 Smith withMissouri in 2019 | |
| No. 13 – Nagasaki Velca | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | B.League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1999-08-16)August 16, 1999 (age 25) Decatur, Illinois, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Edwardsville (Edwardsville, Illinois) |
| College |
|
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2023 | BG Göttingen |
| 2023–2024 | Casademont Zaragoza |
| 2024–present | Nagasaki Velca |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Mark Anthony Smith (born August 16, 1999) is an American professionalbasketball player forNagasaki Velca of the JapaneseB.League. He previously played for theIllinois Fighting Illini, theMissouri Tigers, and theKansas State Wildcats.
Smith is the son of Anthony and Yvonne Smith.[1] His father, Anthony, played college basketball atSouthern Illinois andSIU Edwardsville and his mother, Yvonne, also played college basketball at SIU Edwardsville.[1] As a child, Smith was a three-sport athlete, competing in baseball, basketball, and football.[2] While in high school, Smith participated inAAU basketball with the Ramey Jets United program through theAdidas circuit.[2]
As a high school senior, he led Edwardsville to a number one ranking in Illinois for the first time in history while averaging 22 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, and was named to the first-teamAssociated Press All-state team.[3][4] Smith was also selected as the 2017 Illinois Boys BasketballGatorade Player of the Year and as 2017Illinois Mr. Basketball.[3]
During his junior year of high school, Smith originally committed to playcollege baseball forMissouri as a right-handedpitcher.[5] However, in July 2016 Smith decommitted from Missouri givenTim Jamieson's retirement and because of an injury to the flexor pronator tendon in his throwing elbow.[5] Prior to switching his athletic focus to basketball, Smith featured afastball in the low-90s and was considered a major league baseball prospect out of high school.[5][6]
On April 26, 2017, Smith announced he would attend college at theUniversity of Illinois to play for theFighting Illini under new head coachBrad Underwood.[7] In talking about schools he was considering through the recruitment process, Smith listedDuke andMichigan State as his finalists.[8] Smith also considered scholarship offers fromKentucky andOhio State.[8]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Smith SG | Edwardsville, IL | Edwardsville (IL) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Apr 27, 2017 | |
Star ratings:Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings:Scout:80 Rivals:55 247Sports:147 ESPN:— | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
On March 5, 2018, he announced he would transfer after playing his freshman season atIllinois.[9] On April 14, 2018, Smith announced he would transfer toMissouri.[10] As a senior, he averaged 9.7 points per game while shooting 31.5 percent from three-point range. He moved toKansas State as a graduate transfer.[11] Smith was named to the Third Team All-Big 12 as well as the All-Newcomer Team.[12]
On July 5, 2022, he has signed withBG Göttingen of theBasketball Bundesliga.[13]
On July 29, 2023, he signed withCasademont Zaragoza of theLiga ACB.[14]
On July 5, 2024, he signed withNagasaki Velca of the JapaneseB.League.[15]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Illinois | 31 | 18 | 19.1 | .337 | .232 | .796 | 1.4 | 1.4 | .6 | .1 | 5.8 |
| 2018–19 | Missouri | 19 | 16 | 28.4 | .436 | .450 | .774 | 5.2 | 1.6 | .7 | .1 | 11.4 |
| 2019–20 | Missouri | 24 | 20 | 26.7 | .393 | .371 | .735 | 3.9 | .8 | .9 | .0 | 10.0 |
| 2020–21 | Missouri | 26 | 24 | 29.6 | .372 | .315 | .765 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .2 | 9.7 |
| 2021–22 | Kansas State | 31 | 31 | 31.7 | .449 | .362 | .709 | 8.4 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .0 | 12.7 |
| Career | 131 | 111 | 26.9 | .402 | .354 | .745 | 4.4 | 1.3 | .8 | .1 | 9.8 | |