SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Tito Maddox Update: Fresno State,
DePaul And ???--(May 3, 1999)

We saw Tito Maddox at the WSS Scholastic Hoops Jam on Saturday night, and he had just gotten back from an unofficial visit to Fresno State earlier that day.   Tito told us that he's now down to Fresno State and DePaul as far as college choices go, and he understands that he might have to go Prop.48 if he doesn't qualify.  "Hey, I can practice, work on my game, not have much pressure and get qualified, if I decide to go there, and that's pretty good," Tito told us.   He also said he spent some time with his friend Leon Smith (6'-10" Sr. F) from Chicago's MLK High who was also in Fresno on a visit to the campus, and the Fresno Bee is now reporting that Leon signed a letter of intent, despite his stated intention of declaring for the NBA draft.

Here's the story by Andy Katz on Leon Smith (yeah, we know this started out as a Tito Maddox update, but what the heck):

Fresno State got the signed national letter of intent it wanted from Leon Smith, but that won't deter him from declaring for the NBA draft and foregoing his college eligibility. 

Minutes before he boarded a flight back to Chicago on Sunday, Smith told The Bee that he signed with the Bulldogs on Saturday but still plans to go directly from high school to the NBA.  So, why sign the letter? He said he did it so the Fresno State coaching staff could have unlimited contact with him, which is now allowed under NCAA rules.  "That's why I signed it, but I'm still sticking with my decision of going to the NBA," said the 6-foot 11-inch Smith, who was a consensus high school all-American at Chicago's King High. "Part of me thinks I  shouldn't have come out here this weekend to get peoples' hopes up."

While coach Jerry Tarkanian was ecstatic that Smith signed, he was realistic about Smith's intentions about declaring for the draft. Smith said he will file a letter to the NBA's office in New York later this week. If the NBA receives notification from an underclassmen by May 16, he is put on the draft list. If a college player doesn't sign with an agent, he can return to school if he withdraws his name a week before the June 30th; high school or junior college players, however, don't have that option. 

Smith said he came to Fresno to play in Friday's King of the West Roundball Classic but didn't take part in the game. The NCAA limits high school seniors to two all-star games each, and Smith had already played in all-star games in Detroit and Los Angeles last month. Smith stood to lose his freshman eligibility if he took part in the Fresno game. 

Smith had his uniform on minutes before tipoff, saying he was going to the NBA and wanted to play in the game. However, four Fresno State players pulled Smith aside and convinced him to stay off the court. 

Saturday, they helped convince him to sign the letter.  

"I really got along with the players, and I've got a good relationship with them," Smith said Sunday. "But I don't think I fit this lifestyle. That's not my thing. I want to be able to take care of my family and help bring them back together. I would rather see where the chips would fall in the NBA." 

Until his recent 18th birthday, Smith lived in a group home in Chicago; he has been living with friends the past few months. 

NBA scouts can't comment on Smith, but sources have said he would be a potential second-round pick because of his size. However, second-round picks don't receive guaranteed contracts. 

Even if Smith were to change his mind about the NBA and join the Bulldogs, he still has to get eligible. Smith couldn't take an official visit to Fresno State because he has yet to take a standardized test. He said he planned on taking the American College Test in June. 

While Smith wasn't on Fresno State's bill, Chicago's Morgan Park High guard Brandon Mason did make an official visit this weekend, saying he would only attend Fresno State if his friend Smith did, too. Mason, who says he has already visited New Mexico State, must make a decision by May 14, the last day of the spring signing period. 

"I believe Smith will come here because he's not guaranteed to be picked by the NBA," Tarkanian said. "This is the best situation for him."

 
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