Ray Smith to Arizona: Wildcats Land 5-Star SF Prospect

Updates from Monday, July 14

Zack Rosenblatt of the Arizona Daily Star talk to Ray Smith about his decision to commit to Arizona:

Original Text

The Arizona Wildcats have shot themselves near the top of the 2015 recruiting rankings after securing the commitment of small forward Ray Smith, per Scout.com's Josh Gershon:

Smith confirmed on Twitter that he's heading to Tucson:

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Smith is the 13th-best recruit in the country and third-best small forward.

Before getting the 5-star forward on board, 'Zona ranked 17th overall in the class of 2015, according to 247Sports. That obviously changed with Smith joining fellow 5-star recruit Justin Simon as the Wildcats jumped all the way up to third behind Syracuse and Ohio State.

This is also some welcome news for the prep star, considering he tore his ACL just a few days ago, per Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader:

Gershon, CBSSports.com's Jeff Borzello and Evan Daniels of Scout.com all praised Smith's ability with his athleticism in particular highlighted:

The torn ACL is a tough blow for Smith, but he's got plenty of time to rehabilitate and get ready for his freshman season at Arizona. Even if he loses a slight step after his recovery, he'll remain a tremendous high-ceiling prospect, who can keep the Wildcats near the top of the college basketball hierarchy.

Head coach Sean Miller has done extremely well on the recruiting trail over the past few years, compiling the fourth-best class in 2013 and sixth-best class in 2014, according to 247Sports.

Much of Arizona's hopes in '15 hinge on guys like Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson sticking around past this year. But at least with Simon and now Smith, Miller will have two impact freshmen with which to build around.