Vandals land nearby star for basketball

Aaron Smith plans on going away for college. About 12 miles away.

Smith, a senior-to-be at Troy High, has orally committed to play basketball for the University of Idaho.

“They’ve kind of been watching me for a while and when I was at their team camp (last week) I guess I must have played good because they offered me a scholarship at the end of camp,” said Smith, a 6-foot-7, 190-pound forward. “I thought about it for a couple of days and this is what I wanted to do.”

Smith averaged about 15 points and nine rebounds as a junior last season and was selected MVP of the Whitepine League. Troy finished third at the State 1A tournament.

“He’s a gym rat,” Troy coach Guy Wells said. “He’s just a good kid and he’s always asking me for the key to get in the gym. He’s got a lot of drive and he loves to play and you don’t always see that with high school kids.

“I think they’ll probably put him at the ‘4’, from my contact with their coaches. He steps out and scores it pretty well and he does like facing the basket. That’s where he’s most comfortable right now.”

Smith is playing for the Northwest Cougars AAU team this summer. He will be part of Idaho’s first recruiting class as members of the Western Athletic Conference. The Vandals will join the WAC in 2005.

“It doesn’t matter to me where I play as long as I’m playing,” said Smith, who turned 18 on Thursday.

Idaho coaches are prohibited from commenting on Smith until he signs a letter-of-intent.

UI schedule

The Vandals are close to finalizing their 2004-05 schedule.

Idaho is expected to open its season against Boise State in Boise on Friday, Nov. 19, at an exempt tournament. The Vandals’ remaining non-conference games will be against Portland, Idaho State, Washington State, Eastern Washington, Gonzaga and an NAIA opponent. Idaho also will face BSU in Moscow. This season will be Idaho’s last as members of the Big West Conference.