TownieMatt
CU Expat
- Chicago
Good time to stay off twitter. It's times like this that garbage fans crawl out of their holes to spew venom at 18 year olds.
Mark Smith transferring from Illinois
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BlindLoyalty
- FartNoiseMotivation
“He’s very special, Underwood said. Physically, he looks the part of a 20-22 year old at 6-4, 220. It’s unfair for me to do it but I compare him to Jason Kidd; he has that type of athleticism. And his natural instincts are to lead. Once the game slows down and he understands what he wants to do, he will be a fantastic leader. He’s a guy you will see play all over the court. He will be a tough matchup because of that body.”
“I have to be really careful when I talk about Mark,” Underwood said. “I’ve said this privately and now I’ll say it publicly. In my 30 years as a college basketball coach, from the day that young man arrived on campus to this day right now, I’ve never seen a young man improve more than he has...He spends a ton of time on film. He lives and dies basketball and his commitment level is what has impressed me most.”
He’s a future point guard. There’s no question about that,” Underwood said. “He’s got so much to offer not just in terms of his physical traits, but he’s such a great teammate and he’s an unselfish player. His athleticism at that position, his size at that position, he’s going to be a challenge for a lot of people. “He can play a lot of places, but most importantly, he’s a point guard. It’s going to be fun to watch him play with the ball in his hands.”
Mark Smith was a Brad Underwood recruit and Illinois Mr. Basketball. I am surprised that a "Brad Underwood guy" is the first to transfer out of his program.
No positive way to spin his transfer.
Good luck Mark Smith.
“I have to be really careful when I talk about Mark,” Underwood said. “I’ve said this privately and now I’ll say it publicly. In my 30 years as a college basketball coach, from the day that young man arrived on campus to this day right now, I’ve never seen a young man improve more than he has...He spends a ton of time on film. He lives and dies basketball and his commitment level is what has impressed me most.”
He’s a future point guard. There’s no question about that,” Underwood said. “He’s got so much to offer not just in terms of his physical traits, but he’s such a great teammate and he’s an unselfish player. His athleticism at that position, his size at that position, he’s going to be a challenge for a lot of people. “He can play a lot of places, but most importantly, he’s a point guard. It’s going to be fun to watch him play with the ball in his hands.”
Mark Smith was a Brad Underwood recruit and Illinois Mr. Basketball. I am surprised that a "Brad Underwood guy" is the first to transfer out of his program.
No positive way to spin his transfer.
Good luck Mark Smith.
His performance alone this year will block him from those schools.
Deleted member 631370
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Smith was probably #4 on my "please dont transfer" list. Sucks, but his current production is replaceable.
Seems like a great kid too, wish him only the best, unless he's playing against us
Yeah, it's not hard to replace the 3 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist a game he gave us in B1G play.
I think he can have a bright future, but the kid was a no-show in conference play aside from a few games in which he showed glimpses.
Unfortunate to see him go, whatever the case.
KrushCow31
Former Krush Cow
- Chicago, IL
Well, I'd assume it had to do with depth chart positions in the coming 2-3 years. Unless you think he didn't get along with Underwood.
Oh, I don't know. I wouldn't put it past Cuonzo to take him out of spite and to further his desired narrative that Mizzou is the place for metro and way downstate players.
I don't mean to be negative about Mark, but this evaluation was just wildly off-base.
KrushCow31
Former Krush Cow
- Chicago, IL
I think he just was a Freshmen. Sometimes Freshmen are inconsistent. That is why not a lot of Freshmen start unless they are 5 stars. In a year or two, I think Mark would have been a great player for the Illini. That's the frustrating part. If he is transferring because he didn't play enough, he was only a Freshman...It's not a knock against him, it's just a comment on being young and transitioning to college. It's unrealistic to expect to play starting minutes on any team. If this was the reason, I expect he would have transferred out of Kentucky and Michigan State as well.
TownieMatt
CU Expat
- Chicago
Taking him would be as much a PR victory as anything else. Have to imagine he can win some hearts and minds in Metro East by giving him a shot.
BlindLoyalty
- FartNoiseMotivation
fyp?
