Below is the full Q&A I had with new Cal hoops commit Charles Smith IV and his dad Charles Smith III. I'm giving you guys the full Q&A because I'm not sure I'll be able to get all of these quotes into the article. Enjoy!
Q: Why did you choose Cal? What made you want to commit now?
Smith IV: “I went up to the school a while back. I got to look around campus, talk to all the coaches and the coaching staff, and it just seemed like a really good place for me. They’ve been on me for a long time, talking about how much they wanted me, how they could use me, and what I can get from going there and it just seemed like it would be a great spot for me. I know some of the kids that are coming in, some of the kids that are already there, and just the way that the program is moving and the direction that they’re going it just seemed like it would be great for me.”
Q: What do expect to bring to the program when you step on campus in 2019?
Smith IV: “The first thing I think I bring is a winning attitude. Just because I’ve won two state championships already. I was real close to winning a third this year. As of on the court, being able to spread the floor, shoot it, being able to guard the ball, guard multiple positions and just being able to help my teammates out in anyway possible.”
Q: Can you talk about your relationship with Jacobi Gordon and Darius McNeill?
Smith IV: “Freshman year summer we were all on the same AAU team and they were like my older brothers pretty much. Just telling me how to play, what I need to do to get to where I need to go. Showing me what to do and what not to do. What to do on social media. Just stuff like that. So just having them around is really just like having family around.”
Q: When you look ahead to playing at Cal, what excites you most about this opportunity?
Smith IV: “Being able to play in the Pac-12. That’s always a good thing. Being able to be on the West Coast, going to the number one public institution in the world, there’s just a whole lot of good things about this school. There’s no one thing that I can put my finger on.”
Q: What is it about your game that made Cal say we really want this guy?
Smith IV: “From what they told me, they said they could really use a shooter and they have a lot of stuff to get me open, to get me shots and a lot of things that can help me help them win games. So it seemed like it would be a great spot for me.”
Q: I know your dad has been a big influence. Can you talk about how big of a help he has been to you in this process?
Smith IV: “He’s been a great help to me. Especially when I haven’t had a lot of time to text coaches back or contact them or to schedule really anything. He’s been there to help me contact them, talks for me, kinda be my escort in that matter and also just telling me what to do and what not to do and how to get to where I obviously need to get to.”
Q: What do you most need to improve on between now and when you get to Cal in the fall of 2019?
Smith IV: “I’ve gotta get stronger. That would probably be the first thing. The college game is so much more physical, everybody’s a lot stronger, we’re playing playing against seniors that have been there for four years. So that’s probably the first thing that I need to get to and then after that I’d say ball handling is one of the major things that I need to improve on to go to this college game.”
Q: Do you have any idea what you want to study or major in when you get to Berkeley?
Smith IV: “I’ve always kind of been fond of computer science. That’s just been something that I haven’t really looked into, but it just seems like it’s been fun. I kinda have a natural gift at it when I did do something. That’s probably the route I would go down if I had to pick right now.”
Q: What do you like about computer science? What intrigues you about that?
Smith IV: “Just being able to work with computers. Type programs and be able to do things that I’ve always wanted to do and it’s actually fun for me. Being able to do something like that with computers.”
Q: What do you like most about Berkeley? You’ve seen the campus. What do you like most about it?
Smith IV: “I love the weather and it’s great out there. It’s always sunny and it hardly ever rains. Where it was located, in the hills a little bit but it’s still also in the city. It was really cool for me.”
Q: Between now and when you get to Berkeley, what do you most want to accomplish?
Smith IV: “I want to win the EYBL Peach Jam this summer and I also want to win the Georgia state championship next school year. Those are two of my biggest goals right now.”
Q: Is there a fun fact about you that Cal fans might not know about you?
Smith IV: “Not that I can think of.”
Charles Smith III: “He’s a comedian. He’s a comedian.”
Q: Ok, in what way? (Laughing)
Smith III: “Everybody laughs around him. He keeps the room, teachers, everybody. Everybody just loves him. His personality. He’s just a fun dude to be around.”
Q: Is there an NBA player that you try to emulate or who you feel you most emulate?
Smith IV: “From what I’ve been told from a lot of people, they said a young Ray Allen in Milwaukee, UConn, and Seattle. They said my game most likely resembles his.”
Q: In what way? The shooting aspect? In what way specifically?
Smith IV: “The shooting aspect of course, but then also being able to use a couple of moves, a couple of dribbles, go to the basket, jump over people, go around them, guard the ball, guard different positions.”
Q: C3, a question for you on C4. You talked about his personality and how he’s a great person to be around. Can you also talk about what you feel he’s going to bring to Cal program as a whole?
Smith III: “It’s almost echoing him. He cares about winning more than anything else. He cares more about winning than scoring accolades. So sometimes that’s where we butt heads. You gotta be able to do you, but at the same time win. So I think coming to Cal, that’s what Chris Walker knows about him, he’ll come in there, you guys didn’t, not that you didn’t have anybody, but you could have used somebody that could really shoot the ball this year. So just being one of the top shooters in the country, that’s really going to help right away coming in.
"You know how it goes, if you can shoot the ball there’s always a place for you and then him also being 6’5” and long and athletic, he can guard the ball and he can guard and shoot, and possibly [guard] some 3 depending on how [much] stronger he gets. So I think his defense, his shooting ability, and just his overall athleticism. He tested out with a 42-inch max vertical back in the combine when he was 16. October, was it Charles? Something like that? So you’re thinking about a guy that can run fast and jump really high, he can do anything. They can put him out on the break on the wing, talk to him and let him go. So I think that’s going to help.
