Basketball
Illinois basketball to host 2028 guard Carter Smith for unofficial visit
Smith is a 6 foot 3 combo guard from Philadelphia.
Per DuShawn London of 247sports, Illinois basketball is set to host 2028 combo guard Carter Smith for an unofficial visit on Tuesday, June 16th. Smith is a four-star prospect in the class of 2028 who plays at William Penn Charter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Smith is a 6-foot-3, 160-pound guard who shows plus athleticism and length at the guard spot. Per his Instagram page, Carter Smith also holds an offer from Syracuse University. He played for Team Final on the EYBL circuit and averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2.3 steals.
Per his film, Carter has high-major guard traits and should garner more attention as his body develops heading into his Junior year of High school.
What does this mean?
Illinois basketball is going after some big fish in the class of 2028. In-state guards Brady Pettigrew and Cole Kelly are two elite prospects that the Illini coaching staff is recruiting very heavily. However, Brad Underwood and his staff have always had multiple guards on their roster. Once the class of 2028 gets to campus, the Illini will be in the “post-Balkan” era, meaning star players David Mirkovic and Andrej Stojakovic will likely not be on the roster.
On top of that, the Illini have high hopes for incoming guards Stefan Vaaks and Quentin Coleman. Even if Illinois basketball were to land one of Pettigrew or Kelly, Carter Smith has a lot of high-major traits on and off the ball that make him an exciting prospect.
Smith fits exactly what Illinois wants in a guard. He is tough, has positional size, and can do a lot of things well on the court. Look for more high-major programs to get involved in his recruitment.
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