As the fall showcase and evaluation circuit has officially come to a close, and high school practices have begun, it has become more clear who is making the most improvements to their game. Two senior point guards that look focused in on having huge senior seasons are Khalid King, of Columbus Brookhaven, and Carter Smith, of Upper Arlington (Columbus suburb).
Playing at the Hidden Gems Showcase as well as the Nike All-Ohio City Series Finals both guards were at their best and have developed a clear identity to their games. King has been most successful as a slashing scorer who uses his athleticism and energy to be a playmaker on the offensive end. Quite the opposite, Carter is a master of controlling the game and taking care of whatever role his team needs him to play. A compact dribbling machine Smith is able to play with all the flash of any elite PG but prefers to play mistake free and disciplined basketball.
As their senior seasons begin both of these players are also in different stages in their recruitment. For King the process should conclude this week when he signs his letter of intent with North Carolina A&T, a Division I school out of the MEAC. King committed to NC A&T over the weekend in what was a surprise to most recruiting evaluators. A source close to the King family told Triple Double Prospects that finding a Division I school to play at has always been a dream of Khalid’s and he felt that committing to the Aggies was the best move for him once they extended the offer.
As for Smith, he remains open in his recruitment; although he has plenty of options. Smith currently lists six Division II offers with Hillsdale, Lincoln Memorial, Wheeling Jesuit, Ohio Valley University, Stonehill, and Arkansas Tech all having extended opportunities to him. Smith also claims heavy interest from Division II’s Findlay, West Liberty, and Concord as well as Division I Yale. Fellow Division I’s Davidson and Western Carolina are also interested in Smith’s services, although they would like him to be a preferred walk-on player. Smith’s AAU coach Lucius Jones says that Carter is just looking for the best fit where he can come in and play and that Division II’s looking for a pure PG are of the Smith family’s highest interest.
While both of these players continue to rise up the rankings this scouting service will have a close eye on them for their final go-around in the high school ranks.
