Marquill Smith is as pure of a scorer as they come, always has been and always will be. The Miami, Florida, native was a finalist for Florida’s Mr. Basketball award in 2015 after averaging an impressive 23 points per game and leading Miami Christian High School to its first ever Florida state championship. This success launched Smith onto DI recruiting scene, and he eventually chose to take his talents to California to play for the University of San Francisco.
Smith spent two years contributing to USF at the Division I level but decided he wanted to revamp his collegiate career. Smith transferred to West Georgia, where he quickly introduced himself as one of the best players in the Gulf South Conference. Smith scored 27 points and logged nine rebounds in his first game in a UWG uniform, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. Smith’s stats were as good as any guard in the collegiate ranks for two consecutive seasons. He played in 27 games in his junior campaign, averaging over 23 points per game and scored over 20 in two thirds of those games. Even more impressive, however, is Smith had 8 double-doubles in that stint and averaged nearly 9 rebounds per game. His senior campaign? Even better. Smith garnered national attention, averaging over 27 points and nearly 9 rebounds per game. Smith was named to two 2019 All-America teams, on top of being named the GSC Player of the Year.
Smith’s decorated success on the national level helped him achieve his lifelong goal: play professional basketball. The All-American signed a contract with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, an NBA G League affiliate of the Miami Heat. Smith hopes the G League will be a temporary pitstop, much like his time at USF, on his way to making an NBA roster. Who knows, he may even be the hometown kid playing the next hero for the Miami Heat. No one should be surprised if the decorated scorer takes this next step, because we know Smith won’t be.
Follow along with Marquill Smith’s journey on Instagram (@mk3.smith) and get a sneak peek into the hooper’s lifestyle and training regimens.