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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

    Four-star ’09 UA recruit retracts verbal commitment

    Four-star 09 UA recruit retracts verbal commitment

    Just weeks after four-star class of 2009 recruit Greg Smith committed to Arizona, the 6-foot-9 center finds himself at the center of a family feud.

    Smith, the fifth-ranked center of his class, has retracted his UA verbal commitment to play for Fresno State, a school closer to his immediate family, according to GOAZCATS.com.

    Recently, Smith unwillingly transferred to Bethel (Calif.) Vallejo in effort to improve his academics to qualify for the NCAA. His uncle, Stephen Shelley, pushed for Smith’s move from Fresno Edison, even if it brought tough love between the two.

    “”I’m willing to fracture our relationship forever for him to wake up, that’s how much I love him,”” said Shelly in a recent interview with The Fresno Bee. “”I’ve got to do something. And I’m coming from my heart.””

    Smith would not comment on his relationship with his uncle, saying: “”I don’t want to talk about it now.””

    Shelly, who has been Smith’s guardian, told The Bee that Smith’s father was never part of his life, while his mother – Shelly’s sister – cannot physically or financially support Smith.

    Smith announced today that he will return to Edison to finish high school.

    “”Greg’s absolutely too distracted out (in Fresno). I had to do what is best for Greg, and what’s best for Greg is change and a more structured environment,”” Shelly said.

    Arizona still has two other four-star verbal commitments for the 2009-10 season – Solomon Hill and Mike Moser.

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