Is Smith really ready to decide

Nolan Smith told Rivals.com in mid-April at the Real Deal on the Hill that he was getting close to a commitment to Louisville. Three weeks later, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound point guard has changed his tune. We caught up with the five-star prospect from the class of 2007 at the Southern Invitational and got the latest.

Smith, a rising junior at Riverdale Baptist High in Maryland, was close to calling Rick Pitino three weeks ago giving the Louisville Cardinals their first commitment in the class of 2007. Smith's father, Derek, starred at Louisville in late 1970s and early 1980s.

With no news coming from the Smith camp in between AAU tournaments, the No. 5 ranked player in the class of 2007 said he's pulled up the reigns on his recruitment and decided to hold off on a decision for now.

"My mom and I decided that I'm going to take my time and not rush into anything," Smith said. "I'm still staying in contact with all of the schools that I'm looking at."

Smith said Louisville is still in the drivers seat. Syracuse and Charlotte are also in the picture.

Smith's high school and AAU teammate Michael Beasley is verbally committed to Charlotte. The two have talked about playing together in college. Beasley, however, is a possible preps-to-pros candidate if an age limit does not go into affect.

The two youngsters played strong at the Southern Invitational in Charlottesville, Va. Smith used his herky-jerky dribble drive to break the defense down and score in the paint. He showed off an improved and confident jump shot throughout the weekend and continued to feed Beasley, who was absolutely dominant on both ends of the floor.

Smith knows his young DC Assault team can do some damage come July.

"If we continue to play together and rely on each other's strengths, I think we'll be able to do really well," Smith says. "We just have to pace ourselves."