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Five-star 2016 point guard trims list to six schools

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The point guard position in the Class of 2016 is a strong one, and one of the players with an argument for being the best floor general in the class in Dennis Smith Jr. With that being the case Smith’s been the focus of many high-level schools from a recruiting standpoint, and Friday it was reported that he’s cut his list down to six schools.

According to ESPN.com, Smith is now considering Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest.

Given his athleticism and ability to run a team from the point, Smith is a player who can help any of those six teams immediately upon his arrival on campus. In regards to Duke, the Blue Devils currently have one point guard on their roster in freshman Derryck Thornton Jr. (Luke Kennard will see time at the spot as well for depth reasons) and they’re also in the hunt for Frank Jackson in the 2016 recruiting class.

Kentucky currently has three players who can run the point in sophomore Tyler Ulis and freshmen Jamal Murray and Isaiah Briscoe, but the two newcomers could very well be players who stay in Lexington for only one season. That makes their pursuit of players such as Smith, whom they just recently offered, and fellow five-star point guard Kobi Simmons something to keep an eye on moving forward.

Louisville is also in need of another piece at the point moving forward, with Trey Lewis (via Cleveland State) having just one season of eligibility and sophomore Quentin Snider being their other option at the point. North Carolina will lose Marcus Paige at the end of the 2015-16 season, but they also have Nate Britt (junior) and Joel Berry II (sophomore) to rely on moving forward.

NC State currently has Cat Barber, who will be a junior this upcoming season, and adding a point guard in 2016 is something they’ll need to do. Wake Forest has two seniors (Codi Miller-McIntyre and Madison Jones) to account for recruiting-wise, and head coach Danny Manning also has two underclassmen in sophomore Mitchell Wilbekin and freshman Bryant Crawford.

Each of the six teams remaining on Smith’s list has a need for a point guard, especially one of his caliber who can both score and set up his teammates. That should make for an interesting recruitment as he moves closer to making a decision.