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'12 VA SG D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown Verbal)

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Smith-Rivera to leave Panthers for prep school
May 8, 2011

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, the Indianapolis Star Super Team Player of the Year and a top recruit in the Class of 2012, has decided to leave North Central High School to attend Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., next year.

His mother, Kelana Rivera, confirmed the switch late Saturday. Smith-Rivera was a three-year starter and an integral part of the Panthers' 2010 Class 4A state championship team.

The news caught North Central coach Doug Mitchell by surprise.

"This is the first I've heard of it. He hasn't talked to me at all,'' Mitchell said Saturday night when contacted by The Star. "It's a complete surprise to me. I suppose I shouldn't comment any further until I have a chance to talk to him.''

Smith-Rivera, a sturdy 6-3 guard, is a five-star recruit. He had committed to Xavier last year but rescinded the commitment and reopened his recruitment. He is ranked No. 23 nationally in the Class of 2012 by Scout.com.

He averaged 25.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in leading the Panthers to a 22-3 record this season. North Central lost to Bloomington South in the Class 4A semistate game.

Smith-Rivera is one of the six core players on the Junior All-Stars that will play the Indiana All-Stars in exhibition games on June 6 (Washington) and June 8 (Kokomo).

Former Carmel center A.J. Hammons will be a senior at Oak Hill next year. He left Carmel after his sophomore year.
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http://www.indystar.com/article/201...s-prep-school?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports
 
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The news caught North Central coach Doug Mitchell by surprise.

"This is the first I've heard of it. He hasn't talked to me at all,'' Mitchell said Saturday night when contacted by The Star. "It's a complete surprise to me. I suppose I shouldn't comment any further until I have a chance to talk to him.''
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Ha...
 
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This week I talked to Kelana Rivera, mother of former North Central standout D?Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who is headed to Oak Hill Academy for his senior year. She said it?s likely that her son will take his official visits in the fall before making a college decision. His lists of schools right now: Kansas State, Georgetown, Louisville, Texas, UCLA and Xavier. She also said Tennessee has shown more interest of late.
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http://blogs.indystar.com/recruitingcentral/2011/06/04/saturday-basketball-notes/
 
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Smith-Rivera looks to future with move from North Central
Jun 8, 2011
Written by
Kyle Neddenriep

The week after word filtered out that D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera would attend Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his senior year of high school, the North Central student newspaper featured a large photo and accompanying story under a one-word headline:

Gone.

Smith-Rivera, who averaged 25 points per game as a junior for North Central, would have been a front-runner for The Indianapolis Star Indiana Mr. Basketball as a senior and part of a team with serious state title aspirations. Why give up all of that? Smith-Rivera said the decision to leave wasn't all that complicated.

"After looking at it, I think it's what's best for my future," said Smith-Rivera, a member of the Junior All-Stars. "I've heard about the program (at Oak Hill) a lot and everybody knows they are a prestigious basketball program that has produced a lot of NBA talent. That alone says a lot. I talked to (Oak Hill coach Steve Smith) and thought it would be the best place for me to get better."

Cont...
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http://www.indystar.com/article/201...h-Rivera-looks-future-move-from-North-Central
 
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Smith-Rivera and his choice

D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Indianapolis, Ind./Oak Hill Academy) won't make his college decision solely based on personnel. I asked him point blank if he'll knock a school off his list if it adds a point guard. He said no. DSR is a combo, and a good one at that. He knows it's going to take time working into full-time point guard status, but he's willing to play alongside another point guard.

Georgetown, Texas, Baylor, Kansas State, UCLA, Michigan State, Louisville and Xavier are in the mix. DSR and Xavier, the school he was once committed to, may be a stretch. You get the feeling that he likes Xavier, but isn't feeling the league they play in. By that I mean, Xavier is a high-major program, he's a high-major guy but my gut says he goes for the bigger, BCS-level league. Just a hunch.
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http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog?name=telep_dave
 
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Smith-Rivera doesn?t guard his confidence
by Jim Halley on Jul. 12, 2011, under USA Today Sports

D?Vauntes Smith-Rivera doesn?t lack for confidence as a shooter and that comes in handy at the end of games.

Smith-Rivera, a physical 6-3 guard from Indianapolis, is considered the No. 2 point guard and the 20th best player overall in the 2012 class by Rivals.com and the No. 32 player in the 2012 class by ESPNU.

Tuesday, he scored 25 points with several flashy assists to lead the Indy Spiece 17-under AAU team to a 62-61 defeat of Louisiana Select at the Nike Peach Jam tournament. With two minutes to go, Indy Spiece trailed 58-53 after a demoralizing alley-oop dunk by Ricardo Gathers of Riverside Academy (Reserve, La.). Smith-Rivera responded with a three-pointer, a free throw after getting fouled underneath and hit an ugly jumper in the lane that bounced around the rim several times before falling in to tie the score at 59 with 1:13 left.

?I had no doubts (about the shot), none at all,? Smith-Rivera said with a sheepish grin. ?I see myself as a point guard at the next level, so I?m trying to work on that and be as efficient as possible.?

He played last year for North Central (Indianapolis) but plans to play next winter for Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), joining longtime friend and Indy Spiece teammate A.J. Hammons.

His college choice is more open. While he has backed away from an early commitment to Xavier, it is still on his list of schools along with Georgetown, Texas, Kansas State, Louisville and UCLA.

?I hope to make a choice early in the school year,? Smith-Rivera said.
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http://tucsoncitizen.com/usa-today-sports/2011/07/12/smith-rivera-doesnt-guard-his-confidence/
 
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