EMCC’s Jakorie Smith named MACJC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week

SCOOBA – East Mississippi Community College's Jakorie Smith has been selected as the MACJC Men's Basketball Player of the Week after averaging a double-double during a pair of quality regular-season tournaments a week ago.

Smith, a freshman forward for Coach Billy Begley's EMCC Lions, averaged 15.3 points and 10 rebounds during last week's PRCC Wildcat Classic and NWF State Classic played in Poplarville and Niceville, Fla., respectively.  For the four games all played away from home during a five-day span, he shot 48 percent (26-of-54 FGs) overall from the field, including 38 percent (6-of-16 treys) from beyond the three-point arc, while also totaling five assists, four steals and a blocked shot.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Smith opened last week with 17 points and a season-high 15 rebounds during the Lions' 67-66 Monday win over LSU Eunice.  The following night, he produced a 20-point effort on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, including 4-of-5 three-point accuracy, in EMCC's 85-40 victory over Baton Rouge.  Two days later in Florida, Smith began the NWF State Classic by recording his fourth double-double (13 pts & 11 rebs) of the young season during Thursday's 67-53 loss to 18^th-ranked and tournament host Northwest Florida State College.  He concluded the busy week of tournament action the next night with 11 points and eight rebounds in a 77-59 setback to current 10^th-ranked Gulf Coast State College.   

On the season, Smith leads the 5-3 EMCC Lions in scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.1 rpg), while shooting 50.5 percent overall from the field, 32.3 percent from three-point range and 71.9 percent from the charity stripe.

A former Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen prep selection, Smith was previously a member of three consecutive Mississippi Class 4A state championship teams at Raymond High School.