Rest assured, the best is yet to come for West Aurora’s Terrence Smith.
A two-sport standout in football and basketball, Smith has an athletic ceiling seemingly as high as the sky. The sophomore forward showed why once again Friday night at Romeoville.
“Guys are doing a good job of finding him in open spots,” West Aurora coach Brian Johnson said. “Terrence’s attitude has been outstanding. He’s shooting with confidence.
“He’s finishing at the hoop and he’s still learning.”
He’s also producing.
His performance in the final 30 seconds of the first quarter said it all as the 6-foot-4 Smith sank a 3-pointer and dunked off a feed from Josh Pickett to keep the Blackhawks within 12-11.
But despite a strong first half, West Aurora wasn’t able to hang with the Spartans for four quarters and lost 68-53 in a Southwest Prairie Conference crossover.
Smith finished with a team-high 18 points that included four dunks and a pair of 3-pointers for the Blackhawks (14-9, 6-4).
However, that couldn’t match the 24 points put up for the Spartans (15-9, 7-3) by 6-2 senior guard Troy Cicero, a Loyola Maryland recruit.
The previous week, Smith torched Joliet Central for 32 points, and a coach from Akron was on hand for West Aurora’s game against Palatine at Geneva’s MLK Day of Hoops.
Afterward, the Zips’ football assistant coach offered Smith, a wide receiver, his first Division I scholarship in that sport. He also has a basketball offer from another Mid-American Conference school, Northern Illinois.
“He knew I was pretty good in basketball, but he hadn’t seen me play in either sport,” Smith said. “He just wanted to see me in person, see how I handled myself.”
Akron’s football staff had seen video highlights Smith posted.
“It shows the importance of having guys play multiple sports,” said Johnson, who had been alerted the Akron coaches would be on hand by West Aurora football coach Nate Eimer.
“Coaches at the next level like that. Maybe Terrence can do both. You never know.”
He’ll definitely have options, along with plenty of time.
“It’s going to come down to the last minute and be a tough decision,” Smith said of deciding between the two sports.
Meanwhile, there’s a basketball season to finish.
Pickett finished with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists, three of them on dunks by Smith.
“It gets me going, changes the momentum of the game and gets everybody going,” Smith said.
Romeoville’s varsity roster includes four sophomores and two freshmen, but the Spartans also picked up 15 points and 11 rebounds from 6-5 senior guard Kaharie Loggin.
“I think both teams played well and we finally finished a game,” Romeoville coach Marc Howard said. “That’s been our Achilles’ heel all season. We’re trying to build something here. Romeoville hasn’t won a regional in 29 seasons.
“Loggin brought a lot of energy and was a difference maker. Our Division I player looked like a Division I player.”
The teams are in opposite divisions in conference but will both play in the 17-team Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional.
“Every loss stings,” Johnson said. “Every game you play, for that matter, whether it’s at Thanksgiving or end of the year, can impact seeding, but I’m not even thinking about seeding.
“I’m thinking about how we can keep improving. We had a nice first half, but 19 turnovers killed us.”
And what about the future? Just look at Smith.
“As a whole, we have to keep fighting, have to keep grinding,” Johnson said. “I don’t know what else to say. We have to lean on each other because everyone is frustrated, but the kids’ attitudes were outstanding.
“They’re staying together.”
