Class Of 2010 Player Watch: Lenzelle Smith

November 22, 2007

10:45 A.M. CST

There is no question that Zion-Benton High School in Zion, IL ranks not only as one of the premier high school basketball teams in Chicago's north suburbs, but also the entire state of Illinois.  A big reason for that is 6'3 sophomore Lenzelle Smith.

Smith was nothing short of outstanding when we watched him recently at the Lane Tech Thanksgiving Tournament, scoring 19 points in Zion-Benton's 68-58 victory over Oak Park.  In addition, Smith scored 16 points and was instrumental in propelling Zion-Benton to a 63-53 win over Evanston on the opening night of the tournament.

There is no question that upon first glance Smith undoubtedly passes the look test.  He has a strong body and a tremendous physique for a someone who is only a sophomore in high school. 

Offensively, Smith is a smooth shooting lefty with range that extends beyond the 3-point line.  He also plays strong, as he has great instincts on the glass, and utilizes his strength to power his way to the basket and score on putbacks.  What Smith needs to work on is learning shot selection and remaining aggressive at all times.

Smith also showed that he has the ability to be a lock-down defender, as in the Oak Park game he did an excellent job of helping to keep Oak Park's 6'4 star guard and Georgia Tech recruit Iman Shumpert in check.

On a team which is absolutely loaded with underclass talent, we believe that Smith is clearly Zion-Benton's best college prospect and ranks as one of the top ten prospects in Illinois from the class of 2010, a class in which the number of top prospects seems to grow by the day.  We expect Smith to receive increased recruiting attention throughout the season as well as next spring and summer, where he competes on the AAU circuit with the Illinois Stars.

Continue to check in with Illinois Prep Bulls-eye for all of the latest as it pertains to high school basketball and recruiting in Illinois.