6/12/2020 basketball Edit

2022 PG Braden Smith staying in contact with Indiana

Alec Lasley • TheHoosier

Senior Writer

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College coaches can start calling class of 2022 prospects directly starting on Monday, June 15 and one of those recruits who has been on Indiana's radar is Westfield HS (IN) point guard Braden Smith.

While Smith hasn't received an offer from Indiana yet, he remains in constant communication with the Hoosiers, mainly speaking with Assistant Coach Tom Ostrom and Director of Basketball Operations Brian Walsh.

Smith visited Indiana unofficially back on February 23 and was expecting to be back on campus this summer. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those plans have obviously been pushed back but Indiana's interest in getting him back to Bloomington remains the same and the relationship continues to develop.

"They just keep checking up and seeing how everything is going," Smith told TheHoosier.com. "They want me to come up soon again once everything opens up."

Unfortunately for Smith, a visit to IU wasn't the only part of his recruitment that was impacted. Because of the lack of visibility due to the suspension of AAU, Smith continues to hold just one offer, from Indiana Wesleyan. That hasn't stopped other high-major and mid-major programs from staying in touch with Smith, however. Programs like Northwestern, Butler and Purdue have all previously reached out and Belmont and Loyola (Chicago) remain involved as well.

So, while AAU is on pause, Smith is taking it upon himself to get better and force bigger programs to take notice. After averaging 18.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game last season, there isn't much that you would think he could improve on. But Smith remains in the gym and weight room every day.

"As of now, the quarantine is going really well for me," Smith said. "I’m trying to work on my finishing at the rim and just shooting more consistent from deep three.

"It’s giving me more chances to workout in my backyard and being able to lift with my strength and conditioning coach at his house. I run almost everyday and lift every other day," Smith added. "I have gained about 15-17 pounds since the quarantine has started so it has been great for me."

Putting on more weight has been an emphasis. At 6-foot and now around 170 pounds, developing an added ability to finish around and above bigger defenders will continue to open up his offensive game.

Though Smith's recruitment is still in its early stages, he knows exactly what he wants out of a program and says IU has just that.

"For any school that I would go to, I just want the coaches to show that they care and show that I can help the team win and be successful," Smith said. "I love IU. They are honest with me and say, 'if I do this, then that will happen' and just show to me that they care and are very interested in me."