BLloyd2311
- Los Angeles
So excited to watch him play next season ��
Mark Smith signs with Illinois
Edwardsville’s Smith will have ‘special career,’ Illinois coach predicts
BY DAVID WILHELM
Nicely written article by Mr. Wilhelm. He actually phoned Underwood last evening and interviewed him about signing Smith.
http://www.bnd.com/sports/high-school/prep-basketball/article147100034.html
BY DAVID WILHELM
Nicely written article by Mr. Wilhelm. He actually phoned Underwood last evening and interviewed him about signing Smith.
http://www.bnd.com/sports/high-school/prep-basketball/article147100034.html
Deleted member 8213
D
Guest
This is happening... and in other news Jess Settles has qualified for another year at Iowa...
bredhartmann
- Centralia, IL
http://www.sbnation.com/college-bas...state-illinois-ohio-state-kentucky-basketball
This article has a nice bit that should answer most of those questions.
Played 28+ games on the varsity team each season since his sophomore year
http://stats.stlhighschoolsports.com/sports/basketballboys/stats/teamstatoverall.php?t=69&s=665
http://stats.stlhighschoolsports.com/sports/basketballboys/stats/teamstatoverall.php?t=69&s=665
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
Don't know if posted prior: http://www.suntimeshighschoolsports...ot-mark-smith-edwardsville-no-longer-unknown/
Article talks about how he was somewhat of a known quantity as a basketball player, but largely ignored due to his focus on baseball. That changed once he switched his focus over to basketball and made big improvements to his game.
The linked SB nation article said he was hurt last summer, which would have been after his junior year.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
I don't know if theres any easy explanation. Remember, we're talking about 18 year olds still. There are a lot of potential answers.
1) His arm just never healed. Either he lost some of that velocity that made him such a good prospect, or he still had pain with pitching that never quite went away.
2) He realized he loved basketball more than baseball.
3) Isn't as good at baseball as he's being talked up to be.
4) Related to 3- but he might think he has a better shot playing professional basketball than baseball.
Don't know if we'll ever get the full story. Could be any/all of those. If he only got offers from mid majors, he might be playing baseball this spring and looking to play baseball in college instead of basketball too.
Aha! That nugget was not in the other article.
Because, Smith ditching Mizzou baseball for Illinois (and MSU and UK) basketball makes sense. Ditching Mizzou baseball for NIU, SIU-E, and Wright State basketball did not, and that's what was happening circa-last fall.
That "opting out" does not coincide with Smith's injury, or his HS baseball season, or the resignation of Mizzou's old coach. It's Mizzou's new coach getting a look at a post-injury Smith, seeing his velocity hasn't recovered, and moving on.
Smith didn't quit baseball, baseball quit Smith.
Lucky us, and very possibly lucky him.
You fellas or whomever you are should just embrace the fact that the Illini got Mr. Basketball. The first one since 2010, so now you are trying to probe into his baseball history.....are you kidding me.... it's people like you that give this opinion post just a bad rep......
Smith PLAYED basketball his entire fresh/soph/jr/and senior season.....
Played "summer baseball" where he picked up the offer from Mizzo at the end of his Soph yr. only played a (1) game his Jr season of baseball, had a strained Pronator Flexor tendon......so PLEASE STOP sayin he had surgery....Smith has never had surgery on his arm, toe, ear or eye....he had a strained tendon in his throwing arm....his parents decided to make sure he had a future they didn't want to give up on hoops so the summer of his Jr. season (same summer he sprained his tendon) his doc stated he could play basketball so he played (3) wks of hoops on the AAU circuit.....
PURE CLASS!
This is happening... and in other news Jess Settles has qualified for another year at Iowa...
Is Luke Recker joining him? Or transferring to his 7th school?
Oliver Stephen 114/191 on 3s this year. 98/168 on 3s the year before that.
That is almost 60%! Are these stats for real?!
If I had my choice of any professional circuit, I would chose MLB after the PGA. (And Greensboro you know how my golf game threatens the PGA tour.) But in both of those sports you can have a long career, make a pile of money, and walk away with a healthy mind and body on your own terms. NFL is a meat grinder. Honestly, I'd rather be an engineer. Really respect Martin O'Donnell for his decision. NBA is OK, but most careers are too short. You are either a super star, or at risk pending the next high school or Euro phenom.
Both MLB and NBA players make gobs of money. It's embarrassing how little the much more popular NFL pays its players in comparison.
But it's minor league baseball that makes the NBA the more appealing destination, IMO. Even the best players are in the minors for a couple of years, getting paid peanuts, travelling overnight on buses, heading from backwater to backwater. And the guys that don't make it are often 28 or 29 years old by the time they figure that out, no one tells them to quit.
The NBA culls the herd much quicker, but even the guys that don't make it have a good shot at playing in Europe for a good long while if that's what they want to do, or they can move on with their other career.
But the best players in the minors have already made millions with their signing bonuses. You also have to look at it in the sheer number of jobs. MLB and the minor leagues offer so much more than the NBA, D-League and Europe can offer in terms of upward mobility. If you're not a 1st round pick in the NBA, your road to securing a future job in the NBA has suffered significantly where as a high round baseball prospect drafted out of high school has already secured a hefty signing bonus and has the grace period of anywhere from 3-5 years before their prospect shine wears off.
The Dave
- CA
Word. I've said it before. Groce needs to write him a letter of apology every week.
Those are good counter-arguments.
The thing with Smith specifically is that as a pitcher, your arm is a ticking time bomb.
The only thing that's crystal clear in all of this is that if you have any other good options you should quit football immediately and focus on anything else.
The thing with Smith specifically is that as a pitcher, your arm is a ticking time bomb.
The only thing that's crystal clear in all of this is that if you have any other good options you should quit football immediately and focus on anything else.
Unless you're 5'10" and 180 and can kick a ball 50 yards between a goalpost.
+1 .... we get off topic quick without something bad to worry about
Back on topic, I didn't realize how explosive Mark Smith was. The highlight videos I had seen didn't have any dunks in it for whatever reason. I was very very pleased to see a couple this morning that had some nice throw downs. As if I could be more excited, I am now.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I completely disagree with that sentiment. Football does help athletes get better for their various other sports. Now if you want to say concentrate on your other sports after you get out of high school I wouldn't disagree with you there necessarily.
http://www.momsteam.com/health-safe...s-who-stop-playing-football-after-high-school
The risks are not that great at the high school level just after high school the longer you play.
Also, I truly believe that multi-sport athletes are much better prepared for college athletics than kids that concentrate on a single sport for their entire lives.
Last edited:
Your last point is so true. I don't blame Smith for not wanting to be a pitcher any longer. But I feel slightly bad for players that find their niche in football. I have already started to hope my son doesn't want to play football when he gets older. Basketball, baseball, soccer, fine, football, no thank you.