Craig Smith in no hurry to use last scholarship
Utah State head basketball coach Craig Smith still has one scholarship in his back pocket to use for the upcoming 2019-20 season. But the second-year head coach is in no particular rush to use it.
Most of the Aggies’ incoming players were secured before the team made its way to Columbus for their ill-fated clash with Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Since then, Smith has added just one scholarship athlete, Polish center Kuba Karwowski, to his ‘19-20 recruiting class. Smith signed combo guard Carson Bischoff this week, but the JC transfer will be a walk-on.
For many reasons, mostly NCAA regulations, Smith can’t share offers and recruiting details. However, in an interview with The Utah Statesman, he said that final scholarship spot is a tool they’re willing to use but not willing to waste.
“Whether we’ll use that scholarship or not is to be determined,” Smith said. “We’re not just going to use it to use it, we’re going to use it if it’s the right fit, so to speak, and a guy that can impact our program.”
That being said, the coaching staff is not sitting on its laurels. The addition of Bischoff came after Smith made that statement, proving what the Mountain West Coach of the Year said moments afterward.
“We are recruiting aggressively.”
It is still well within realm of possibility for Smith to bring in an impact player in the middle of or even late in the summer. Neemias Queta signed with Utah State on August 29, a mere two months prior to the 2018 season opening exhibition game against Evergreen State.
Whether or not Smith pulls the trigger on that final scholarship offer, it can still be said that the 2019 recruiting class for the Aggies is among the best ever. According to the evaluation of 247sports.com, three of USU’s top six recruits of all time are part of the 2019 crew. Liam McChesney, a 6-foot-9 power forward out of Canada tops the list with North Idaho College transfer Alphonso Anderson and Australian wing Sean Bairstow coming in at fifth and sixth, respectively.
Smith spoke highly of those three players, along with Karwowski (and before the Bischoff signing).
“Those four guys that are going to be joining us next year that are new, we believe in all four of those guys in a big-time fashion,” Smith said. “And they are all going to have a tremendous opportunity to impact our program and hopefully take our program to a whole other level.”