At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned senior prospects. Last season, hundreds of players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III or NAIA levels, and that number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class. Typically, we take a closer look at guys who are overlooked and underrated, and today’s edition will highlight Makel Smith of Morehead High School.
We’ve watched Smith closely over the last calendar year, previously stating, “Starting things off, we look at a player who simply knows how to provide a steady, adaptable presence to a team, Makel Smith. He’s a smart, skilled floor general with nice balance between playmaking and three-level scoring. Smithplays with pace and understands how to control the tempo with the ball in his hands. He creates well for himself and others off the dribble, displaying quality vision and a polished scoring arsenal. Smith is a useful on-ball defender with solid instincts for playing the passing lanes. He also rebounds well and effectively pushes the break in transition. Next in his development process is working to get quicker, as it would make him a more explosive penetrator. Coach Holcomb-Faye on Smith: “Makel is a scoring point guard who also has the ability to find his teammates, both in transition and in half-court sets. He really knows how to use his body around the basket and has a knack for rebounding the ball.” Smith enjoyed a productive showing at camp and should be a target for various college programs over the coming months.”
Since then, Smith has only continued to further solidify himself as a prospect worthy of attention from college coaches. He’s currently averaging 30.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.2 BPG with 46/42/82 shooting splits—easily making him one of the most productive players throughout North Carolina. In our past viewings of Smith, he’s always found success in being a balanced floor general who scores with efficiency, gets others involved, and sets the tone as a defender at the point of attack. While he’s still maintained that general approach to the game, it’s clear that he’s comfortable producing in a variety of different roles. Given the number of college coaches still looking to add pieces to their roster, Smith is a guy worthy of attention.
