Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Las Vegas High’s Ray Smith shines in return from knee injury

Sun Super 7 Boys Basketball

Christopher DeVargas

Super Seven Boys: Ray Smith, Las Vegas High School.

Las Vegas prep standout Ray Smith made his first return to the hardwood since tearing his ACL last summer, and he did not disappoint.

The Arizona commit pulled his Las Vegas High jersey over his head for the final time Wednesday night, for a senior all-star game hosted by Foothill High School, and it didn’t take him long to show off his freshly rehabbed left knee, slamming down two high-flying dunks in the game’s opening minute.

“I had a feeling I was going to get going early,” Smith said. “I wasn’t nervous at all, but that loosened everything up and got me going.”

Smith, the 19th-ranked player in the nation, according to Rivals, showed why he is still considered one of elite prospects of the 2015 recruiting class despite missing his entire senior season.

He finished with 22 points and punished the rim throughout the night. Of his 11 successful field goals, nine were slam dunks, and he brought the entire gym to its feet early in the second half when he lobbed the ball off the backboard to himself and soared over his defender for the jam.

All of this comes less than a year after having surgery to remove part of his patella tendon. Smith said he is fully recovered from the procedure and was just happy to be back where he belongs — on the basketball court.

“I feel like I’m at 100 percent,” Smith said. “Every day I’m working on this knee, and there is never a time that I doubt my ability, or God in giving me the ability to do what I do.”

Smith now believes that his left knee, still protected by a brace during the game, is actually stronger than his right.

“It’s actually strange because my left leg is smaller than my right, but it’s stronger,” he said. “I feel like I’m quicker, more agile and I can move better.”

Coronado head coach Jeff Kaufman — who coached Smith’s all-star team on Wednesday along with Smith’s high school coach Jason Wilson — was amazed by Smith’s speedy recovery.

“When I saw him in practice the first day, I thought, “Oh he’s probably going to be slow, and he’s probably not going to jump,” Kaufman said, but Smith wasted no time showing off his vertical, and his biggest problem may be avoiding hitting his forehead on the rim, “It’s unbelievable.”

The soon-to-be Arizona Wildcat said he wakes up at 3 every morning to continue his rehab, and will do so until he leaves for Tucson.

He plans to join coach Sean Miller and the rest of his team in June, but says he may delay it until July to get an extra month of rehab, working out and putting on weight.

In the meantime, Smith says he is in constant contact with Miller and the Arizona coaching staff, and is honing his game prior to his arrival.

“I’ve started to focus on left-right shooting, even though I’ve done it,” Smith said. “There’s a certain way they like it so I’m trying to adapt to Sean Miller’s way of shooting.”

And while Wednesday’s game was his post-injury debut, it was also a farewell game for his high school playing days.

“He’s a special kid, and he’s a special basketball player,” Wilson said. “It was good to see him out here and get one more chance to play with a lot of his friends, and a chance to compete.”

The all-star game featured the top seniors from around the Las Vegas Valley and pitted teams from the Sunrise and Sunset divisions. Kaufman and Wilson coached team Sunrise to a high-scoring 119-118 victory.

“That’s what you expect out of an all-star game,” Wilson said. “Not much defense, and a lot of getting up the floor and guys just playing out there and having fun.”

Smith’s 22 points led the way for team Sunrise, and Valley High product Shea Garland added 21 points for the side.

The Sunset squad was led by Centennial star Darrian Traylor, who has committed to UC Irvine. Traylor scored 18 points, 15 of which came in the first half. Cimarron-Memorial’s Terrell Walker carried the team in the second half, and finished with 16 points.

On team Sunrise’s final possession, Smith drove the baseline and found Las Vegas teammate Devon Colley for the game-winning layup with 18.7 seconds to play.

It was one of Smith’s few assists of the game, but it only further displayed his versatility.

“The sky is the limit with the kid,” Wilson said. “He’s got so much potential and he’s the hardest worker that I’ve ever been around. So I know that with the combination of those things he is going to achieve some really great things.”

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