Following CIF Division I state title win, RJ Smith ready to join Colorado
Back on March 11, the Damien Spartans took the court at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento for a shot at a CIF Division I state title.
Damien, led by Colorado signee RJ Smith, emerged victorious over Clovis North, 65-57, with Smith dropping 15 points in the win.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound shooting guard reporters to the Buffaloes in June along with fellow 2022 signee Joe Hurlburt, a big man from North Dakota who recently captured his second straight Gatorade Player of the Year award for his home state.
For Smith, ending his high school career with a state championship has created a special feeling.
“My team, we worked hard all season and it’s something that we said we wanted to accomplish," he said. "To finally finish the season and accomplish it is just a surreal feeling.
"Four years in this program is a lot of time and to come out a champion my last year is a dream.”
Smith joins a Colorado backcourt anchored by Keeshawn Barthelemy, who enters his redshirt junior season at CU this upcoming season, and soon-to-be sophomores K.J. Simpson and Julian Hammond III.
Where exactly he'll fit into the on-court equation Smith is unaware, but his expectation is to see action in practice at both point guard and shooting guard to give Tad Boyle and his coaches a chance to evaluate things.
“I think definitely they’ll put me at the one and two and try me out, because I’m a combo guard — I can play both," Smith said. "Wherever the coaches need me to be to make an impact in the game, that’s where I’ll play.”
In addition to his four years at Damien, Smith played AAU ball for Prodigy, and on that circuit he got to know Simpson, a fellow Californian.
Simpson will be a familiar face for Smith upon his arrival in Boulder, but throughout the recruiting process, he was able to conduct some meet-and-greets with CU's players, which, per Smith, went pretty well.
“It started when I went out there," he said. "Being out there on my visit, I built a great connection with the guys. It felt very family-oriented, brotherhood-like and I felt comfortable when I was there.”
Smith's offer sheet wasn't the longest; he chose Colorado over opportunities to go to New Mexico, UC Davis, Portland and San Diego to continue his hoops career.
But reflecting on his decision to commit to and sign with the Buffs last fall, Smith is nothing but confident.
“Playing in the Pac-12 is playing against pros every night," he said. "I’m the type of player, I want to play against the best to get better. That’s something that intrigued me. And then the coaching staff itself, they had trust in me and I trusted them.
"The stuff they’ve (done) with players in the past, and to see their development, I know they’ll be able to develop me into the player I can be.”