Basketball: Smith elects to transfer from UT

AUSTIN – Harrison Smith, Texas’ junior guard, will transfer out of the University this fall, head basketball coach Rick Barnes announced Wednesday.

Smith cited his desire for more playing time and a larger role on the team as reasons for leaving. The Houston native averaged 1.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game last season and had a 12-point performance against Oklahoma State on Feb. 28. When Smith decided to come to Austin in 2006, he was the No. 96 national prospect on the Web site Rivals.com.

Smith’s exit comes as a group of talented guards makes its way to the 40 Acres, including ESPNU’s No. 1 prospect, Avery Bradley. Bradley averaged 19.1 points and 2.9 assists per game for Findlay Prep High School while leading the Pilots to an undefeated record and a state championship this year.

Barnes also has verbal commitments from highly recruited guards from the 2010 and 2011 high school classes. Arizona’s Daniel Bejarano has said he will play for Texas in 2010, and Houston-born shooting guard Sheldon McClellan has verbally committed to play for Barnes in 2011.
 

Comments

1 comments

CoachDave

Mon Oct 5 2009 16:07

Harrison is an example of kids who should go where they can play. I'm not sure if it was his lack of shooting ability that kept him from breakin in the horns rotation, but the kid is a flat out scorer. In another system, such as Penders and the UH, where it is up and down he would have flourished because of is innate scoring ability and his unique ability to draw fouls off the dribble. It is an attribute Barnes did not need with his big line ups.
Defensively I am sure he was as good as anyone Barnes put on the floor. It must have been his lack of an outside shot that cost him at UT. Good kid..

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