KU Jayhawks get visit from two highly regarded guards in 2022 hoops recruiting class
Nick Smith Jr., a 6-foot-5, 175-pound senior point guard from Sylvan Hills High School in Sherwood, Arkansas, was on Kansas’ campus on Monday with his parents as part of an official visit.
He posted a picture of himself wearing KU gear in Allen Fieldhouse on Monday night on Twitter.
Smith, the No. 22-ranked player in the high school boys basketball recruiting Class of 2022 according to 247sports.com, No. 39-ranked player according to Rivals.com and No. 41-rated player by ESPN.com, averaged 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as a junior at Sylvan Hills.
On Saturday he was named 2021 Arkansas high school basketball player of the year as presented by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette newspaper. Earlier he was named MaxPreps’ Arkansas state player of the year.
He is considering KU, Baylor, Texas Tech, North Carolina, Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgetown, Mississippi and others.
He made an official visit to Alabama on June 2 and Georgetown on June 12.
Smith scored a season-high 44 points in an 82-72 victory over Jacksonville on Feb. 2.
“As I’ve gotten older I have progressed toward more of a point guard role,” Smith told Rivals.com. “But at the same time, I can score when I want to. I can facilitate for my team. I feel like I can do everything the coach needs me to do, but me at my best is scoring.
“I’ve always been a scorer,” he added. “I can shoot. I can pull-up, get to the basket, shoot off the dribble, catch and shoot. I feel like I can do all of that, because I’ve been doing it. That’s my strength,” Smith added.
Keyonte George arrives for KU visit
Keyonte George, the No. 5-ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2022 according to Rivals.com, was scheduled to begin a campus visit to KU on Monday night.
“Lawrence, KS. KU What’s good!” he wrote on Twitter upon arrival in Lawrence on Monday night.
George, a 6-5 senior combo guard from iSchool Entrepreneurial Academy in Lewisville, Texas, has a list of KU, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas. He’s already visited Texas and Baylor.
George averaged 23.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.1 steals a game his junior season at iSchool Academy.
“George is a smooth scoring guard who shows a high level of dedication to the game and looks to play the game the right way. He scores within the flow of an offense and can knock down jumpers from all three ranges on the floor,” wrote Brandon Jenkins of 247sports.com.
“His game is built upon skill and length more than elite quickness. His effort on defense could improve but he definitely is capable of becoming a solid defender because of the length and lateral mobility he possesses,” Jenkins added. “George’s talent, skill level, and scoring touch is undeniable. He has a high ceiling and given the spacing on the floor, he will have a shot at being very productive at the highest level of the sport.”
