When possible, I like to take some time to shout out players I see and like at the high school level who may or may not be Duke bound. I recently saw some tape on LJ Smith and wanted to talk to him a little bit about his game and his season. Hoping to do more of these Quick Hitters in the future.
LJ Smith is a combo guard out of Lincolnton High School in, NC. Currently in the class of 2027, he olds offers from Virginia Tech, Charlotte, Georgia, Kansas, Memphis and Mississippi State among others. LJ is a top 5 recruit in the state and a top 30 overall in his class. He’s a 6’4 dynamic scoring machine and deadly shooter who’s going to rise in the ranks as the summer continues. Coming off of an impressive freshman season that was cut short by a broken bone in his leg, LJ posted an impressive sophomore season where he broke the North Carolina high school single season scoring record. Smith is garnering attention from schools in both the ACC and the SEC.
I caught up with LJ to ask a few quick hitters:
Quick Hitters
Dukeblogger: So far how has the spring gone for you, LJ?
LJ: The spring as gone really well, I can see my game is getting better and better all around.
01
Dukeblogger: What are your summer plans in terms of events?
LJ: For the summer, I will be at the NPBA Top 100 Camp and the Nike Elite 100 Camp.
02
Dukeblogger: Obviously there’s some time before you get to the next level (college) what do you think are the areas you need to improve on?
LJ: Taking my game to the next level would just be getting stronger faster and just thinking the game at a higher level.
03
Dukeblogger: What school has been coming at you the hardest?
LJ: Georgia has been recruiting me the hardest so far.
04
Dukeblogger: How would you describe your game?
LJ: I would describe my game as a shooter that can create for myself and others.
05
Dukeblogger: Are there any players in college or the pros that you try to emulate or take from their games?
LJ: I try and pattern my game after Tyrese Maxey and Robert Dillingham.
06
Dukeblogger: Most services list you as a combo guard, is that how you see yourself as well?
LJ: Yes, I see myself as a combo guard.
07
Dukeblogger: One last question for you, you recently broke the all-time North Carolina scoring record, did you know you were getting close to the record, and how did your teammates react to it?
LJ: I knew I was getting close to it before going into the playoffs and me and my team was really excited for me to break the record!
08
Thank you so much for your time LJ, and good luck going forward!
