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Michigan State Recruiting: Could Mark Smith be the next Denzel Valentine?

By Connor Muldowney

Mar 13, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) brings the ball up court against Purdue Boilermakers guard P.J. Thompson (3) during the Big Ten conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) brings the ball up court against Purdue Boilermakers guard P.J. Thompson (3) during the Big Ten conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State recruiting is aiming to land four-star guard Mark Smith. Could he be the next Denzel Valentine?

As the final buzzer sounded and Michigan State was upset by 15-seed Middle Tennessee, Denzel Valentine realized his Spartan career was over. Moreover, Michigan State fans and Tom Izzo both had that same harsh realization, making for a long offseason.

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Like Mateen Cleaves and Draymond Green, Valentine was a once in a great while (even a decade) type of player. It had people wondering when the next Valentine-type player would grace East Lansing with his presence.

Well, Michigan State could be in luck.

The Spartans are targeting four-star point guard Mark Smith for their 2017 recruiting class and his game resembles that of Valentine.

Smith isn’t explosive, but he’s strong, a reliable ball handler and a great passer. He exudes confidence with his jumper, often pulling up to shoot a 3-pointer in the defender’s face. That’s the type of confidence that Denzel had during his junior and senior seasons at Michigan State.

Taking a look at body types as well, both were built similarly coming out of high school. Valentine was 6-foot-5, 205 pounds while Smith is currently the same height, but weighs about 15-20 pounds more. Besides having the same type of game and body type, their recruiting ranks mirrored each other. They also both have the ability to play the any position 1-to-3.

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In fact, Denzel was ranked the No. 95 recruit via 247Sports and No. 129 on the composite. Smith is ranked No. 92 via the composite and No. 184 on the composite. Could the Spartans have the next Denzel lined up? He’s taking a visit to East Lansing this weekend.

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