Smith earning offers, remains open

Talk to anyone that has coached, coached against, watched, trained or even recruited Georgia guard Tanner Smith and they all share the same opinion of the 6-foot-5 prospect from Wesleyan High School.

"He just plays the game the right way," they say. It is a consensus opinion.

Averaging over 20 points a game and with his team in the state playoffs, Smith has answered the call this season. Not bad for a team that no one gave a chance to win when five-star forward Howard Thompkins left the team to go to Oak Hill Academy in the summer.

Smith has a lot to do with it. His improvement and climb up to the next level began shortly after last season ended.

"It helps to have a game plan before the season gets started. I wanted to improve on what I did last year and make a jump in my game," Smith said. "I wanted to have a broader scale of skills and I've worked really hard to get there.

"Right now, some kids are going up and some are going down. I feel like I'm going up and I hope I can continue to do that and stay humble at the same time. I'm trying to keep a good attitude about it and keep improving."

Smith is holding scholarship offers from Auburn, Georgia, St. Joseph's, Mercer, James Madison, William & Mary and Stanford. All of those schools have been in to see him. Most recently, Dennis Felton came out to see Smith in action on Friday night.

Smith said he has made unofficial visits to Auburn, Georgia, St. Joseph's and Virginia this school year. He and three AAU teammates, Al-Farouq Aminu, Mfon Udofia and Tony Woods, were sitting behind the Duke bench on Sunday when the Blue Devils defeated Georgia Tech.

"I haven't got to that point yet, at least not enough to make a final five. I'll probably make that decision around the middle of the summer," Smith said. "Colleges are in the process of ending their seasons in the next month and they'll have better ideas of what they need and want and, to be honest, it's been hard to communicate with them because everyone is getting ready for the post-season. It will be easier to look at things when the season gets closer to starting (next year)."

Two schools have shown more interest though, he said.

"Auburn and St. Joe's are probably recruiting me the most aggressive of anybody," Smith said. "I get the most mail from them and talk to them every chance they are allowed. I'm in contact with them more than any of the schools recruiting me."

Certainly as a player that will be watched by a number of schools this spring, Smith should see more programs jump into the picture. Will those that got in line first have an upper hand?

"Definitely. They were good to see the potential in me before I even saw it in me so that will go a long ways," Smith said.

"I'm wide open and hearing everything everyone has to say. I'm trying to take it all in. Everyone has a fair chance. It all depends on where I can have an early impact. That's the main thing for me."