Over the AAU period, Putnam Science Academy (Conn.) point guard Dayshon Smith improved his shooting consistency and landed his first high major offer.
Smith is sorting through his options.
Ranked No. 152 overall by 247Sports, Smith ran with the NY Lightning this summer on the EYBL circuit, although their overall record didn’t reflect the Bronx native’s performance.
For the summer, Smith was second on his team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points and almost three assists in 20 games, shooting 47 percent from the field.
“July went real well, I think I held my own against some great competition,” said Smith, who also attended the Nike Skills U camp. “The camp was good, there were 80 of the best players in EYBL so the competition was great, they were just stressing playing hard.
“I was able to play in front of coaches from all over the country so I just had to play to the best of my abilities.”
Those abilities include being able to fill it up from outside or driving to the bucket, depending on the situation.
“Dayshon made like 60 threes for us last year, but he gets to the basket pretty easily,” said Putnam head coach Tony Espinoza. “One thing he does really well is drawing fouls and shooting a lot of free throws. He’s very quick, a crafty guard who led our team in steals last year.
“Off the court he’s a great kid, very coachable no problems at all. It’s a pleasure coaching him, we’re expecting big things from him this year.”
Illinois came through with an offer this summer to the 6-foot-2, 160-pound guard, who also holds offers from Dayton, Rhode Island, Drexel, Manhattan, St. Bonaventure and Wichita State, among many other mid-majors. The likes of Indiana, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Kansas State, Miami and Penn State have all been showing interest.
“I mean I’m hoping to trim my list down, but everyone is pretty equal right now,” admitted Smith. “I’m going to take unofficial and official visits before deciding, but I really don’t have any timetable right now.”
- Andrew Dzurita
- Contributor - Lions247