Ari Smith '15 Recruiting Profile

My greatest skills in basketball that would be most effective at the next level include my shooting, leadership, work ethic, and drive. I am one of the better shooters in my area. I have earned this title from a number of great shooting displays, including hitting 9 threes in two different games, both at the Varsity level. On average, I make around 4 threes per game. In my Junior season, I averaged 14 points per game, shooting around 55% from three point range, and around 90% from the free throw line, while averaging nearly 6 assists. I can be a valuable floor spacer and play maker at the next level. In my senior season, I will be looked at to lead my team in the stat sheet, in the locker room, and in the way I carry myself. Coincidentally, my nickname within the program is "The General," due to my leadership and demand for hard work.

My path thus far in my basketball career has been very different from the average athlete. Most aspiring college athletes were key players for their middle school, and then went on to have a consistently good high school playing experience, without too many bumps in the road. My path differs in a number of ways. For starters, I was cut from both my 7th and 8th grade middle school teams. I was bummed out of course, but I was more angry than discouraged. I wanted to prove everybody wrong, prove to them that I could play ball. I went on to make the Freshman team as a Freshman and the JV team as a Sophomore, playing consistent minutes off the bench in both years, only starting around five times in the combined two years. Another point in my journey that is different from most athletes is that after my sophomore year, I transferred schools. Because of WIAA rules, I was not allowed to play Varsity in the year immediately following my transfer. I was unaware of this rule until after I had transferred, tried out and made Varsity. I was moved to JV for my junior season so that I could play. I understand that an athlete with only one year of Varsity experience is a red flag, but please understand that it was not due to a lack in my ability. I did play Varsity this summer and led the team in scoring and all three-point shooting categories. I look forward to building on this my senior season. I also understand that I am behind in the recruiting process, but I know that I have certain skills that will allow me to successfully play basketball in college, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds.