Smith signs with South Georgia Tech

By Dustin Kent

Published: May 31, 2008

Malone center Mercedes Smith signed a scholarship Friday at Malone High School to play basketball for South Georgia Tech next season.

Smith led the Lady Tigers last season with 15.1 points per game and 7.3 rebounds, while shooting 58 percent from the field.

“I feel very happy about it,” Smith said Friday about her decision. “I look forward to being there and helping out any way that I can.”

Smith said she was recruited to play power forward for South Georgia Tech, though she said where she played wasn’t nearly as important as how she played.

“It doesn’t really matter to me,” she said. “I just have to go get the job done.”

Malone coach Vernette Skeet said that she was confident that Smith could make a big splash when she gets to college.

“I feel like when she gets in a school setting and gets comfortable,” the coach said, “she’s going to make a dominant impact on their program.

“I’m happy she’s getting this opportunity. She wants to play and she wants to win. This is what I want for all of our kids.”

Skeete, who is moving on to Okaloosa-Walton as an assistant coach next season, said Smith would be missed at Malone.

“She was a big key for our program and played a big role for us,” the coach said. “She set the bar for excellence.”

Smith, who said she chose South Georgia Tech over Georgia Perimeter, said she knew which aspect of her game she needed to improve on the most.

“I think I have a lot of conditioning work to do to get better,” she said.

“I just have to be the player I need to be to help my team in whatever way it needs to be helped.”