Coffeyville guard Smith to visit Kansas

Devin Smith has decided to make an official recruiting visit to Kansas.

Smith, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound freshman guard from Coffeyville Community College, visited with KU coach Roy Williams on Wednesday in Coffeyville.

The Most Valuable Player in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division liked what he heard, hence has decided to visit KU, along with Iowa, Illinois and Virginia in the next couple weeks.

“Coach Williams talked with Devin about the University of Kansas and his program and talked about him getting up there for a visit, which is going to happen,” Coffeyville coach Jay Herkelman said Thursday.

Smith averaged 20 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for 36-2 Coffeyville, runner-up at the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson.

“Devin had a great year. To come in and do what he did as a freshman in this league is impressive,” Herkelman said of Smith, who hit 53 percent of his floor shots, 44 percent of his threes and and 90 percent of his free throws.

“At the beginning of the year, I didn’t think he could get to the point where he is now,” Herkelman said. “He’s just continued to get better. His confidence has continued to grow. He’s the best catch-and-shoot guy I’ve ever coached. He can score off the dribble. He’s done everything we’ve asked.”

Smith, who is is fully qualified, thus able to leave the junior college after one season, was only recruited by small schools despite leading William Penn High School in New Castle, Del., to back-to-back state titles. His brother, Steve, is a 6-5 sophomore standout, also at Coffeyville.

Devin Smith scored 25 points and Steve 16 in Coffeyville’s 82-81 national championship loss to Utah’s Dixie College.

“Devin got overlooked in high school,” Herkelman said. “Steve and I talked in July and he asked if I’d be interested in having Devin come out for a visit. Keeping up with him through Steve, I knew he was a talented player and great kid. Getting him out here has given him exposure.

Steve will make some mid-major a great player, Herkelman said.

“He’s blue collar, a hard-nosed guy who scores most of his points from 15-feet in. If Steve was 6-8, everybody in the country would want him,” Herkelman said.

Does Devin have a favorite?

“I just asked him that question and he doesn’t know,” Herkelman said. “He has taken in a lot in the last two days. All these coaches he’s seen on TV (Williams, Iowa’s Steve Alford, Virginia’s Pete Gillen, Illinois’ Bill Self) have been in here the last couple days. These are famous guys and each make their school sound the best. He needs to visit a couple schools and decide which place is best for him.

Coffeyville, by the way, has taken its city by storm, much like KU basketball in Lawrence.

“We won a national title under coach Jack Hartman in 1962,” Herkelman said of the Red Ravens. “That might have been the best season in school history. Our first loss was in November. Then we won 29 straight games. It was a great run.

“We lost our last game by three inches. Devin put up a 10-footer that hit the back of the rim, then the outside of the rim, not the inside, and we fell short.”

Dougherty busy: New Texas Christian head coach Neil Dougherty has filled half of his assistant coach openings, hiring Jai Steadman, assistant coach at Tyler (Texas) Junior College the past three seasons, and Jeff Luster, director of basketball operations at Colorado for one season.

Luster, an assistant at Tabor before moving to Colorado, met Dougherty while working the Roy Williams Kansas basketball camp eight years ago.

“I said (to Dougherty), ‘If you ever get a chance, I’d love to come work with you. I don’t know if the offer will ever come up, but I’d like to be considered,”’ Luster told the Fort Worth Star Telegram. “When it came up, I was driving … and I about wrecked the car. I was very excited to say the least.”

Steadman has Texas ties and figures to be important in recruiting.

“Hopefully we can get the Metroplex kids to stay at TCU, and that’s our foremost goal. There’s so much talent here,” Steadman said.

Boschee out: KU senior Jeff Boschee this week pulled out of the Portsmouth Invitational Classic for NBA prospects because of class conflicts. Several top players have decided to not attend, with their agents saying it cannot help a player’s draft position, but only hurt it.

Junior college philosophy: Roy Williams on recruiting junior colleges: “I love to coach a kid for four years. My first choice is to go the high school ranks. But I have always felt, too, that we have what I think is the premier junior college conference in the country right here in the state of Kansas and if we need to recruit for a special need, then I am going to go the junior college route.”