Mark Smith (basketball)

Mark Anthony Smith (born August 16, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Casademont Zaragoza of the Liga ACB. He previously played for the Illinois Fighting Illini, the Missouri Tigers, and the Kansas State Wildcats.

For other people with this name, see Mark Smith (disambiguation).

Mark Smith
Smith with Missouri in 2019
Casademont Zaragoza
PositionShooting guard
LeagueLiga ACB
Personal information
Born (1999-08-16) August 16, 1999
Decatur, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolEdwardsville (Edwardsville, Illinois)
College
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023BG Göttingen
2023–presentCasademont Zaragoza
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Smith is the son of Anthony and Yvonne Smith.[1] His father, Anthony, played college basketball at Southern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville and his mother, Yvonne, also played college basketball at SIU Edwardsville.[1] As a child, Smith was a three-sport athlete, competing in baseball, basketball, and football.[2] While in high school, Smith participated in AAU basketball with the Ramey Jets United program through the Adidas circuit.[2]

High school career

As a high school senior, he led Edwardsville to a number one ranking in Illinois for the first time in history while averaging 22 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, and was named to the first-team Associated Press All-state team.[3][4] Smith was also selected as the 2017 Illinois Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year and as 2017 Illinois Mr. Basketball.[3]

Recruiting

During his junior year of high school, Smith originally committed to play college baseball for Missouri as a right-handed pitcher.[5] However, in July 2016 Smith decommitted from Missouri given Tim Jamieson's retirement and because of an injury to the flexor pronator tendon in his throwing elbow.[5] Prior to switching his athletic focus to basketball, Smith featured a fastball in the low-90s and was considered a major league baseball prospect out of high school.[5][6]

On April 26, 2017, Smith announced he would attend college at the University of Illinois to play for the Fighting Illini under new head coach Brad Underwood.[7] In talking about schools he was considering through the recruitment process, Smith listed Duke and Michigan State as his finalists.[8] Smith also considered scholarship offers from Kentucky and Ohio State.[8]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Mark Smith
SG		 Edwardsville, IL Edwardsville (IL) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 27, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 80   Rivals: 55  247Sports: 147  ESPN: —
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Illinois 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  • "2017 Illinois Fighting Illini Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.

College career

On March 5, 2018, he announced he would transfer after playing his freshman season at Illinois.[9] On April 14, 2018, Smith announced he would transfer to Missouri.[10] As a senior, he averaged 9.7 points per game while shooting 31.5 percent from three-point range. He moved to Kansas State as a graduate transfer.[11] Smith was named to the Third Team All-Big 12 as well as the All-Newcomer Team.[12]

Professional career

On July 5, 2022, he has signed with BG Göttingen of the Basketball Bundesliga.[13]

On July 29, 2023, he signed with Casademont Zaragoza of the Liga ACB.[14]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Illinois 311819.1.337.232.7961.41.4.6.15.8
2018–19 Missouri 191628.4.436.450.7745.21.6.7.111.4
2019–20 Missouri 242026.7.393.371.7353.9.8.9.010.0
2020–21 Missouri 262429.6.372.315.7653.21.01.0.29.7
2021–22 Kansas State 313131.7.449.362.7098.41.71.1.012.7
Career 13111126.9.402.354.7454.41.3.8.19.8

References
  1. Tupper, Mark (January 3, 2017). "Illini now chasing Edwardsville's Mark Smith". Herald & Review. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  2. Helfgot, Mike (March 25, 2017). "Mr. Basketball of Illinois for 2017: Edwardsville's Mark Smith". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  3. Kvidahl, Dave (April 27, 2017). "Edwardsville's Smith lives out his dream, signs to play for Illinois". STLtoday. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  4. "2016-17 Associated Press Boys Basketball All-State Teams". IHSA. March 16, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  5. O'Donnell, Ricky (April 25, 2017). "How Mark Smith went from potential MLB draft pick to a big-time college hoops recruit". SB Nation. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  6. Landis, Bill (April 26, 2017). "Mark Smith commits to Illinois basketball over Ohio State, others". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  7. Ryan, Shannon (April 26, 2017). "Mark Smith, 2017's Mr. Basketball from Edwardsville, chooses Illinois". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  8. Richey, Scott (April 26, 2017). "Smith: 'We're going to be really good'". News Gazette. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  9. "Mark Smith to transfer from Illinois". Sporting News. March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  10. Larkin, Will. "Mark Smith, former Illini and Mr. Basketball winner, to transfer to Missouri". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  11. Matter, Dave (March 30, 2021). "Former Mizzou guard Mark Smith heads to Kansas State". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  12. "EHS grad Mark Smtih earns multiple Big 12 honors". Edwardsville Intelligencer. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  13. "Veilchen holen vielseitigen Rookie Smith". bggoettingen.de (in German). July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  14. "Casademont Zaragoza signs Mark Smith and Obi Emegano". Sportando. July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
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