Smith is 'leaning toward' pledge

"I'm kind of leaning towards staying with my letter of intent," Smith said as he prepared for tonight's adidas Derby Festival All-Star Game.

"I really don't know yet. I'm going to make my decision sometime next week."

It wasn't exactly a definitive "can't-wait-to-be-a-Vol" statement, but the Giles County High School star admits he's very close to making a decision.

Smith said he hopes to meet with new Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl for a second one-on-one meeting sometime next week.

He would "probably" make his decision known then.

Pearl is headed to Memphis on Monday for the first leg of the Big Orange Caravan, so Smith wasn't sure when the meeting could take place.

Smith signed with the Vols in November during the early signing period, but has had second thoughts after the firing of Buzz Peterson on March 13 and lead UT recruiter Chuck Benson earlier this week.

"I thought coach Benson would be there," Smith said. "He's a good recruiter and he and Buzz recruited me really well.

"If he (Benson) was there I think we would have gotten Jamont (Gordon, Oak Hill Academy standout who signed with Mississippi State on Wednesday), too.

"It's a big factor, but that's not going to make my final decision right there."

The 6-foot-7 Smith is rated the No. 34 player in the Class of 2005 according to the Rivalshoops Top 150. He's the No. 10 small forward after averaging 26 points as a senior.

"I liked him (coach Pearl)," Smith said of their first meeting. "He's a real straight-forward guy.

"He'll tell you exactly what he feels, and I like that in a coach. Coach Peterson was like that."

Smith finds himself on a Derby Festival team with three McDonald's All-Americans: Point guard Mario Chalmers (Kansas), power forward Brandon Costner (North Carolina State) and center Luke Zeller (Notre Dame).

"I feel I can play with these guys," Smith said. "They're just like me and they're here trying to prove a point to everybody."

Pearl also has two other recruits on campus in Knoxville this weekend - Antanas Kavaliauskas of Barton (Kan.) County Community College for an official visit and high school junior Jerry Smith of Wisconsin for an unofficial visit.

Kavaliauskas is a 6-11 center who has already taken trips to Virginia Tech, South Carolina and Texas A&M.

Smith is rated one of the top junior point guards in the country and played on an AAU basketball team with Pearl's son.