inside and let his big body work for him.”
It would be hard to imagine Smith getting any bigger, but he’s projected to grow another couple of inches before he graduates in 2010. Always big for his age, Smith was fond of baseball growing up in the Seattle suburb, but he gravitated toward basketball in sixth grade.
“That was when I started thinking maybe basketball was my sport. I got my first dunk in seventh grade. I was about 6-4 then and I’ve grown about two inches every year since.”
Despite the national attention pointed at Smith, Angelidis says that his star player is very grounded and does not seem fazed by all of the publicity.
“He’s handling it well. He’s a really good kid and he comes from a real solid family,” Angelidis said. “He’s 16 years old so it’s easy to get caught up in the national recruiting stuff, but he’s doing a good job of handling it.”
Smith credits his father for keeping him focused.
“My dad says that I might be No. 1, but I’m not even touching the surface yet,” Smith said. “So I’m just working hard to get better.”
Already a veteran of the all-star camps, Smith has played with and competed against Seattle area talent like Abdul Gaddy and Peyton Siva. He’s also matched up with some of the nation’s best senior talent, battling highly-touted Georgia Tech recruit Derrick Favors to a draw.
“Derrick Favors is a load,” Smith said. “We played each other twice and I outscored him one game and he outscored me one game, so some people were saying that we were even, but I can’t say that. He’s a very good player.”
While many college recruiters make Kentwood a regular stop on their scouting journeys, Smith has yet to decide where he will play once he graduates despite already receiving 15 offers from schools incluindg UCLA, Duke and Kentucky. Well-spoken and thoughtful, Smith is enjoying high school and hopes to eventually study sports medicine and English.
“It’s too early to choose a school,” Smith said. “My goal is to just be successful in whatever I do. Maybe I don’t go to college, maybe I don’t go to the NBA, but as long as I’m successful at what I do, that will be okay. My dad says that the only thing he wants for me is to have a better life.”
Other Top Players in Class of 2010
Brandon Knight, Pine Crest, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The 6-foot-3 guard leads all of Broward County in South Florida with 31.2 points per game, a shade better than American Heritage senior Kenny Boynton (31.0) who became the state’s fourth all-time leading scorer earlier this month. Knight also ranks among the county leaders in assists with 5.5 per game while also grabbing eight rebounds.
DeShaun Thomas, Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Thomas is one of the top scorers in Indiana this year and ranks among the top 50 all-time in state history with close to 2,000 career points. He is scoring at 31.0 points per game this season to go with 14.6 rebounds. He’s headed to Ohio State once he graduates.
Jared Sullinger, Northland, Columbus, Ohio
Sullinger committed to Ohio State as a freshman and is considered by some as the top recruit in the class of 2010. The 6-foot-8 forward is among the scoring leaders in central Ohio at 22.4 points per game along with 14.8 rebounds. He also leads in field goal percentage at .686.
Jeremy Tyler, San Diego, Calif.
Already committed to Louisville, Tyler has been the top player in California for the class of 2010 since his freshman year. The 6-foot-11 forward averages 30.4 points per game with a high of 41 against Santa Rita of Arizona.
Tristan Thompson, St. Benedict’s Prep
Played on one of the top teams in the country, however as of Feb. 11, Thompson is no longer a member of the St. Benedict’s Prep Gray Bees. Thompson, who was averaging 19.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, was dismissed from the team by coach Danny Hurley for “public insubordination” according to a report in the Newark Star Ledger. Thompson has committed to play at Texas following graduation. He is expected to remain at St. Benedict's Prep for the remainder of the academic year.
Adreian Payne, Jefferson, Dayton, Ohio
A 6-foot-10 post player, Payne has emerged as a big-time recruit for the Broncos. Although not the team’s main post player as a sophomore, Payne is the go-to guy this year, drawing double and triple teams on a nightly basis. He is averaging 14.1 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots per game.
Harrison Barnes, Ames, Iowa
The top small forward in the Midwest, Barnes has drawn interest from Florida and Kansas along with Iowa and Iowa State. Barnes averages over 20 points a game and has led Ames to a 16-0 record and a conference title thus far.