Sometimes being last is a good thing. And it definitely looks that way for coach Adia Barnes and the Arizona women’s basketball program.
Five-star recruit Semaj Smith took her final official visit to the UA last weekend. She verbally committed Saturday morning, giving the Arizona Wildcats another heralded recruit to add to their already impressive 2018 recruiting efforts.
The Wildcats’ 2018 class was ranked No. 4 nationally by ProspectsNation.com last week; the addition of the 6-foot-6-inch Smith should move it even higher.
Smith chose the Wildcats after taking official visits to Cal, Oklahoma State, UC Irvine, and Washington. The Long Beach, California native was allowed five officials visits per NCAA rules.
“Adia kept saying ‘we’re saving the best for last,’” Smith told the Star Saturday morning. “And they were better than all of them.”
ESPN ranks Smith as the 52nd-best player and ninth-best forward in her recruiting class.
Smith said her decision came down to her connection with the UA coaches, proximity to her Southern California roots and academics. The St. Anthony’s High School star wants to play overseas after college, and use the money she makes to pay for medical school. Her long-term goal: becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
“(UA) is far enough from home and close enough to home. I don’t want my mom to pop up on me a lot,” she said.
Smith is the third five-star recruit in Arizona’s 2018 class, joining forwards Cate Reese and Valeria Trucco. They join point guard Bryce Nixon and wing Shalyse Smith to form what would be, if it holds, the highest-rated class in program history.
The reason for Arizona’s recruiting success is deceptively simple, said Joan Bonvicini, a Pac-12 women’s basketball analyst and the winningest coach in UA history.
“Adia is a relationship person,” Bonvicini said. “What’s happened is that the relationships she built as a player are now carrying over to her as an assistant coach and a head coach.
“This is how you build a great, a championship program. This class is indicative of the future of Arizona women’s basketball. I’ve always believed in Adia. I am thrilled for her and for Arizona.”
Barnes’ relationship with Smith’s mother, Rhonda, helped the Wildcats gain an edge.
The 6-7 Rhonda Smith was a star at Long Beach State in the late 1990s, setting two single-season marks for blocked shots that remain school records. Rhonda Smith played overseas after college, as did Barnes.
While they did not play together, they have many of the same friends. One of Barnes’ former teammates, Crystal Givens, is Semaj Smith’s godmother.
Barnes “reminds me of my godmother a lot. She always calls me and asks me how I’m doing,” Semaj Smith said. “There is a connection. I know if I have a need for anything, I can go to her for advice, which is big. Not all coaches are like that.
Smith slowly developed into a force in high school, improving every year. She started for the first time as a junior, and averaged 15.9 points, 15.2 rebounds and 5.7 blocks per game.
While Smith can reach the rim, she’s not focused on dunking. Her evaluators say that she is “mobile in the transition game,” is “an agile low-post performer” and “oozes next-level possibilities.”
Smith is expected to sign with the Wildcats Nov. 8, when the fall signing period begins.
