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Upper Arlington's Alex Smith enjoys new Ohio State basketball team camp experience
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- Upper Arlington's Alex Smith enjoys new Ohio State basketball team camp experience
Alex Smith's most recent trip to Value City Arena was a full-circle moment for the Upper Arlington senior.
On June 5 and 6, Smith and his Golden Bears basketball teammates participated in Ohio State's annual team camp. One year prior, the 2026 small forward prospect had reported to camp hoping to show enough to the Buckeyes' coaching staff to earn a scholarship offer.
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He did, and by the end of August Smith had committed to the Buckeyes . Before doing so, though, Smith had to call the first Big Ten school to offer him and let them know he would be a Buckeye – and it was Indiana assistant coach Brian Walsh who took that phone call.
One year later, Smith was playing on the main court at Ohio State's arena as newly hired Buckeyes assistant coach Walsh watched.
"When he got the job at Ohio State, it was a full-circle moment," Smith said, seated at the mezzanine level after playing his team's first game of the camp. "It is definitely special, playing on the court I'm going to be playing on in a couple years. Hopefully I stay undefeated before I come here and then when I do come here I keep it going."
College coaches are not permitted to publicly discuss prep players until they officially sign with the school. Smith, though, said it's been an enjoyable process reconnecting with the coach who had been his primary recruiter with the Hoosiers. Walsh joined the Ohio State staff in May after having spent eight years at Indiana and the past three as a full-time assistant.
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Telling Walsh that he was committing to the Buckeyes was a difficult phone call, Smith said.
Upper Arlington's Alex Smith (1) is introduced before the game against Olentangy Orange at Olentangy Orange High School on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024 in Lewis Center, Ohio.
"It's pretty hard to tell a coach that you really like and was really involved with you that you're not going to play there," he said. "It's definitely not the best feeling ever. I'm just glad he hasn't changed his perspective on me when he came here."
Listed as a 6-foot-9, 195-pound power forward, Smith helped Upper Arlington reach the regional semifinals before falling to Olentangy Liberty . Smith earned second-team all-district honors after averaging roughly 20 points per game.
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This spring, Smith said he averaged around 15 points a game through the first two sessions of AAU basketball.
"I feel like I've improved every year," he said. "This year on the circuit playing against dudes who are exactly like me. I feel like I fit in more. I play stronger. I play harder. I play just overall better. The game's a lot easier for me now that I've matured a little more throughout the years."
He's ranked as the No. 139 national prospect, the No. 24 power forward and No. 6 player in Ohio from the 2026 class according to 247Sports.com. His goal for the coming months is to climb in those rankings.
"A goal I have is to crack the top 100 in the rankings," he said. "I think I'm very talented and I'm very capable of doing that. I think that hopefully the right people find me and see my game and appreciate my game. That's definitely a goal I have for this summer."
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One thing he doesn't need to worry about is catching the eye of the Ohio State staff. The Buckeyes watched him multiple times during his two days at camp as he showed off his perimeter shooting and an ability to get to the basket while also displaying a need to continue to get stronger and more physical.
It was a different vibe than his 2024 camp experience.
"It definitely feels a little weird being committed and last year when I was here I was playing for an offer," he said. "Obviously I'm playing for a little different reason here this year, but at the end of the day I'm playing in front of all the coaches on the staff and I'm just trying to show them how I can help the team and what I can do to help Ohio State."
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @ cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @ AdamJardy .
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Upper Arlington's Alex Smith enjoys different Ohio State camp experience
