Wednesday marked the final day of college basketball’s early signing period and Marquette took it all the way to the wire to get a commitment and signature from Reggie Smith, a 6’1 guard of Thornton High School in Chicago. A speedy athletic guard, Smith becomes 2nd year coach Buzz Williams’ first recruit from Chicago.

“It feels great to have the recruiting process over with. It wasn’t as stressful as I thought it would be, but it is still a big load off of my shoulders, and now that it is done I can concentrate on my high school team.”

One of the top guards in Illinois, Smith was recruited by along list of schools besides Marquette, including Wake Forest, Indiana, Arizona, DePaul, Florida, but in the end he narrowed it down to three. “My final three schools were USC, UCLA and Marquette. When it really came down to it, I was looking for a relationship, a relationship with the right coach. When Coach Williams talked to me, I just felt like he really wanted me, and I believed him. He is an exciting young coach and he brings a lot of energy and works hard. It is similar to my previous coach, and we just clicked, and it felt like it was where I was meant to be.”

Every article you read on Smith has a different view…he’s a shooting guard…he’s a point guard…so what position will he play in college? That doesn’t matter to Smith. “I can play either. I have been a shooting guard most of my life, but I have been playing more point lately, and I think I have been doing pretty well. But at Marquette, it doesn’t matter. They don’t really play positions, they just get the ball and go. They will put the best out there, whoever it is. I am a freakish athlete, and I play with a very aggressive style. One thing that I think is very underrated though, it my ability to pass. I am a very unselfish player. If I work hard I will play, the position won’t matter.”

Smith mentioned the relationship with the coach as the number one reason for selecting Marquette, but there was a lot more that went into his decision. “The Bradley Center is an NBA arena, and you won’t find better facilities than an NBA facility. The practice facility is great too, and with 24 hour access, you have a great situation.”

Marquette being in the Big East played a big part in his decision too. “Everyone says the Big East is the best conference in the country, and you always want to play against the best. I will need to get stronger and develop more confidence to play in the Big East, but I can’t wait, it’s going to be a ball.”

Smith had been to Marquette on a number of occasions over the last few years, and feels comfortable around the players, especially Maurice Acker and former Golden Eagle Jerel McNeal. “Maurice Acker and Jerel McNeal were key players in the process, and Jerel’s dad too. I have known them for years since we all live in the same neighborhood. They always told me how great it was, and Jerel’s dad told me about the program, the offense they run and how they work with their players. It really went a long way.”

Marquette assistant coach Tony Benford was the lead recruiter for Smith and he feels that he had built a strong relationship with Benford throughout the process. “We talked as much as we are allowed to talk, and it really makes a difference when you are made to feel that they really want you. Everyone says they want you, but with Coach Benford, I really felt that he did want me at Marquette.”

There is a lot of basketball to be played before Smith arrives on the Marquette campus, and he is anxious to get things rolling with his Thornton team. “We are underrated as we had a lot of seniors that left last year, but what people don’t realize is that we had a really good sophomore team last year. I can’t wait to see what we do once we get things going.”

Reggie did have a message for Marquette fans that are just getting to know who he is, “Once I get there we will have a blast. You will have fun watching me and we will do everything we can to win some games!”

With the signing of Smith, that makes three in this year’s recruiting class for Marquette as Smith joins Vander Blue and Jamail Jones. That leaves one scholarship left for Buzz Williams in the 2010 recruiting class.