So a kid that played 20 minutes a game for a bad Illini team and helped that team to a 4-14 record in the conference, who had most of his best showings against bad pre-season teams, who rarely flashed B1G-level ability since Christmas and who appears to have been recruited over (and, apparently, continues to be) decides to transfer and that is "shocking news?" I loved that we got him, supported him throughout and thought the light might turn on for him in the future. But, with that said, I am not at all surprised he is leaving, just wishing he would stay because he seems like a terrific human being and an Illinois guy (and not because I think he is irreplaceable or even close).
Good luck, Mark!
Ubermensch
BOOM! Feed my ego.
From the same guy who told Alstork he could get 20/game here, then later chastised the media for putting higher expectations on Alstork as a scorer.
Deleted member 631370
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Really?
I saw this coming the moment he scored a grand total of 24 points during a 10-game stretch in conference play.
Clearly he wasn't comfortable out there, and it was clear he was very frustrated.
This was the obvious transfer, IMO. I'm more concerned about Black (and hope to God those rumors aren't true).
At best he was going to be the 4th PG next year in a team that finished next to last in the league. Why would any other BIG team want him?
He is mid major talent.
Deleted member 631370
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I realize this all comes across as sour grapes, but the quoted above is quite possibly true.
If Nojel Eastern decided to transfer, would we make a push to get him? And I'd argue that at least in Eastern's case, he was expected to play a supporting-cast role and didn't get that opportunity to start early and often. Smith did, and fell apart once conference season approached.
Put yourself in the shoes of another P5 school. What part of Smith's performance over the past 2 months screams "yeah, let's take this guy"?
He'd be a great get for SIU. And he may be worth a scholarship for a school like Mizzou. But there's no guarantee he ever lives up to his potential.
Maybe BU was trying to pump up his confidence. If you watch the MS post season self evaluation tape on the Iowa post game thread it was obvious that the kid has a confidence problem. As soon as he hit BIG games and started eating the leather on his drives (the part of his game that worked in pre BIG season), he became unsure and passive. Not what we needed or expected from him.
if Smith had stayed... year 3 or 4 he wouldve had a breakout season - and news stories would've talked about how he went through tough times and he's glad he toughed it out.
He chose not to tough it out. to take a different path.
respect and good luck to him. as someone mentioned... it's not like it's easier at Kentucky or Michigan State.
He chose not to tough it out. to take a different path.
respect and good luck to him. as someone mentioned... it's not like it's easier at Kentucky or Michigan State.
TownieMatt
CU Expat
- Chicago
It'll be interesting. Mizzou for example: if they land Ramey, I don't think Smith would go there. If I were him I would look for a place where he can run point and be the guy. Maybe SLU? (as dumb as that would be IMO).
Based on Townie Matt's advanced stats comparison, this transfer should have been expected. Of the recent freshman guards who played over 300 minutes, only Jaylon Tate and DJ Williams had lower Player Efficiency Ratings than Mark Smith.
For whatever reason, his game just didn't translate to this system at this level.
I wish him well.
For whatever reason, his game just didn't translate to this system at this level.
I wish him well.
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the national
- the Front Range
Best of Luck Mark. As Mr. Basketball, we wish you success in your future endeavours.
This transfer doesn't worry me too much. We could use more skill now, rather waiting for Mark to develop into his potential (and he will be good). Potentially good for both parties.
This transfer doesn't worry me too much. We could use more skill now, rather waiting for Mark to develop into his potential (and he will be good). Potentially good for both parties.
Deleted member 628259
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Mark wasn't good this year, but I still believe he can be at least a good college basketball player, so this one stings. Best of luck to him wherever he goes (hopefully not Big Ten).
Remember, UK, MSU and various others offered Smith, so if you want to complain about Underwood's evaluation skills, better put Calapari and Izzo on your list too.
Generally I agree with this, but I think any value he has would be at the 2 or 3, not as a PG. I think this is a mistake unless it's being done so he could be a PG somewhere. If that's the case, he's right in leaving because he's behind Frazier, Ayo and Lucas at this moment PG-wise.
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