Smith's sophomore season
I?ve provided a thorough review of OSU 2010 commit Lenzelle Smith?s season last year. The ?master link? includes links to recaps from the Chicago Sun-Times of all the games on this list (at least for now), and there are pictures that accompany many of the links that you might want to check out, but better hurry and check them out before the season changes or the links won't work. Note that some of the games didn?t include Lenzelle in the recap (Zion-Benton was loaded so he wasn?t always among the team?s scoring leaders), and the lesser games didn?t even make the news, so there?s nothing on them.
Here is the ?master link?:
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/schoo...all/index.html
I include links to the recaps that I cut and pasted from just so you know where it came from, but they?re all from the Sun-Times.
11/19 ? #9 Evanston ? 63-53 W ? Smith had 16 points, including 4 threes in the first half in the season-opener.
11/20 ? #8 Oak Park (Georgia Tech?s Iman Shumpert) ? 68-58 W ? Smith had 19 points
Zion-Benton sophomore Lenzelle Smith knew he would have his hands full against Oak Park at the Lane Thanksgiving Tournament Tuesday.
"I knew I was going to guard one of the best players in the country [Iman Shumpert]," Smith. "He can drive, he can shoot it, he's very tough to handle."
Smith was able to handle Shumpert and it keyed the Zee-Bee's 68-58 win.
It wasn't just a defensive gem for Smith. He finished with a game-high 19 points. Senior guard Rodney Clinkscales was the force behind Zion-Benton's fourth quarter comeback. He scored nine of his 18 points in the final quarter.
Shumpert finished with 16 points but the Huskies (1-1) were totally shut down in the fourth quarter
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/schoo...benton.article
11/23 - #15 Mount Carmel ? 61-60 OT W ? ???
11/30 ? Stevenson ? 50-35 W ? Smith was out with a foot/leg injury, but was called the team?s leading scorer on the season
12/4 ? Lake Zurich ? 83-50 W - ??? team had 4 double-digit scorers and moved to 7-0
12/8 - #23 Warren ? 63-53 W ? Smith had 6 points. Warren?s team included Illinois 2009 commit G Brandon Paul, who scored 22.
12/15 ? Mundelein ? 81-66 W ? Smith had 18 points, including 11 in the first quarter.
12/20 ? Libertyville ? 66-41 W - ??? team moved to 11-0 on the season
12/28 ? Lane ? 73-35 W ? Smith had 17 points and 11 rebounds.
12/29 ? Maine East ? 66-59 W ? Smith had 20 points and 9 rebounds, including 6 straight in the final 2 minutes. This was the championship game of the Luther North Holiday Tournament, which Zion-Benton won & Smith was named the MVP. Team moved to 15-0.
1/4 ? Steinmetz ? 78-43 W ? Smith led all scorers with 17 points and had 9 rebounds.
1/8 - Lake Forest ? 64-62 L ? Smith led his team with 16 points, including 2 3-pointers, and was 4-5 from the foul line. This was the team?s first loss ? they had won 14 of their 16 prior games by double-figures. Lake Forest was led by a guy who?s a high major recruit in the 2009 class, Matt Vogrich, with 30 points. The Lake Forest coach said Smith did a ?good job? defending Vogrich. NU coach Bill Carmody was in the stands watching Vogrich.
1/12 ? Stevenson ? 68-62 OT L - ??? Smith likely did not score in double figures
1/21 ? Normal ? 50-47 W ? Smith had a game-high 16 points.
Lenzelle Smith wasn't happy with his first three quarters Monday afternoon, so he made up for it in the fourth.
Rallying back from a seven-point deficit, No. 10 Zion-Benton got 10 points, two offensive rebounds and two assists from Smith in the final quarter as the Zee-Bees escaped with a 50-47 win over Normal Community in the King Classic at Hononegah High School in Rockton.
"My first three quarters I felt like I wasn't pushing myself enough," said Smith, a 6-foot-3 sophomore. "I felt I had to pick up my momentum."
