Prospect Spotlight: Maurice Smith (2019)
Senior guard Maurice Smith took the floor as a varsity player for the first time this winter after overcoming more challenges than any high school player I’ve covered. Some may view lacing up against another top team as a challenge,…
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Continue ReadingSenior guard Maurice Smith took the floor as a varsity player for the first time this winter after overcoming more challenges than any high school player I’ve covered. Some may view lacing up against another top team as a challenge, but for Smith, it’s just another opportunity to play basketball. After all, cancer tried to take basketball away from him. Not once, but twice.
So it was no surprise that when New Town went into Dulaney’s gym in one of the more anticipated games of the year, Smith showed up and showed out. His team had a five-point advantage after the first quarter. It seemed as if he was using that time to feel out the defense so later on, he could pick and choose his spots to attack.
That attack happened in the second quarter when he scored eight of his 13 points to help New Town build an 11-point lead heading into halftime. The Titans continued their onslaught and won convincingly by a final score of 78-54.
Although Smith didn’t seemed rattled at all by the pace and hostile environment of this game, it hasn’t always been easy.
“The first three games were rough for me,” Smith continued, “I had to adjust to the atmosphere and the team. But ever since then, we’ve been on a roll as a team.”
New Town now stands 14-1. With talent that stems down to the fourth or fifth guy coming off the bench, Smith not only had to earn his starting position, but also find his role within the team in order to reach their full potential.
“I feel as though my role is being a shot maker and an overall play maker,” Smith told Prep Hoops. “My approach to it is being a play maker first. I want to find my teammates and get them going and then I’ll find my spots once the defense is focused on them. It makes the game much easier for all of us.”
This past week against Dulaney, it was a good example of what Smith said. Andrew Mills got going early on his way to 33 points. Once the defense started keying on him, Smith used ball fakes to open up driving lanes and attack the rim to either finish or draw a foul.
Players often think that improvement happens during the summer when they are getting in the gym 2-to-3 times a day. When really, improvement comes during the season when you see what your weaknesses are in games.
“My stamina has improved a lot since AAU,” Smith continued, “but I still want to get in better shape. Another area of improvement is definitely my jump shot. Ball-handling is another area that I always feel like a player an improve on. I want to get to the point where I have the ball on a string.”
Smith is a 6-foot-2 guard, which leaves the ability to play either the point guard or shooting guard position at the next level. One thing that is evident with Smith is how much he loves the game. With his biggest obstacles behind him, he can now put full focus on improving his game.
I got a chance to watch Smith in his first tournament since returning from his battle with cancer. Even then, he still had high IQ, it was just his stamina that was keeping him from being the player he could be. Since then, I’ve seen drastic improvements and so have college programs.
Division II programs have reached out to Smith, who holds a 3.6 gpa. He intends on majoring in journalism.