Why Missouri transfer Mark Smith chose to finish his college hoops career at K-State
Shortly after he announced plans to transfer away from Missouri over the weekend, Mark Smith’s cell phone lit up with messages from college basketball coaches across the country. He says Wisconsin and Northwestern were among the many schools that expressed interest in his services, but he can’t remember all of them.
He has a good reason for this. He stopped paying attention to other suitors after he heard from Kansas State men’s basketball coach Bruce Weber.
“I kind of knew I wanted to go to K-State,” Smith said during a phone interview on Tuesday. “I know those guys will look out for me after basketball and they are just good people that will help develop my game. I have known that for a long time. They have recruited me three times. We have a really strong relationship, and I guess the third time is the charm.”
Smith announced Tuesday that he plans to finish his college career at K-State as a “super senior” graduate transfer after starting off at Illinois and then playing the past three seasons for the Missouri Tigers.
He will be seen as a welcome addition for K-State after he averaged 9.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 31.5% from three-point range last season for a Missouri team that won 16 games and reached the NCAA Tournament. He previously averaged double digits as both a sophomore and as a junior with the Tigers, scoring as many as 23 points in his best games.
Weber was among the first coaches who recognized his potential. Smith, a 6-foot-5 guard originally from Edwardsville, Illinois, said Weber was the first power-conference coach who offered him a scholarship when he was in high school. But he gained loads of recruiting attention late in the process and ultimately enrolled elsewhere.
“That has always been very important to me,” Smith said. “Kansas State was one of my finalists before I committed to Illinois. It means a lot. I like Coach Weber’s staff and know that he is a good person. I trust those guys.”
So much so, that he committed to K-State less than four days after entering the NCAA transfer portal.
“Coach Weber talked to Coach (Cuonzo Martin) about everything,” Smith said. “It was a very smooth process, and I think I made the best decision.”
The Wildcats have been on the hunt for transfers at the guard position since they lost four players to the NCAA transfer portal after their season ended at the Big 12 Tournament.
Smith appears to fill a big hole on K-State’s roster. His production at Missouri is comparable to the numbers departing guard DaJuan Gordon put up as a sophomore last season, but he is a better shooter from three-point range. Though Smith’s shooting percentage has dipped from where it was as a sophomore (45%).
“I want to shoot better than I did this year,” Smith said. “I didn’t shoot it as well as I wanted to. I think that will change.”
K-State will lean on Smith to provide depth in the backcourt and perhaps start on the wing depending on Weber’s lineup preferences and Smith’s transition to Manhattan.
He will certainly add experience. For the second straight year, Mike McGuirl was set to be the only senior on K-State’s team. Now the Wildcats will have two veteran voices to help set an example for their young teammates.
Smith has made 80 starts and played in 100 games.
It wasn’t easy for him to say goodbye to Mizzou, but he wanted to experience something new.
“Those guys took care of me for three years, and Coach Martin really respected me as a man and helped me grow as a man and a player,” Smith said. “I will always have a relationship with those guys. I just appreciate what they did for me.”
Smith admits he hasn’t watched an abundance of K-State games in recent years, but he knows several players on its roster and thinks he will fit in well with them on the court.
He wouldn’t have committed to K-State so quickly if he thought otherwise.
“I think I will fit in great,” Smith said. “I can guard, and those guys really like to guard well. I feel like I will be able to go in there, play hard, knock down shots, drive to the basket and fit in. I know they’re really excited about me. Coach Weber was telling me he thinks that we can make a run for a conference championship.”
This story was originally published March 30, 2021 at 9:12 AM with the headline "Why Missouri transfer Mark Smith chose to finish his college hoops career at K-State."