With Zion-Benton down 36-29 with 6:40 left in the fourth quarter, Smith began his heroics.
He hit a 15-footer to start it. He followed with a low-post move for a bucket. He set up a Quintrell Love layup with an assist. Two free-throw swishes by Smith at 4:13 cut Normal's lead to 39-37. He then tied the game with a layup.
Smith gave the Zee-Bees a 43-41 lead with two more free-throw makes and put them farther ahead on the next possession when a quick dish to Markus Yarbrough led to a three-point play.
"Lenzelle had been quiet up to that," Zion-Benton coach Don Kloth said. "He played well in the fourth quarter."
Smith finished with a game-high 16 points.
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/schoo...08zion.article
1/21 ? Hononegah ? 43-42 L ? Smith had team highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Smith made four 3-pointers. Two of his 3s came in a 9-0 run that occurred when his team trailed 41-33 with 2:14 left. The other team had a steal and a layup with six seconds left that gave them the lead for good. This was the championship game of the Martin Luther King Invitational, in which Zion-Benton went 3-1 & moved to 19-3 overall. Smith was named to the all-tournament team. This game was on the same day as the win over Normal.
1/24 ? Warren ? 71-63 W ? Smith had 18 points and ?ignited the crowd with an amazing dunk on the drive to the hoop late in the third quarter to put his team ahead 46-40.? This was a road game for Zion-Benton ? apparently their fans traveled well. Illinois commit Brandon Paul had a game-high 32 points (24 in the second half). The Smith dunk caused ?emotional damage? to the opponent according to the Chicago Sun-Times report. Another Sun-Times recap said Smith ?brought the Zion faithful to a roar with a pair of rim-rocking second half dunks? in the game.
1/26 ? Lake Forest Academy ? 69-67 W - ??? Northwestern freshman 7-footer Kyle Rowley had 18 points and 8 rebounds in a losing effort. LFA?s other 7-footer, Aziz Ndiaye, had 13 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. Zion-Benton rallied from a 17-point deficit with 5:14 left in the 3rd quarter.
2/1 ? Mundelein ? 84-63 W ? Smith had 19 points. Team improved to 22-3 on the year.
2/5 ? Lake Zurich ? 67-61 W ? Smith had 10 points. In the final minute, with his team up 63-61, Smith ?jammed home the decisive bucket while being flagrantly fouled. His two ensuing free throws completed the scoring.?
2/15 ? Lake Forest ? 70-53 W - ??? Zion-Benton moved to 25-3 on the year & 10-2 in conference play. With the win, Zion-Benton earned a share of their first North Suburban Conference Lake Division title. They had moved to the Lake Division (from the Prairie Division of the same conference) three years prior. To break ties to send a team to the conference championship game, the fourth tiebreaker is the number of games won by 6 or more points & winning this game by 6 resulted in Zion-Benton being sent to the North Suburban Conference title game instead of Stevenson, who also went 10-2.
2/20 ? North Chicago ? 75-66 W ? ??? this was the North Suburban Conference championship game, at North Chicago. The Zion-Benton student-fan section, called ?the Swarm? helped cheer on the Zee-Bees to victory at a packed gym. It was 71-53 with a minute to go in the game, so it wasn?t as close as the score makes it seem.
2/27 ? Libertyville ? 60-35 W ? Smith had game-high 16 points and a team-high 7 rebounds. This was a Class 4A regional semifinal game at Libertyville.
2/29 ? Mundelein ? 79-74 W ? Smith had 11 points. With the win, Zion-Benton captured the Libertyville Regional championship.
3/4 ? Buffalo Grove ? 88-67 W ? Smith had a game-highs of 14 rebounds and 30 points, including two 3-pointers among 12 made field goals, and he was 4-6 on free throws. This was a Class 4A Barrington Sectional semifinal. Zion-Benton improved to 29-3 on the season with the win. After the game, Smith said ?I never concentrate on points ? the highlight of my night is rebounding.?
