MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama head men's basketball coach Richie Riley announced Friday that Diante Smith will become a member of the program after signing a grant-in-aid with the school.
He comes to South as a transfer from TCU with three years of eligibility remaining.
"I'm pumped to get Diante in our family. He is an unbelievable kid you love to be around," said Riley. "His mix of size and skill fit our style of play perfectly. Diante is a three-level scorer who plays with great IQ, and we also feel like his length will have a huge impact defensively."
Smith — who originally hails from Fort Walton Beach, Fla. — appeared in four contests for the Horned Frogs this season, posting six points, six rebounds and an assist in just over 29 minutes of action. He averaged 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest as a true freshman in 2019-20, when he was also credited with 19 assists, eight steals in five blocks. Smith scored a season-best nine points in TCU's game at Oklahoma, had eight points in wins over No. 18 Texas Tech and George Mason as well as at Arkansas in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, and recorded a season-high six rebounds against USC.
A four-star recruit coming out of Choctawhatchee High according to 247Sports.com, he was considered among the top 20 prospects in the state, top 30 small forwards in the nation and top 125 individuals in the entire country. Smith was a three-time all-state selection, scoring 1,310 points to go along with 541 rebounds, 221 assists, 203 steals and 86 blocked shots during that time.
As a senior he averaged 17.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game to help the Indians finish 23-5 after advancing to the second round of the state 7A tournament. Smith recorded 17.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 steals per outing when he was a junior as CHS advanced to the championship game of the state tournament on the way to a 27-3 mark, while he posted 14.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.9 steals per contest the previous season for an Indian team that would go 26-3 after reaching the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
Smith is the fourth individual sign with the Jaguars this fall, joining junior-college transfer Marshall Kearing (Perth, Australia) as well as high school seniors Alex Anderson (Millington, Tenn.) and Tyler Shirley (Mableton, Ga.).
Photo provided by
bradpuckettphotography.com
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