The recruiting process for players in the 2016 class is in full swing now. Last weekend there was news that one of the top recruits in the nation, Jayson Tatum, had committed to Duke. Now the top point guard in the 2016 class, Dennis Smith Jr., has trimmed his list down to six schools. Smith is from Fayetteville, N.C., and the prevailing thought is that he will choose to stay home for school and attend North Carolina State, according to 247Sports.com.
NC State, Kentucky, Lousiville, Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest make up Smith's final six schools. You will notice that five of those six schools play in the ACC, so clearly there is some truth to the rumor that Smith wants to play his college basketball close to home. There are people in the know that think it would be a huge surprise if Smith left the state of North Carolina for school.
Smith is the number one point guard in the 2016 recruiting class and the number four prospect overall, according to ESPN.com. He is a 6 foot-1 point guard that is very athletic and can get wherever he needs to on the floor at any time. While playing at the adidas Uprising AAU circuit Smith led all players in assists per game with 6.9 and also tacked on 16.2 points and 4.8 rebounds, proving that at the young age of 17 he is already a well-rounded basketball player.
NC State has yet to receive a commitment from a 2016 recruit, Mark Gottfried has done a tremendous job of recruiting since he became the head coach in 2011. From 2012-2014 Gottfried had NC State in the top 20 recruiting classes, with his 2012 recruiting class getting ranked as high as fourth in the nation.
While NC State is the reported favorite for Smith, he is planning to take his official visits soon and have coaches in for in-home visits this fall according to The Courier Journal. Smith has said he wants to get this process over with but he knows that this decision is an extremely important one so he will take his time.
At this point the six schools that Smith named are all still in the mix to land the top recruit. NC State might be the favorite right now but things can change, and they often do, after he takes his official visits to the campuses and has coaches in his home to talk to his family.
