She didn’t mean to, but Lincoln-Way East junior Hayven Smith accidentally pranked her future college basketball coach.
It happened when Smith called Illinois’ Shauna Green to tell her she was committing.
“First, I just wanted to thank her for everything that she and the staff had done for me,” Smith said. “I wanted her to know how much they helped me through this process.
“Without them, I don’t believe I’d be committing anywhere, and I’d be a lot more stressed out right now. I wanted that to be first, because I didn’t want to forget.”
Smith quickly realized that Green was getting the wrong idea.
“I think she kind of took that as I was trying to let her down soft,” Smith said, laughing. “But then I was like, ‘I’m going to commit!’
“The first thing she said was, ‘Are you serious?’ I was like, ‘Yeah!’ She wasn’t expecting that at all.”
The timing couldn’t be more perfect.
Illinois is on an upsurge under Green. Before she arrived last season, the Illini hadn’t shown much fight in a long, long time.
Their last winning record was in 2012-13, when they were 19-14 and reached the WNIT Elite Eight. Green walked into a program that over the previous seven seasons was a ghastly 12-106 in the Big Ten.
Under Green, Illinois did a quick turnaround, going 22-10 and earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002-03. On New Year’s Day, the Illini shocked Iowa 90-86.
Smith, meanwhile, had her best season yet at Lincoln-Way East. The 6-foot-6 forward/center averaged 14 points and 9.1 rebounds. She earned all-area honors and was selected third team all-state.
What Griffins coach Jim Nair loves the most about her is her work ethic.
“Every year she has kept getting better,” Nair said. “She had a huge jump from her sophomore year to her junior year. She really attacked the basket. I think she was on pace to break a long-standing rebound record when she was injured.
“We’re ecstatic. We’re super excited to see her compete at the next level, at a place close where we can see some games. And we’re lucky. We’re not done with her yet.”
During her junior season, the interest from colleges really started to ramp up.
I remember talking with Smith over Christmas about how she was riding in a car and got back-to-back phone calls with scholarship offers from Illinois and Harvard.
Other schools that offered included Purdue, Butler, Rice, North Dakota and Cleveland State. All told, she heard from 15 to 20 schools that were at least interested.
But none did as thorough a job recruiting than Illinois.
“One of the really big things was that throughout my whole recruiting process, I communicated with the whole staff,” Smith said. “How most schools do it is the post talks to the post coach and the guard talks to the guard coaches.
“I didn’t feel like I was somebody’s assignment. I had a good relationship with all of them.”
Green made the biggest impression of all.
“When she came to one of my games instead of just sending an assistant, that was super big,” Smith said. “In the midst of the exciting season they were having, she took the time for me.
“I felt that I obviously meant a lot to her. Every coach is going to say, ‘We want you.’ But they were able to actually show it.”
Their dedication has been rewarded. Smith is raring to go.
“Everything I do now is going toward getting ready to play on that court,” Smith said. “While I’m preparing for Illinois, it will help me get ready for my senior year here.
“Also, it takes a lot of stress off me. I can just go out and focus on being the best I can be for my team. Hopefully, we’ll go for a good run.”