The Recruiting Guy

Texan working on game, bond with Thurman

Scotty Thurman, director of student-athlete development for the Arkansas basketball team, watches as the Razorbacks warm up before playing Alabama Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014, in Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
Scotty Thurman, director of student-athlete development for the Arkansas basketball team, watches as the Razorbacks warm up before playing Alabama Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014, in Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

Long before senior Zhaire Smith became a major college prospect, his mother's side of the family knew University of Arkansas at Fayetteville basketball assistant Scotty Thurman during his days in his native Louisiana.

Now Smith, who plays on the wing, and Thurman are getting to know one another.

"We're building a good relationship," Smith said. "He knows my family really well -- my uncles and my mom. He's trying to get to know me."

Smith, 6-5, 190, of Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial has seen his stock rise with an excellent season and now has 17 scholarship offers from schools like University of Memphis, Kansas State University, Texas Tech University, University of Tulsa, Rice University and Georgia Tech.

While his family hasn't talked a lot about Thurman, he's heard enough good things.

"From what I've heard, he's a really good person and trustworthy," Smith said.

Coach Mike Anderson and Thurman traveled to Texas on Tuesday to watch Smith play.

"I like it," said Smith of Arkansas. "It's a high level of basketball. It's the SEC and I feel like I can come in and bring the energy that he talks about."

Smith averaged 20.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3 assists for the Patriots (29-4) this season.

"I'm very versatile," Smith said. "I get it done on both ends. I like to run the floor, press and run up and down and just play fast and up-tempo basketball."

Smith has officially visited University of Arkansas-Little Rock and Lamar University.

During their discussions, Smith said Thurman hasn't mentioned his three-point shot that helped defeat Duke for the 1994 national championship.

"I guess he doesn't brag much on that stuff," Smith said. "He never told me about that."

Smith has a 3.4 grade-point average and is considering majoring in physical therapy.

Hogs on transfer's list

The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville football program is expected to get an official visit from Clemson University graduate transfer defensive lineman Scott Pagano on April 7-9.

Pagano announced his intentions Feb. 17 to leave Clemson and transfer to another school and play his senior year. The Hogs were one of more than 30 schools that showed interest in the former ESPN high school four-star prospect.

Pagano, 6-3, 295, signed with Clemson in 2013 out of Moanalua High School in Honolulu and went on to record 92 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks in 31 games and 13 starts.

Pagano's high school coach Arnold Martinez, who now coaches at Kaiser High School in Honolulu, said Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney was key in Pagano's decision to attend the South Carolina school.

"He visited different schools, but he said once he sat down with Coach Swinney and coach talked to him for a couple of hours about life and never once talked about football, he kind of knew that was somewhere he wanted to be," Martinez said.

Martinez and Pagano have talked several times since his decision to transfer.

"I think people might misjudge him in a sense," Martinez said. "Why leave? It's not on bad terms and it's not bad blood. He's very close to Dabo. If fact he told him, 'You're a Clemson Tiger for life. You can work out here while you figure things out.' It's very amicable. It's not a bad split type of thing."

Pagano has the ability to play all three defensive line spots in Arkansas' new 3-4 scheme. Martinez said Pagano accomplished a lot of his goals.

"He played in two national championships and he started a number of games [the] last two seasons and he got a ring," Martinez said.

Martinez said Pagano is looking to make an informed decision.

"He wants to experience something ... stretch himself and get another experience and thoroughly go through a process to make sure he makes a good decision where he can help a team," Martinez said. "He's never once expressed to me, 'I want this. I want that. I want this.' In fact, in our conversation he talked about, 'I hope I can go somewhere I can maybe help them'."

"He wants to meet the coaches and meet the staff. The culture is going to be important to him."

Pagano is expected to visit the University of Notre Dame and the University of Oklahoma before his trip to Fayetteville.

E-mail Richard Davenport at [email protected]

Sports on 02/24/2017

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