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Five-star forward Tyler Smith, the No. 15 recruit in the class of 2023 according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Rankings, has decided to forgo his two years of remaining high school eligibility to sign with Overtime Elite.
According to Smith, his contract with Overtime Elite will span two years and total seven figures.
“This is different and new,” Smith told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. I wanted to be a pro already, working on stuff that NBA players work on. In high school, you can’t work out as much as they do at OTE.
“My goal wasn’t to play in college. It’s to play in the NBA. This will get me there faster and make me more ready once I’m there. I’ve been talking to them for three months already. They’ve been telling me they have NBA facilities, trainers and nutritionists from NBA teams.”
Lewis is the second highly-rated 2023 recruit to make the jump to Overtime Elite. Oakland (Calif.) Bishop O’Dowd center Jalen Lewis signed a lucrative deal with the league in July.
RELATED: 16-year-old Jalen Lewis signs multi-million dollar deal with Overtime Elite
Smith ultimately picked the professional route over college offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Houston, Kansas, LSU, Memphis and Texas.
“A tall, long, and talented lefty who can stretch the defense with his shooting ability, Smith’s overall combination of size, skill, and touch give him a very high offensive ceiling,” 247Sports’ Brandon Jenkins wrote in his scouting report of Smith. “He projects as a versatile forward who should be able to space the floor, play pick-and-pop, attack close-outs, and be effective in dribble-hand-off action on the offensive end. Once known as a player who was not engaged when a ball came off the rim, Smith now understands the value of rebounding and will utilize his length to grab anything he can in his area.”