This week, Smith gained an elite individual honor of his own, when he was one of seven California players to be selected as John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year.
“I was shocked when I heard,” Smith told the Pasdadena Star News. “I felt really humbled and really blessed. It definitely feels surreal, just realizing the hard work paid off.”
After averaging 19.8 points and 14.8 rebounds per game during the regular season, Smith will be presented with the award—which honors the most outstanding player from each of the six California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Districts—on April 8. Saunders won the award for Division V in 2010.
“[Smith] is an incredible talent on the court, but he’s also a terrific young man of character and kindness,” Flintridge Prep headmaster Peter Bachmann said in a press release. “We couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Previous recipients of the honor include NBA players Tyson Chandler, Tayshaun Prince, Baron Davis, and Andre Miller.
“It’s actually pretty amazing," Smith told La Canada Flintridge Patch. "Those are some pretty widely known names.”
With state championships and individual honors now in their pasts, Saunders and Smith will join an incoming recruiting class considered to be the most heralded in the Ivy League.
The pair will be accompanied by guard Corbin Miller of Utah and forwards Jonah Travis of Minnesota, Steve Moundou-Missi of Florida, and Max Hooper of New Hampshire.
Though Saunders and Smith are taking in the moment as their high school careers wind down, both are planning on continuing their winning ways when they arrive in college.
“At Harvard, I think I’m going to have the best of both worlds, academically and athletically,” Saunders told ESPN. “It’s the perfect combination for me and I feel like I’m prepared for the next challenge.”
“[Harvard hasn’t] had a lot of history of winning, but that’s what I want to be a part of,” Smith said at the time of his commitment. “I want to start a history of winning, a tradition...It’s coming soon, and I want to be a part of it.”
—Staff writer Scott A. Sherman can be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu.