Late final week, Jaden Smith picked Arizona State in what was a serious recruiting win for head coach Bobby Hurley.
A 6-foot-11 heart at Kenwood Academy Excessive College (Chicago, Illinois), Smith is an incredible defensive presence. As a junior, he averaged 5.9 factors, 5.6 rebounds and a pair of.2 blocks per recreation.
He held plenty of gives together with DePaul, Fordham, Georgia Tech, Loyola (Chicago) and TCU amongst others. Ranked a four-star recruit based on ESPN, he was the primary dedication within the 2024 class for Hurley and Arizona State.
“I selected Arizona State as a result of it felt like residence,” Smith advised USA TODAY Excessive College Sports activities.
“I really feel that I can thrive of their system and so they can assist me obtain my goals of enjoying within the NBA, and extra importantly, profitable whereas I’m there.”
The Hurley impression can’t be understated.
In his eight years at Arizona State, he has taken the Solar Devils to the NCAA Match thrice. Final yr, they completed 23-13.
Hurley has performed a stable job in rebuilding this system and in recruiting expertise like Smith.
“Coach Hurley is a legendary coach, realized rather a lot from him already and really feel that I can be taught much more from him,” Smith mentioned.
“He’s the blueprint for what it takes to be nice and to achieve success on the professional and collegiate degree. I look ahead to constructing a stronger relationship with him as a result of he’s all the things I need in a coach.”
Smith admits that he performs with a chip on his shoulder, which could come as a little bit of a shock given that he’s a highly-ranked recruit.
However he mentioned that he appears like there may be nonetheless rather a lot to show and he brings that mentality to Arizona State.
“I really feel like that’s how I received to be,” Smith mentioned.
“Received to remain humble and hungry always – by no means too excessive, by no means too low, and simply staying assured and aggressive.”