Catching up with OrTre Smith
Sept. 01, 2016
MOUNT PLEASANT — OrTre Smith, the No. 1 in-state player in the class of 2017, will announce a college commitment on his birthday, Sept. 11.
Clemson, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina the finalists.
On Wednesday afternoon, SEC Country caught up with Smith at Wando High School for the latest on his looming decision. Below is the first-half of that interview.
Q: What’s it like for you knowing recruiting is coming to an end?
A: Obviously, it’s stressful. This is where I’m going to be at for the rest of my life, the next four years. This is the last time I get to choose a school.
Q: How much do you find yourself day-dreaming and thinking about it?
A: Every day at school. The colors I’m wearing, how I’m going to look at practice.
Q: With each school, who are some of the main guys you’re close to at each place?
A: “Clemson: coach (Tony) Elliott. South Carolina: coach (Bryan) McClendon, (coach) Muschamp, basically most of the staff. Coach (Gunter) Brewer and coach (Tray) Scott at North Carolina and at Georgia, coach (Shane) Beamer.”
Q: Specifically, with coach Muschamp, what do you like about him?
A: “His energy. I know he’s hard on his team, but his energy. He’s trying to change the program. You’ve got to start from somewhere.”
Q: How about coach McClendon?
A: “Me and him just get along. We have a good relationship. We just joke around.”
Q: Coach Elliott, you’ve been close with him as long as anyone out there. What’s been the consistent thing with him?
A: “Just him keeping up with me, seeing how I’m doing. He was there from the beginning. It shows a lot of respect and our relationship is really strong.
Q: Any chance you’ll take any visits these last two weekends before the decision?
A: “I have no clue. Probably not, I don’t think so.”
Q: When you look at South Carolina, specifically, what are some of the things that you like, beyond the relationships?
A: “Just the way they push their players. I just like how they do everything, how they push their players.”
Q: What about Clemson?
A: “The family aspect … how they treat their players, the same (as South Carolina).”
Q: How about North Carolina?
A: I just like coach Brewer and coach Scott, and coach (Larry) Fedora. I like it up there. It’s a beautiful campus.
Q: What’s the hardest part about going through this process?
A: “Just having a relationship with the coaches, cutting them off, it could get to you. You just know you have to be straight-up with them and call it how it is.”
SECCOUNTRY
Sept. 01, 2016
MOUNT PLEASANT — OrTre Smith, the No. 1 in-state player in the class of 2017, will announce a college commitment on his birthday, Sept. 11.
Clemson, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina the finalists.
On Wednesday afternoon, SEC Country caught up with Smith at Wando High School for the latest on his looming decision. Below is the first-half of that interview.
Q: What’s it like for you knowing recruiting is coming to an end?
A: Obviously, it’s stressful. This is where I’m going to be at for the rest of my life, the next four years. This is the last time I get to choose a school.
Q: How much do you find yourself day-dreaming and thinking about it?
A: Every day at school. The colors I’m wearing, how I’m going to look at practice.
Q: With each school, who are some of the main guys you’re close to at each place?
A: “Clemson: coach (Tony) Elliott. South Carolina: coach (Bryan) McClendon, (coach) Muschamp, basically most of the staff. Coach (Gunter) Brewer and coach (Tray) Scott at North Carolina and at Georgia, coach (Shane) Beamer.”
Q: Specifically, with coach Muschamp, what do you like about him?
A: “His energy. I know he’s hard on his team, but his energy. He’s trying to change the program. You’ve got to start from somewhere.”
Q: How about coach McClendon?
A: “Me and him just get along. We have a good relationship. We just joke around.”
Q: Coach Elliott, you’ve been close with him as long as anyone out there. What’s been the consistent thing with him?
A: “Just him keeping up with me, seeing how I’m doing. He was there from the beginning. It shows a lot of respect and our relationship is really strong.
Q: Any chance you’ll take any visits these last two weekends before the decision?
A: “I have no clue. Probably not, I don’t think so.”
Q: When you look at South Carolina, specifically, what are some of the things that you like, beyond the relationships?
A: “Just the way they push their players. I just like how they do everything, how they push their players.”
Q: What about Clemson?
A: “The family aspect … how they treat their players, the same (as South Carolina).”
Q: How about North Carolina?
A: I just like coach Brewer and coach Scott, and coach (Larry) Fedora. I like it up there. It’s a beautiful campus.
Q: What’s the hardest part about going through this process?
A: “Just having a relationship with the coaches, cutting them off, it could get to you. You just know you have to be straight-up with them and call it how it is.”
SECCOUNTRY
