The transfer talk has been quiet this offseason.
That’s changed.
The City/Suburban Hoops Report has learned that star junior Roosevelt Smart will be leaving Palatine and attending St. Viator this fall. Smart’s family confirmed on Tuesday that he has officially enrolled at St. Viator.
“I think it’s going to be great,” said Smart of the move. “I know there will be high expectations for us, but they’ve already had a lot of success in recent years. I just want to try and help build on the success they’ve already had.”
The 6-2 guard has offers from Creighton, Loyola, Northern Illinois and Loyola. Smart says he’s heard from multiple Big Ten schools, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Purdue and Iowa, along with interest from Boise State, Illinois State, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Smart put together an impressive sophomore season for the Pirates, averaging 18.3 points and 5.4 rebounds a game in his second varsity season. He’s among the top dozen prospects in the Class of 2015 in Illinois and will join an already talented St. Viator team.
Smart, who with his family moved out of Palatine this summer, will be part of a St. Viator team that boasts Ore Arogundade. The 6-2 Arogundade, who averaged 19.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and nearly 3 assists a game as a junior, is one of the top 20 prospects in the senior class in Illinois and has multiple mid-major Division I offers. Both Smart and Arogundade play with the Illinois Wolves AAU program in the offseason.
With Smart, Arogundade, returning junior point guard Mark Falotico (10.5 ppg, 3.7 apg) and up-and-coming junior Pat McNamara, coach Mike Howland’s team could be among the top 10 in the Chicago area when preseason rankings are released in November. The Lions finished 21-9 last season, falling to Stevenson in the sectional championship.
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