April 26, 2006
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Tyler Smith, a small forward from Pulaski, TN, has signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of Iowa. The announcement was made Wednesday by Coach Steve Alford.
Smith (6-7, 210) joins the Iowa program after attending Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, VA this past year. He selected Iowa over interest from Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Memphis and Cincinnati.
Smith averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds and just over five assists per game at Hargrave for Coach Kevin Keatts. Hargrave posted a 28-2 record while ranking as one of the top prep school teams in the nation.
“Tyler will have an immediate impact on our team next season,” said Alford. “He is a very talented player, but also a great person, and that is something we always look for in recruiting. Tyler is a hard worker and one of the premier wing players in this class.”
Smith was ranked as one of the top 50 seniors in the nation a year ago and is regarded the number two post-graduate player in the nation by Scout.com. He was selected as one of the top 10 high school players in the nation when Street & Smith’s named him a second team selection on the 2004 Boys High School all-America team. He is rated a four-star prospect by Rivals.com.
As a junior at Giles County HS he earned first team all-state honors in Tennessee when he averaged 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists, leading his team to the state tournament. He earned tournament MVP honors as a sophomore after leading his team to the state title. Hoop Scoop rated Smith as the 15th best junior in the nation in the May, 2004 issue of Basketball Times. Smith was rated as one of the top wing forwards at the ABCD Camp last summer.
“Our recruiting efforts have been built on establishing positive relationships, and that was a key factor in Tyler choosing our program,” added Alford. “I appreciate the hard work Craig Neal puts forth in his recruiting efforts. Those efforts are paying dividends for the program. We are excited about the three recruits we signed in the fall. Adding Tyler to that group not only adds to our 2006 class, but will also benefit our 2007 and 2008 classes as well.”
Smith is the fourth player to sign with the Hawkeyes. During the fall signing period Iowa added Jamie Vanderbeken (6-10, 235) from Belleville, Ontario, Canada, Cyrus Tate (6-8, 240) from Northeast (NE) Community College and Justin Johnson (6-6, 190) from Tyler, TX Community College. Smith and Vanderbeken will be freshmen in 2006-07, Tate a sophomore and Johnson a junior.