Cal State Fullerton has once again landed a commitment all the way from the state of Illinois. This time it was from Tevin Smith of Danville High School. Smith is a 6’5” senior guard/forward.
While the majority of their roster is from California, Smith will be the second member of the team next season from Illinois. Last year they landed a commitment from current freshman Dante Maddox of Bloom Township High School. Maddox is already paying dividends as he has moved into the starting lineup and is averaging 10.7 points per game this season. The Illinois connection is from their assistant coach, Brandon Dunson, an Illinois native.
Smith picked the Titans from his list of seven finalist. The list of finalist also included Bradley, DePaul, Miami (OH), Oregon, Tennessee-Martin, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Cal State Fullerton has initially offered Smith back over the summer in July.
“Perfect fit” is how Smith described his match with the Cal State Fullerton basketball program. Adding in “I just had a good connection with the coaches.” Smith sees himself fitting in very well their team with his “playing hard defense, able to score when I want to, and hustle for everything.”
In this different age of recruitment, Smith did not have the luxury of taking college visits this year like his fellow seniors. “It’s a different feeling,” Smith commented on having virtual visits in the place of actual visits. “I made my decision without any visits by trusting their word and believed that what I’ve heard and seen was the fit for me.”
Without a high school season right now in Illinois, Smith has been playing with the US Basketball Academy out of Oregon on the Grind Session while still enrolled at Danville High School.