3/7 ? Schaumburg (Alabama 2009 commit G Cully Payne) ? 54-41 W ? Smith had a team-high 17 points and 12 rebounds. This was the Class 4A Barrington Sectional final. Payne had 20 points to lead his team. This was Zion-Benton?s 11th straight win, and they moved to 30-3 on the season. At this point, Smith?s averages were 11.8 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
3/11 ? Elgin ? 64-50 W ? Smith had team-highs of 20 points (6-12 from the field including one 3-pointer and 7-7 on FTs), 12 rebounds and 6 assists. This was a Class 4A supersectional (elite 8) game at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center. In his comments afterward, Smith again said he was focusing on rebounds. Bruce Weber was in the front row & SIU?s Chris Lowery was also watching. With the win, Zion-Benton went to 31-3 on the year and earned their first-ever trip ?Downstate,? which means the state semifinals in Peoria ? the school was 0-3 in supersectional games prior to this one. Elgin?s coach said Smith might be the best Sophomore in the state.
3/14 ? Evanston ? 54-51 W ? Smith had game-highs of 19 points and 9 rebounds to lead Zion-Benton to the Class 4A finals. Zion-Benton moved to 32-3 on the year.
Ronald Steward may have been the hero of the Class 4A semifinals with a remarkable closing play that in a single instant illustrated the power, heartbreak and wonder of the state tournament. Steward picked up a deflected pass and nailed a 42-footer off the glass as time expired that gave the Zee-Bees a riveting 54-51 victory over Evanston.
It was an extraordinary play, a once in a lifetime moment. But make no mistake. Smith was the best player and prospect on the floor.
Smith produced game-bests of 19 points and nine rebounds. He also made two critical passes that led to a layup by Quintrell Love and two free throws by Antonio Stewart.
Tough and resilient
Against Evanston his first two shots were blocked. But he never flinched. Smith then watched Evanston jump out to a 12-0 lead. Still, he never lost his poise.
Smith simply needed to get into a rhythm.
With 2:50 to play in the first quarter, Smith scored on a sweet putback, using his body to slither between his man and the basket. That?s all he needed to get started.
Suddenly he was in full throttle, hitting a pull-up on the wing and nailing a three-pointer. His steal and driving layup resulted in a three-point play that put Zion-Benton up by four at the break.
The state tournament amplifies everything. The print and new media are in attendance, in addition to television coverage, which pushes everything up exponentially. No team advances this far without a collective effort. It requires a combination of luck, timing -- even coincidence -- to make it this far.
But despite the heightened atmosphere and sharp expectations, Smith played the entire game without a break. Most telling, he ended the game without a single turnover.
Smith is somewhat of a throwback player. He appears quiet and inner-directed, an impressive counterpoint to some of his peers who often appear more interested in talking a big game than playing one.
?I just worry about playing my game and helping my teammates win,? Smith said.
Smith?s modest and self-effacing nature is both refreshing and bracing. He does play with flair and style, but it is directed towards a larger purpose. Against Elgin, he punctuated his team?s dominance with a coast-to-coast thunderous dunk.
?In every game you play, there?s that moment when you know the game?s yours," Smith said. "I was saving that [dunk], and it was the right time."
Lenzelle Smith now enters the greatest stage of all, knowing that his final game as a sophomore is, win or lose, going to be the final game of the year.
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/schoo...column.article
3/15 ? Richards ? 67-63 L ? Smith had 8 points and 9 rebounds. This was the Class 4A state championship game. Zion-Benton finished at 32-4 on the year. Richards graduate Dwayne Wade attended the game.
Smith did not make any of the four Class 3A/4A all-state teams & received only special mention. Two of the guards on Zion-Benton were on the all-state teams.
Points average: 12.1 (assuming the Sun-Times was accurate when it said he was averaging 11.8 ppg on March 7th)
