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Illinois Basketball: Mark Smith past, present and future with Illini

By Rees Woodcock

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Nevada Wolf Pack at the Thomas
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Nevada Wolf Pack at the Thomas /
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There was only one thing that topped the excitement of having a new Illinois basketball head coach. That one thing was signing talented in-state product, Mark Smith.

Past

The late winter and early spring were weird times for Illinois basketball fans. We all knew there was going to be a coaching change and once that happened, the Illini lost a few big-time recruits. But, the great recruiting job by new head coach Brad Underwood ended up landing Smith.

Smith was a 6-foot-5, 225-pound four-star guard from Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, Illinois. He was ranked as the No. 80 player in the class of 2017 and the No. 16 shooting guard in the nation. Getting a player like Smith was a huge accomplishment for a head coach who wasn’t on the job more than three months at the time.

All of the blue bloods ended up vying for Smith but Illinois came away with the 2017 Illinois Mr. Basketball. He was a special talent in high school and I expect that to transfer to the next level.

Present

Smith comes into the Illinois basketball program with high expectations. He has the accolades, the body and the talent to be a great player in college. This season should be spectacular for this young guard.

Illinois hasn’t had a lot of true freshmen start over the years. I fully expect Smith to be the starting No. 2 guard for this Illinois basketball team this season. That doesn’t mean he will see 30 minutes per game, though. I want to see him getting between 22-25 minutes per game in 2017.

Next: Leron Black past, present & future

Future

The future for the Illinois basketball team is extremely bright because Smith is now on the team. He is going to be starting for the Illini this season and for the next three, if he is here that long.

I expect Smith to be around next season for sure. But, after that, everything is up in the air. I think Illinois needs to recruit for Smith to only be a two-year player. That is how good I think this kid is.

Smith will continue starting at the No. 2 guard role the entire time he is with the Illini. He will likely see a minutes increase next season but only to about 23-27 minutes per game. But, Illinois has so much guard talent where Smith will be able to take a rest. The guard position is deep and this will only help the Illini and Smith in the future.

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