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2021 5* PF Jabari Smith Signs With AU! (Update 11/17/20)


ellitor

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11 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

 

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Haha okay okay, maybe Bruce is up there with him. We’ll just put them together at Tier 1. Maybe PJ Fleck/Mario Cristobal/etc. will join them up there soon. 

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2 hours ago, WarEagle2423 said:

I’ve gotten to meet Huddy before too. Seems like a great and genuine guy. Couldn’t ask for a better pitching coach. Gotta think these high school kids are biting at the chomp to pitch for him and Butch. 

Huddy also has a special place in my heart. I was at AU the same time he was & he is the best player I have ever seen up close in person.

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1 hour ago, ellitor said:

Huddy also has a special place in my heart. I was at AU the same time he was & he is the best player I have ever seen up close in person.

Wow, I didn’t know you were as old as I am. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
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FWIW JLee posted yesterday that Jabari is expecting to sign next week. The early signing period Goes from today through next Wednesday.

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5-Star Jabari Smith makes it official and signs with Auburn

ByMARK MURPHY 21 minutes ago 

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AUBURN, Alabama–On Tuesday, the final day of the early signing period for basketball, previously committed five-star prospect Jabari Smith signed scholarship papers to play for the Tigers. Smith is the highest ranked hoops prospect to sign with the Auburn program with Bruce Pearl as head coach.

Smith is ranked as the No. 1 power forward prospect in the 2021 class, according to 247Sports. He is ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect nationally, regardless of position.

“Competitive programs are built by bringing in really good people that want to work hard together to accomplish something special,”  Pearl said. “What gets lost in Jabari being ranked as one of the top five players in the country is that he’s one of the top five people because of his character and his work ethic. That fits what we’re trying to do at Auburn.

“A skilled big that can play any position on the floor, he is a very difficult matchup," Pearl added. "Being an hour and a half from his home, having Chuma Okeke and Isaac Okoro come before him and develop, seeing the environment of Auburn Arena first-hand, these were all factors that led to his commitment.”

Smith, who is 6-10, 215 pounds, chose the Tigers over Tennessee, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU and North Carolina. He also had offers from numerous other programs.

Commenting on why he chose the Tigers, Smith says, “They play very free. I think they are a very good defensive team so I think that will bring out the defensive part of my game that people don’t really see. I feel like they always play with long, active wings and forwards so I think that will be a good fit for me. They also just talk about how I would fit in their play style.”

Jabari Smith is a five-star prospect and the top power forward in the country. (Photo: Jason Caldwell/Inside The Auburn Tigers, 247Sports)

 

As a junior Smith averaged 24.5 points and 10.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 1.6 assists and 1.3 per game for Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone Ga. He made 38 percent of his three-point attempts and 50 percent of his overall field goal attempts.

Going into his junior season the forward averaged 13.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in helping the USA Under16 National Team to a gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship. He is the son of former LSU and NBA player Jabari Smith.

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“Jabari is really a talented power-forward prospect,” said 247Sports basketball analyst Travis Branham. “He’s 6-10 and one of the things that has always stood out is that not only does he have all the physical tools. He is really long and is a really good athlete. He gets better every time you see him. From his ball skills, to his defense and then to his shooting, every time you see him there is something about him you are noticing that he is progressing at.

“He is also a player who is very versatile on both ends of the floor,” Branham added. “He can defend multiple positions and is skilled enough and smart enough to play in multiple styles on the offensive end.”

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46 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

 

This post made me go check out the Georgia state player rankings on 247 sports. The top 5 players in the state of Georgia are going out of state. Two of them to Florida (FSU and UF). Unreal. If UGA gave a rip about basketball, they could seriously compete on the elite level.

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3 minutes ago, woodford said:

This post made me go check out the Georgia state player rankings on 247 sports. The top 5 players in the state of Georgia are going out of state. Two of them to Florida (FSU and UF). Unreal. If UGA gave a rip about basketball, they could seriously compete on the elite level.

Happens every year in basketball & likely would to a large degree even if UGA was very good. Home state or close distance doesn't mean as much in basketball recruiting overall as in football.

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  • ellitor changed the title to 2021 5* PF Jabari Smith Signs With AU! (Update 11/17/20)
  • 4 weeks later...

Very similar player to Thor from what i can tell. Except he is a year older which can make such a huge difference at that age. Really exciting to see guys like Jabari come in and raise the level of play on the basketball team. You can tell even with this season how the talent level on the team is just getting better and better. Even when we have key pieces unfairly targeted by the NCAA the team can still function and compete with other teams. 

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2 hours ago, gravejd said:

Very similar player to Thor from what i can tell. Except he is a year older which can make such a huge difference at that age. Really exciting to see guys like Jabari come in and raise the level of play on the basketball team. You can tell even with this season how the talent level on the team is just getting better and better. Even when we have key pieces unfairly targeted by the NCAA the team can still function and compete with other teams. 

Maybe because he is a year older but he is physically more developed then Thor. I have a feeling Smith really could be a one and Done type player. For Thor I have a feeling he will need a year working with the basketball strength and conditioning coach to truly elevate his game. 20 pounds of muscle will allow him to be better on the boards to post down low and generally be stronger around the basket. Smith looks stronger then Thor. I am not knocking Thor by end of this season you will see him becoming more assertive and a bigger part of the offense but he will need the muscle mass to allow him to reach his very high ceiling.  It will be great to have both at Auburn next year.  We could have a scary good team next year.

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26 minutes ago, AuburnNTexas said:

Maybe because he is a year older but he is physically more developed then Thor. I have a feeling Smith really could be a one and Done type player. For Thor I have a feeling he will need a year working with the basketball strength and conditioning coach to truly elevate his game. 20 pounds of muscle will allow him to be better on the boards to post down low and generally be stronger around the basket. Smith looks stronger then Thor. I am not knocking Thor by end of this season you will see him becoming more assertive and a bigger part of the offense but he will need the muscle mass to allow him to reach his very high ceiling.  It will be great to have both at Auburn next year.  We could have a scary good team next year.

Oh i agree with everything you just posted. I think Jabari is now what Thor would have been had he stayed in HS for his senior season. Both are big tall and long guys that can handle the ball and have a nice touch on their shots. Can shoot from 3, mid range, and under the basket. This is my assessment after watching maybe 2 mins of highlights on young Jabari 😅

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13 hours ago, gravejd said:

Very similar player to Thor from what i can tell. Except he is a year older which can make such a huge difference at that age. Really exciting to see guys like Jabari come in and raise the level of play on the basketball team. You can tell even with this season how the talent level on the team is just getting better and better. Even when we have key pieces unfairly targeted by the NCAA the team can still function and compete with other teams. 

If I'm not mistaken, Thor was ranked #10 in this class before reclassifying and coming to Auburn a year early. That would seem to indicate that yes, they are very similar, seeing as they are both 6'10-6'11 and both have a solid all around offensive game.

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