Malik Smith Signs Tender to Play at Minnesota
The
Minnesota men’s basketball program announced today that Malik Smith has
signed a tender to play for the Gophers. Smith will be eligible
immediately pending an NCAA waiver based on a possible APR induced
post-season ban at Florida International University, his previous
school.
Smith joins previously signed guards Deandre Mathieu
and Daquan McNeil as part of head coach Richard Pitino’s inaugural
recruiting class at Minnesota.
“I was a pleasure to coach
Malik last season at FIU and I am excited that he has decided to join
the Golden Gopher program,” said head coach Richard Pitino. “His
knowledge of our program on and off the court will be invaluable as we
start to integrate our system here at Minnesota.”
Smith comes to
the University of Minnesota after playing his junior season for Coach
Pitino at FIU. He started 31 of 32 games for the Golden Panthers and
was named Third Team All-Sun Belt Conference after averaging 14.1
points and 2.7 rebounds per game. His 451 points scored last season are
the eighth-most in the history of Florida International basketball.
Smith
set an FIU record for three-point field goals made in a single season
with 96 treys and ranked number one in the conference and 16th
nationally with an average of 3.0 three-pointers made per game. He set
the Sun Belt Conference Tournament record with 15 total three-pointers
made, including an 8-for-10 game in the opening round against
Arkansas-Little Rock.
Prior to his junior season at FIU, Smith
played his sophomore season at Jacksonville College and his freshman
season at South Plains College. He averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 assists
and 3.0 rebounds per game at Jacksonville, earning all-region and
all-conference honors. Smith played 27 games as a freshman and averaged
5.0 points per game.
Smith, a native of Boston, Mass., led the
State of Massachusetts in scoring as a senior while at Madison Park
High School in Boston with an average of 26.6 points per game. He went
on to play one season at Notre Dame Prep, where he averaged 16.0
points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
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