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football Edit

Smith is excited about pledge

Head basketball coach Tubby Smith was able to add the second piece to his 2014 recruiting class puzzle on Saturday afternoon, as Plano (Texas) Plano East small forward Zach Smith committed to the Red Raiders.
Smith said that he chose Tech because of two things: He fit in, and he wanted to play for a legendary coach.
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"The main thing was how I fit in, and, of course, Tubby Smith. He's a Hall of Fame coach. That also helped a lot. But, I just found myself fitting in well and I liked the whole feel of the school, I liked the campus life, the academic advisors out there, and everything."
In fact, Coach Smith is the biggest thing that drew the Plano East prospect to Texas Tech. He feels that the Red Raider basketball program will get better in a hurry, and he wanted to be a part of that revitalization process.
"I think with them hiring Tubby Smith -- Tech hasn't had the best few seasons. I think hiring him, it'll get a lot better really quick. I think with his name just being there, he's able to get a lot of recruits in. He's got some good recruiters out there and stuff like that."
Smith also visited Lubbock just a few weeks ago. He felt at home around the coaches and current group of players, and he liked the overall feel and atmosphere of Tech's campus.
"My visit, what I liked was that I just got a good feel for everything. I got a good feel for the coaches, I liked the coaches. I also got a really good feel for the players, and I also liked the campus."
While on his trip, Smith was hosted by Toddrick Gotcher. The Plano native felt he connected really well with the sophomore, and enjoyed hanging out with other players like Robert Turner and Jaye Crockett.
"I really was good with Robert, Toddrick, Jaye, and I was really pretty good with all of them, but I spent the most time with Toddrick. He was my guide for the whole visit, and we just ate dinner and stuff like that, hung out at his place, and we connected really well."
When he does get on campus, it does look like Smith will be playing some sort of role as a forward. As far as playing time as a freshman goes, the SF is hoping to earn some time.
"I think I'll fit in there as a three or four. I think right now I'll fit in as more of a three," he said. "As a freshman, I think if I work, I'll get whatever I work for. I think I could possibly get in there with some minutes and get a good feel for the college game. We'll see."
For those that haven't seen him play, Smith describes himself as a long athletic player with surprising strength and shooting abilities.
"I'm real athletic and long, and I've got special strength. Then, I shoot the ball pretty well for my size, and I'm pretty quick."
Overall, the Metroplex player is happy to have a future home and can't wait to get on campus next year.
"I'm excited to be a Red Raider. It's a great place to be. They've got good fans and everything, so I'm pretty pumped about that."
Smith committed to Tech on Saturday over offers from Marquette, TCU, UTEP, Washington State, and San Jose State among others.
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