Meet Marcus Smart: In Texas there is a high school basketball player in the 2012 recruiting class named Marcus Smart from Flower Mound Marcus High School, the 2011 5A State Champions, who has the state buzzing. Gyms fill up every time he steps foot on the court. During the evaluation period hundred of college coaches would watch him; only a few know they have a serious chance to sign him, but the others just want to enjoy the show.
That's because Smart has gone on a tear over the last year that has him climbing up the national rankings and well on his way to being a McDonald's All-American. The 6'3 shooting guard/small forward who plays every position throughout the entire course of a game was simply unstoppable this summer.
Possessing an extremely high basketball IQ, Smart is always thinking one play ahead. He serves as a coach on the floor and plays with an energy level that is infectious to his teammates. He truly makes those around him better, and that's why his team won several different major tournaments on the AAU circuit.
"We know how to play together," said Smart to HOOPSWORLD. "We love one another off the court. We spend a heck of amount of time with each other. We spend nights at each other's houses. We go everywhere together, out to eat. We just love each other and have that chemistry together. I think that's why we have success."
Perhaps just as vital to his team's success is his unselfishness. Smart has the ability to score every time he touches the rock, but he understands how important keeping his teammates involved is to their cause.
"It's very important because if they're going to get down there and bang for me and go after loose balls they have to be rewarded in order for them to keep doing it and for us to become better as a team and keep the chemistry together I have to feed them sometimes" said Smart. "They deserve it. If they're going to get down there and sacrifice their body they deserve the ball."
Currently one of the nation's most sought after recruits with offers from every team in the Big 12, Smart almost walked away from the game back in 2007 when he lost his oldest brother, Ty.
"It was hard," said Smart. "I was at a point where I just wanted to give up basketball. My family was going through a lot of things right then and there but I knew that he wouldn't want me to quit and I knew to keep playing for him. For him to see me doing what I'm doing now and to keep doing what I'm doing will make him proud. So, I stuck with it and here I am today.
"To play and keep the legacy of my family alive, it juts burns in my body. I can't let it go away. My team, my family and my brother give me the drive to keep going to get more success."
Growing stronger from the trials and tribulations in his life, Smart is projected to be one of the freshmen who makes the biggest impact in the NCAA come the 2012-2013 season. He plans on making his collegiate choice sometime in the next few weeks before the season to eliminate the distraction going into his senior year. With plenty of offers to choose from, Smart has no leaders, just a particular combination of things he's looking for from his school for potentially the next couple of years.
"Academics is the first part," said Smart. "Whether or not I can get along with the team, the coach and how well I would fit in with the system. I'm still wide open.
"I'm not really worried about the one year thing. I'm worried about getting my education first. If in this whole deal God blesses me with the opportunity to do the one year thing than more power to me, but I'm not worried about it. Obviously if I feel ready and feel like I Have a great opportunity and chance to do it then I'm going to take it but if I don't feel too good about it then I'm not going to pursue that dream."
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