Men’s Hoops Lands Deivon Smith During Early Signing Period
November 13, 2019 | Men's Basketball
by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – Deivon Smith will don the Maroon and White for the Mississippi State men's basketball program next season as he signed his National Letters of Intent (NLI) announced Wednesday during the fall signing period.
Smith will join Ben Howland's Bulldogs as freshman in 2020-21.
"I think Deivon (pronounced: DAY-vawn) is one of the best point guards I saw in the country all summer," Howland said. "I'm incredibly impressed with him. His decision making and his athleticism are off the charts in terms of his ability to finish around the basket. With his quickness, I think he can be a premier point guard in the SEC."
Smith, a 6-0 guard from Loganville, Georgia, is an explosive true point guard who is prepping under Geoffrey Pierce at Grayson High School. He is eighth ESPN Top 100 prospect and fifth player from the state of Georgia to commit to the Bulldogs during the Howland tenure.
Smith is an excellent passer with dynamic court vision who excels in transition and is an exceptional finisher with both hands in the paint. He also is an elite defender that is tough, crafty and smart.
Smith posted 17.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.1 blocks and 2.0 steals per game during his junior season. His Grayson squad compiled a 25-4 record en route to the Region 8-AAAAAAA championship last season, and was a solid contributor to Grayson's Final Four team in 2017-18.
Smith plays the AAU circuit for the Atlanta Celtics where his team won the Adidas Gauntlet U17 event in Birmingham last summer. He received over 20 Division I scholarship offers most notably Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina State, Ole Miss and Oregon.
COACH PIERCE ON SMITH
"Deivon is the true definition of a pure point guard. With him it is never about his individual stats, but instead the win. He often opts for the assist over the basket. He knows exactly how to run a team, and he's been able to get to a point where he knows exactly what I want. Any coach will tell you how important that is in regards to winning and how fun that is to coach. He's always worked hard to improve his game and add something to it every offseason. He has an uncanny ability to control a game while being unselfish with the ball, which is rare for a high school guard."
"Deivon is at his best when the lights are brightest and the stakes are highest. He thrives under pressure, and he leads by example, which is evident in last year's statistics. He led Grayson High School in every statistical category. He's also a great person. My son absolutely loves him. He always goes out of his way to speak to my son and has even attended his birthday parties. I think that speaks a lot about his character and what type of person he is. It has truly been a pleasure to watch and be a part of his growth from a little point guard at Couch Middle School into one of the best point guards in the country as a high school senior. Mississippi State and StarkVegas is getting a special player and a special person. This sky is the limit for him."
UP NEXT
Mississippi State continues its four-game homestand and plays host to Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday, November 14. Tip time is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT from Humphrey Coliseum. The game will be televised by SEC Network and available online through the Watch ESPN platform.
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
STARKVILLE – Deivon Smith will don the Maroon and White for the Mississippi State men's basketball program next season as he signed his National Letters of Intent (NLI) announced Wednesday during the fall signing period.
Smith will join Ben Howland's Bulldogs as freshman in 2020-21.
"I think Deivon (pronounced: DAY-vawn) is one of the best point guards I saw in the country all summer," Howland said. "I'm incredibly impressed with him. His decision making and his athleticism are off the charts in terms of his ability to finish around the basket. With his quickness, I think he can be a premier point guard in the SEC."
Smith, a 6-0 guard from Loganville, Georgia, is an explosive true point guard who is prepping under Geoffrey Pierce at Grayson High School. He is eighth ESPN Top 100 prospect and fifth player from the state of Georgia to commit to the Bulldogs during the Howland tenure.
Smith is an excellent passer with dynamic court vision who excels in transition and is an exceptional finisher with both hands in the paint. He also is an elite defender that is tough, crafty and smart.
Smith posted 17.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.1 blocks and 2.0 steals per game during his junior season. His Grayson squad compiled a 25-4 record en route to the Region 8-AAAAAAA championship last season, and was a solid contributor to Grayson's Final Four team in 2017-18.
Smith plays the AAU circuit for the Atlanta Celtics where his team won the Adidas Gauntlet U17 event in Birmingham last summer. He received over 20 Division I scholarship offers most notably Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina State, Ole Miss and Oregon.
COACH PIERCE ON SMITH
"Deivon is the true definition of a pure point guard. With him it is never about his individual stats, but instead the win. He often opts for the assist over the basket. He knows exactly how to run a team, and he's been able to get to a point where he knows exactly what I want. Any coach will tell you how important that is in regards to winning and how fun that is to coach. He's always worked hard to improve his game and add something to it every offseason. He has an uncanny ability to control a game while being unselfish with the ball, which is rare for a high school guard."
"Deivon is at his best when the lights are brightest and the stakes are highest. He thrives under pressure, and he leads by example, which is evident in last year's statistics. He led Grayson High School in every statistical category. He's also a great person. My son absolutely loves him. He always goes out of his way to speak to my son and has even attended his birthday parties. I think that speaks a lot about his character and what type of person he is. It has truly been a pleasure to watch and be a part of his growth from a little point guard at Couch Middle School into one of the best point guards in the country as a high school senior. Mississippi State and StarkVegas is getting a special player and a special person. This sky is the limit for him."
UP NEXT
Mississippi State continues its four-game homestand and plays host to Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday, November 14. Tip time is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT from Humphrey Coliseum. The game will be televised by SEC Network and available online through the Watch ESPN platform.
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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