Article 202: Smith has heart of a Lion

May 24, 2011

At the recent City Championship Tourney at City College of San Francisco, Leo Smith of the Oakland Rebels was an attention-grabber. Despite his diminuitive stature, the 5-foot-8 and 140 pound floor general played with flair and toughness which will make him an intriguing 2013 point guard prospect.

Smith has this innate ability to anticipate where his teammates are going and was able to deliver many bounce passes that led his teammates to the basket on pick and roll or transition offense. Despite being undersized, he was also fearless in going to the basket and drawing contact. As a varsity starter this past year, he helped his Oakland Tech Bulldogs to an 18-9 record while averaging 12.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 9.3 assists.

Before joining the Oakland Rebels, Smith was with the cross town Oakland Soldiers program. "Leo's strengths are his quickness and his penetration ability," said Soldiers' Coach Ray Thomas. "He puts much pressure on the defense to have to account for him. He also is a high level passer with that unique ability to set up his team mates. He is a natural and vocal leader. Leo has a chance to be the best point guard in the 2013 class in NorCal. As for college, even at 5-foot-7 Leo will intrigue alot of colleges with his ability as a pure point guard."

Smith's ability to setup his teammates is very Bob Cousy or John Stockton in similarity. And Smith's toughness and fearlessness is comparable to contemporary Derrick Rose. He likes to use his in and out move to drive pass his defenders and plans on working on his jump shot, ball handling, and weights during the summer.

Smith hopes that his efforts will allow him to be one of the top players in the OAL while leading his team to a deep playoff run. Oakland Tech Coach Karega Hart says, "Leo has several strengths on and off the court. On the court, he is a tenacious defender who welcomes all challenges. Offensively, he has great quickness and balance, excellent handles, and knows how to get to the free throw line. He was third in our league behind Jabari Brown and Gary Williams getting to the free throw line. He is an explosive scorer that is able to knock down shots amongst the trees or from the perimeter. Most of all, Leo also has great vision and is capable of getting double digits in assists every night. He is a true point guard. Leo has the heart of a Lion, and the Spirit of a Champion."

The recruiting process is early but Smith has heard from the Washington State Cougars. He would like to stay on the west coast to be closer to home. Smith sports a 3.33 GPA and considers math his best subject while he would like to play for a program that pushes the ball.

"Leo is very outgoing and he is always smiling. He always seems to make people laugh with his youthful spirit," continues Hart. "He is loving and caring with his family and friends and is always willing to help people. He has managed to bring his grades up during his sophomore year and has developed some good study habits and is really working hard to make himself a college prospect on and off the court. Leo could be a great point guard at the division 1 or 2 level. Most of all, we are working on him becoming a qualifier so that he can get a free education. We expect him to get great education and impact the lives of the kids here in Oakland in a positive way."

With the exodus of several senior guards in the OAL 2011 class, Smith could be a top player to watch for this upcoming season. Watch for Smith to lead Oakland Tech to the top of the pride. And then watch for this lionhearted prospect in college in 2013.