STILLWATER – Oklahoma State head basketball coach Mike Boynton signed former Texas Tech and four-star Trinity Christian power forward Tyreek Smith.
The 2021 Academic All-Big 12 Conference selection was the 2018 TAAPS 5A Player of the Year for Trinity Christian High School in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, where he averaged 17.9 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game as a senior.
According to Rivals, Smith was the No. 104 ranked player in the nation and a four-star talent when he signed with Texas Tech, and 247Sports listed Smith the No. 22 power forward in the country.
After a medical redshirt season in 2019-20, Smith shot a team-high 60.9 percent from the floor and ranked second on the squad with 21 blocks in 2020-21. In production per minute, he led the Red Raiders in rebounds (.29) and blocks (.09).
“Tyreek will be an instant-impact player in our program,” Boynton said. “His hard-playing, competitive nature will elevate the intensity of our practices. He has the length and athleticism to improve our ability to have success on the interior, and an untapped skill set that will allow our offense to flow well. I can’t wait to get him on campus.”
Smith developed a reputation for providing a dose of energy and a defensive presence to the Texas Tech lineup. He saw action in all 29 games for the Red Raiders, who went 18-11 and advanced to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native averaged 2.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game in 8.6 minutes per contest.
He was 4-of-4 from the floor for 9 points in Texas Tech’s win over TCU on March 2, and ended the season with seven outings of at least five points. Smith posted four points, three boards and a block when Oklahoma State visited Lubbock on Jan. 2.
On top of being named the TAAPS 5A Player of the Year as a junior at Trinity Christian, Smith was a first-team All-State selection and his district’s Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and 2.9 blocks as junior.
On the AAU circuit, Smith played for Mudiay Elite in the Under Armour Association, where he averaged 16.4 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.
Smith joins a Cowboy basketball team coming off a 21-win campaign that included a trip to the Big 12 Championship final, a first-round win in the NCAA Tournament and a 9-5 record against ranked opponents. The author of back-to-back top-25 recruiting classes, Boynton has now signed 10 players rated four or five stars since November of 2018.
He joins former Syracuse wing Woody Newton as newcomers to the OSU locker room for 2021-22.
