Austin Smith 6'0 160 2022 Potomac School, McLean VA

Austin is a quick and athletic guard with a great feel for the game.' His instincts on both ends of the floor coupled with his tremendous playmaking skills and solid defense on and off the ball allow him to impact games in a variety of ways.' He has a strong, compact frame and more than his share of shiftiness making plays off the dribble.' Austin uses crossovers and inside out dribbles, he plays off hesitations effectively and uses a quick burst off a change of direction move or a dribble pause that enables him to beat defenders with good regularity.' He is a threat both as a passer and a scorer on the move demonstrating very good vision and passing skills to go along with a great touch finishing at and around the rim.'

A very productive scorer Austin also demonstrates solid playmaking skills mixing in crafty drives to the rim with solid passing skills.' He can look off defenders and thread the needle finding cutters for easy baskets or collapsing defenses and kicking the ball out to a teammate for an open jumper. 'He has very good court awareness and does a solid job as a lead guard when needed in that role.' He is a very good scorer on the move lofting a runner over challenging bigs or absorbing contact and finishing around the rim.'

Austin's quickness allows him to get to the rim frequently but when his path is cut off he uses the runner or pull up jumper and connects at a very high rate.' He is a shot-making threat from all levels.' Austin is a lefty with sound mechanics and a high release point allowing him to get his shot off against taller defenders.' He has excellent footwork, loads nicely and his high elbow allows for a high arching shot when necessary and his touch is fantastic.' Austin uses the shot fake nicely against hard closeouts and is very efficient shooting off dribble pull-ups.' He is very good in space using an impressive end to end speed and great vision to find open teammates in transition.' Austin is a harassing and high motor on-ball defender.' His quick feet and upper body strength allow him to pressure ball handlers relentlessly and defend dribble penetration.' Off the ball, he demonstrates excellent anticipation skills and quick reactions in passing lanes.' Very quick to help and getting to double teams and traps.' He recovers nicely and also does a great job setting his feet and drawing charges.'

Austin not only provides playmaking skills and energy, he has excellent leadership skills and will be a co-captain as he enters his junior year.' He also produces at a high level in the classroom where he sports a 3.8 GPA!' In a deep and talented 2022 class in Virginia, Austin Smith is making it clear with his solid play and consistency that he belongs in the conversation among the top prospects.' Watch for him to begin picking up interest from college coaches in the very near future.