Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
After months of weighing his options, Oak Hill (Va.) Academy forward Roscoe Smith has made the call.
The 6-foot-9, 198-pound forward orally committed to UConn Friday morning, choosing the Huskies over Duke and Georgetown.
“I called [assistant] Coach [Pat] Sellers because Coach [Jim] Calhoun was on the airplane,” Smith, the No. 6 small forward in the Class of 2010 according to Rivals, said by phone. “I left him a text message.”
Smith said he picked the Huskies because of their style of play and because of Calhoun’s history of producing talented pros.
“I like the style of play,” he said. “The style of play really suits me. I like the history that Coach Calhoun has produced of players that played my position of small forward.”
Smith joins Michael Bradley, a 6-9 center from Chattanooga, Tenn., and Jeremy Lamb, a 6-4 shooting guard from Norcross, Ga., in UConn’s 2010 recruiting haul.
A Baltimore native, Smith follows fellow Maryland natives Rudy Gay and Josh Boone to UConn.
“He [Calhoun] was real successful,” Smith said. “The players that he got on the next level are still improving on the next level.”
Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said Roscoe Smith has a chance to be a special player in college. He’s currently averaging about 18 points and 7 rebounds for the Warriors (18-1).
“I think he’s got a chance to be an exceptional college player,” Smith said. “He’s long, he’s athletic. He shoots the ball really well for a guy his size. He’s a perimeter player. He’s more of a wing-type player than an inside guy. I think UConn needs a player like him so I think it’s a good opportunity to go in and play early in his career and have some success early in his career.”
Roscoe Smith said he’s glad to have the process over with and can now focus exclusively on his senior year at Oak Hill.
“I’m just happy that all the schools recruited me and I’m glad to go through this experience of a highly recruited player and experience the good side of it and also the bad side of it,” he said.
Shooting guard Doron Lamb, Smith’s teammate at Oak Hill, is considering UConn along with Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma, but Smith said he wouldn’t try and influence Lamb.
“Not really,” he said. “Everyone should go to a school that best fits them not because of who says so.”
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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
After months of weighing his options, Oak Hill (Va.) Academy forward Roscoe Smith has made the call.
The 6-foot-9, 198-pound forward orally committed to UConn Friday morning, choosing the Huskies over Duke and Georgetown.
“I called [assistant] Coach [Pat] Sellers because Coach [Jim] Calhoun was on the airplane,” Smith, the No. 6 small forward in the Class of 2010 according to Rivals, said by phone. “I left him a text message.”
Smith said he picked the Huskies because of their style of play and because of Calhoun’s history of producing talented pros.
“I like the style of play,” he said. “The style of play really suits me. I like the history that Coach Calhoun has produced of players that played my position of small forward.”
Smith joins Michael Bradley, a 6-9 center from Chattanooga, Tenn., and Jeremy Lamb, a 6-4 shooting guard from Norcross, Ga., in UConn’s 2010 recruiting haul.
A Baltimore native, Smith follows fellow Maryland natives Rudy Gay and Josh Boone to UConn.
“He [Calhoun] was real successful,” Smith said. “The players that he got on the next level are still improving on the next level.”
Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said Roscoe Smith has a chance to be a special player in college. He’s currently averaging about 18 points and 7 rebounds for the Warriors (18-1).
“I think he’s got a chance to be an exceptional college player,” Smith said. “He’s long, he’s athletic. He shoots the ball really well for a guy his size. He’s a perimeter player. He’s more of a wing-type player than an inside guy. I think UConn needs a player like him so I think it’s a good opportunity to go in and play early in his career and have some success early in his career.”
Roscoe Smith said he’s glad to have the process over with and can now focus exclusively on his senior year at Oak Hill.
“I’m just happy that all the schools recruited me and I’m glad to go through this experience of a highly recruited player and experience the good side of it and also the bad side of it,” he said.
Shooting guard Doron Lamb, Smith’s teammate at Oak Hill, is considering UConn along with Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma, but Smith said he wouldn’t try and influence Lamb.
“Not really,” he said. “Everyone should go to a school that best fits them not because of who says so.”
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