Sterling Smith is hoping for more national exposure this spring on the AAU circuit but Wednesday the Chico (Calif.) Chico Senior shooting guard visited San Francisco - and liked a lot about coach Rex Walters' program.
Smith said he enjoyed his visit to San Francisco.
"They
have a good program, they get up and down and they've had some good players
come through there," Smith said. "Their coaching style is a little
different. They're in the rebuilding stage now but in the next few years
they should be pretty good."I'll take (the new staff) into consideration. (Walters) sounds cool and I liked meeting him in person. It sounds like he's putting the program in the right direction."
Walters' resume of playing at Kansas and in the NBA is impressive and it certainly made an impression on Smith, who averaged about 18 points and six rebounds per outing this season and said he could learn lots of things from Walters if he decides to play at San Francisco.
"He's played with the best, been with the best, so he could give me a lot of pointers and tips on my game that could help me be better," said Smith, who added the Dons are interested but have not offered yet. "It would be good for me because he could teach me a lot."
San Francisco and San Diego are two West Coast schools that are showing interest in Smith, who said William & Mary has also been in contact. He seems intrigued by heading east to play college basketball so the Tribe could definitely be in contention for his services.
"Playing back east is kind of my goal," Smith said. "I'd like to go back east to go to college so it's definitely an option if the right deal comes.
"I like that their schools always make it to the tournament and that they're competitive. It's a different brand of basketball over there and I kind of like that."
Playing with ICP Nike Select, Smith hopes this spring and summer will be big for him not only to improve his game but to get some more national exposure.
No offers have arrived yet so Smith said a big off-season could be huge for his recruitment. He might also attend camps at Cal and Stanford.
"It can definitely help my exposure," Smith said. "I'm going to a lot of big exposure tournaments so it will let some coaches see me play and I'll try to be put on the map more nationally."