D2 All-American Jamari Smith talks VCU love and ACC visits

You rarely see a DII player enter the portal and be recruited at the high-major level. Jamari Smith, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound sophomore, is not your typical DII forward.

Smith averaged 17.6 points in 26 minutes per game last season. He also grabbed 7.1 rebounds and shot 40-percent (44-110) from three. At Queens University of Charlotte, Smith has won 70 of the 87 games he has played.

“I’m a guy who can play inside or out,” Smith told On3. “I can make plays and facilitate while also being versatile on defense and able to guard wings and posts.”

Smith talks recruitment

Programs are living in the portal right now, and the ones who do their research feel Smith can help at the highest level. He entered his name into the transfer portal on April 4, and immediately high-level college programs started reaching out.

“I hear the most from Georgia Tech, VCU, Colorado, George Washington, Eastern Kentucky, and Toledo right now,” Smith said.

It has been almost 20 days since the Jonesboro, Georgia native has been in the portal. Things are starting to sort themselves out in his mind. He recently took his first visit and is in the process of setting up others.

“I visited Georgia Tech last weekend,” Smith said. “I’m going to visit VCU soon; we are setting that up now.”

Smith’s take

“I want to see a team’s will to win and come in and improve the program,” Smith said. “I’ll also be looking at how a program develops players and their style of play. I like playing fast and five out, with freedom.”

PRODUCTION

Smith was a first-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and named the South Atlantic Conference Player of the year.

Wins seem to follow Smith. This year’s fourth-place finish at the end of the regular season is Queens’ highest ranking in program history. He was named to the 2022 Bevo Francis Watch List and awarded South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week four times this season.

Smith is from Jonesboro, Georgia, where he was named the Georgia High School Athletic Association (GHSAA) 6a Player of the Year. He scored over 1,300 career points, eighth all-time in Jonesboro (GA) High history, and led his high school to 106 wins in four seasons.