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player ready...For Oak Park-River Forest guard Josh Smith, everything changed on Feb. 9, when the Huskies beat York to clinch their third straight West Suburban Silver title.
Smith had been a rotation guy for most of his sophomore season and earned the occasional start on a senior-laden roster. But on that big night, on the road in front of a hostile crowd, he made the most of his start. He led the team with 15 points as OPRF won 54-52.
“I had like 13 points in the first quarter,” Smith said. “I had good games throughout the year, but it would be in spurts. After that game, I think that was the real turning point. I like those type of environments, so to me that was energizing. I was really nervous going into that game, but once the crowd got into it, I liked it.”
Fast forward to this season, and Smith has become a focal point of the OPRF offense. He joins fellow junior Isaiah Barnes and senior Justin Cross as the only returning players who had significant playing time last season.
And as the starting point guard, most of the offense runs through Smith.
That was certainly the case at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. Smith led OPRF in scoring by averaging 19.8 points per game. He and Barnes (17 points per game) were the two Huskies who reached double figures in each game.
“Josh had a huge game against Warren,” coach Matt Maloney said of Smith’s 25-point, four-rebound performance. “He’s working on being more consistent and having a more complete game.”
Smith’s breakout play has drawn attention from college coaches. He received a scholarship offer from UIC this summer, and Smith said he and Maloney have heard from a handful of other Division I programs.
Maloney said Smith has been learning the nuances of being a playmaker — not just a scorer — as a balhandling guard. Barnes said the OPRF offense is at its best when Smith’s scoring opens up the floor for everyone else.
“It makes the game so much easier when we’re free-flowing, and I have a guard who will get me the ball when I’m open,” Barnes said. “Just facilitating the game — when you have a point guard who can swing the ball, make reads — when you have a point guard like that it makes the game so much simpler for me and my teammates.”
OPRF (7-5 through Monday) has dealt with some inconsistent play early in the season, which Maloney said is a product of inexperience. But the Huskies have played a difficult schedule, and Pontiac tournament losses to Bloom and Simeon will only make the Huskies better for conference play and the postseason.
Maloney said Smith has been tested by some of the best competition in the state as a first-year startingn point guard.
“Learning how to play point guard is a process for any young player,” Maloney said. “Josh continues to be more efficient, and when we get his assist-to-turnover ratio where we want it, we have the chance to be very good. We know he can score in bunches, but when he’s facilitating for others, that’s how we can be really great in March.”
Jakub Rudnik is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press