April 20, 2005

Chicago, Ill. - University of Illinois at Chicago Head Men's Basketball Coach Jimmy Collins announced on Wednesday afternoon that Saddleback Junior College (Calif.) point guard D.J. Smedley has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Flames next season.

Smedley, who was ranked as one of the top 10 junior college point guards in the country by Lindy's College Basketball, averaged 7.6 points, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game last year at Saddleback, helping direct the Gauchos to a 28-3 record and an Orange Empire Conference title.

The 5-foot-10 floor general led the conference in assists in 2004-05 en route to earning Orange Empire Conference Co-MVP honors. Smedley was also named California Community College First Team All-State.

"In D.J. we get a natural point guard who can really push the ball and sees everyone on the floor," Collins said. "He has a very, very high basketball I.Q.

"(Incoming freshman point guard) Josh Mayo we feel is the same type of player and this makes this team reminiscent of when we had Martell Bailey and Jonathan Schneiderman on the floor at the same time."

The Flames totaled back-to-back 20-win seasons with Bailey and Schneiderman in the backcourt, advancing to the NCAA tournament in 2002 and the NIT in 2003.

As a prepster, Smedley competed at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco, Calif., averaging 21 points and nine assists per game. He earned First Team All-Metro Conference honors his senior season and guided the Mustangs to the AAA/CIF San Francisco Section Championship.

Smedley played his first year out of high school at Riverside Community College (Calif.), where he earned first-team all-conference honors before transferring to Saddleback.

Smedley joins newcomers Mayo (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville), Othyus Jeffers (Chicago, Ill./Hubbard/Los Angeles Southwest CC), Danijel Zoric (Serbia and Montenegro/Collin County CC) and Lance Young (Rock Island, Ill./Alleman) on UIC's 2005-06 roster.