Article: Joe Smith Should Really Make an Impressive Name for Himself

Back in the bad old days, when all Gary Williams had to keep hope alive was Walt Williams and a prayer, the Maryland basketball coach went down to Norfolk to try to recruit a high school kid away from Dean Smith and North Carolina.

Of course, Williams lost out. Carolina got the phenom, who's still buried on the Tar Heels' bench. However, at that summer league game, Williams did meet a high school sophomore who hadn't yet left a blip on any hoops radar screen.

"It wasn't so much `recruiting' at that point. I just liked Joe Smith. He was a quiet skinny kid who loved to play," recalls Williams.

John Thompson gets centers for Georgetown with names like Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!