The East Tennessee State basketball team received commitments from two players over the weekend.
North Florida transfer Jaylen Smith posted his commitment to the Bucs on “X†on Saturday. Northwestern transfer Blake Barkley committed to the Bucs on Sunday morning.
Smith, a 5-11 point guard, started all 32 games for the Ospreys as a sophomore during the 2024-25 season. He averaged 11.4 points, while leading the team with 5.7 assists per game and 41 steals for the season.
He was the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Week for Dec. 16, 2024 after recording a double-double against Georgia Southern and following up with 21 points and nine assists against UNC Greensboro.
Smith also posted 15 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead North Florida to a 105-93 win at Georgia Tech. The Ospreys also upset South Carolina 74-71 in the season opener.
Playing alongside future Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, he was named to the ASUN All-Freshman Team and the ASUN Academic Honor Roll his first season. He started 16 of 32 games his freshman year with averages of 6.5 points and 2.4 assists per game.
ETSU’s need for a point guard opened up when Southern Conference Player of the Year Quimari Peterson, the team’s leading scorer for the 2024-25 season, entered the transfer portal. He recently signed with the University of Washington.
Barkley, a 6-foot-7 forward, redshirted the 2023-24 season. He appeared in four games for the Wildcats last season.
He played at University High School in West Virginia before playing a post-grad year at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut where he helped the Mustangs win a National Prep championship.
Rated a three-star prospect by 247 Sports, Barkley competed on the Adidas 3SSB circuit in 2022.