"And also Wyking was unable to do his full court press. You know, the Louisville press he likes to do. But when you got guys like Charles and of course Darius and Jacobi coming, and upgrading with the, what’s the kid’s name? Charles played against him last year. The left handed kid. Strong kid. Matt Bradley. When we got those kind of guys, I’m just like it’s going to be super athletic. The Pac-12, it’s going to be something for the Pac-12 to deal with. They’re not used to this kind of physicality that we bring from the south. They’re not. They’re not. We like to get down.”
Q: Why did you choose Cal? What made you want to commit now?
Smith IV: “I went up to the school a while back. I got to look around campus, talk to all the coaches and the coaching staff, and it just seemed like a really good place for me. They’ve been on me for a long time, talking about how much they wanted me, how they could use me, and what I can get from going there and it just seemed like it would be a great spot for me. I know some of the kids that are coming in, some of the kids that are already there, and just the way that the program is moving and the direction that they’re going it just seemed like it would be great for me.”
Q: What do expect to bring to the program when you step on campus in 2019?
Smith IV: “The first thing I think I bring is a winning attitude. Just because I’ve won two state championships already. I was real close to winning a third this year. As of on the court, being able to spread the floor, shoot it, being able to guard the ball, guard multiple positions and just being able to help my teammates out in anyway possible.”
Q: Can you talk about your relationship with Jacobi Gordon and Darius McNeill?
Smith IV: “Freshman year summer we were all on the same AAU team and they were like my older brothers pretty much. Just telling me how to play, what I need to do to get to where I need to go. Showing me what to do and what not to do. What to do on social media. Just stuff like that. So just having them around is really just like having family around.”
Q: When you look ahead to playing at Cal, what excites you most about this opportunity?
Smith IV: “Being able to play in the Pac-12. That’s always a good thing. Being able to be on the West Coast, going to the number one public institution in the world, there’s just a whole lot of good things about this school. There’s no one thing that I can put my finger on.”
Q: What is it about your game that made Cal say we really want this guy?
Smith IV: “From what they told me, they said they could really use a shooter and they have a lot of stuff to get me open, to get me shots and a lot of things that can help me help them win games. So it seemed like it would be a great spot for me.”
Q: I know your dad has been a big influence. Can you talk about how big of a help he has been to you in this process?
Smith IV: “He’s been a great help to me. Especially when I haven’t had a lot of time to text coaches back or contact them or to schedule really anything. He’s been there to help me contact them, talks for me, kinda be my escort in that matter and also just telling me what to do and what not to do and how to get to where I obviously need to get to.”
Q: What do you most need to improve on between now and when you get to Cal in the fall of 2019?
Smith IV: “I’ve gotta get stronger. That would probably be the first thing. The college game is so much more physical, everybody’s a lot stronger, we’re playing playing against seniors that have been there for four years. So that’s probably the first thing that I need to get to and then after that I’d say ball handling is one of the major things that I need to improve on to go to this college game.”
Q: Do you have any idea what you want to study or major in when you get to Berkeley?
Smith IV: “I’ve always kind of been fond of computer science. That’s just been something that I haven’t really looked into, but it just seems like it’s been fun. I kinda have a natural gift at it when I did do something. That’s probably the route I would go down if I had to pick right now.”
Q: What do you like about computer science? What intrigues you about that?
Smith IV: “Just being able to work with computers. Type programs and be able to do things that I’ve always wanted to do and it’s actually fun for me. Being able to do something like that with computers.”
Q: What do you like most about Berkeley? You’ve seen the campus. What do you like most about it?
Smith IV: “I love the weather and it’s great out there. It’s always sunny and it hardly ever rains. Where it was located, in the hills a little bit but it’s still also in the city. It was really cool for me.”
Q: Between now and when you get to Berkeley, what do you most want to accomplish?
Smith IV: “I want to win the EYBL Peach Jam this summer and I also want to win the Georgia state championship next school year. Those are two of my biggest goals right now.”
Q: Is there a fun fact about you that Cal fans might not know about you?
Smith IV: “Not that I can think of.”
Charles Smith III: “He’s a comedian. He’s a comedian.”
Q: Ok, in what way? (Laughing)
Smith III: “Everybody laughs around him. He keeps the room, teachers, everybody. Everybody just loves him. His personality. He’s just a fun dude to be around.”
Q: Is there an NBA player that you try to emulate or who you feel you most emulate?
Smith IV: “From what I’ve been told from a lot of people, they said a young Ray Allen in Milwaukee, UConn, and Seattle. They said my game most likely resembles his.”
Q: In what way? The shooting aspect? In what way specifically?
Smith IV: “The shooting aspect of course, but then also being able to use a couple of moves, a couple of dribbles, go to the basket, jump over people, go around them, guard the ball, guard different positions.”
Q: C3, a question for you on C4. You talked about his personality and how he’s a great person to be around. Can you also talk about what you feel he’s going to bring to Cal program as a whole?
Smith III: “It’s almost echoing him. He cares about winning more than anything else. He cares more about winning than scoring accolades. So sometimes that’s where we butt heads. You gotta be able to do you, but at the same time win. So I think coming to Cal, that’s what Chris Walker knows about him, he’ll come in there, you guys didn’t, not that you didn’t have anybody, but you could have used somebody that could really shoot the ball this year. So just being one of the top shooters in the country, that’s really going to help right away coming in.
"You know how it goes, if you can shoot the ball there’s always a place for you and then him also being 6’5” and long and athletic, he can guard the ball and he can guard and shoot, and possibly [guard] some 3 depending on how [much] stronger he gets. So I think his defense, his shooting ability, and just his overall athleticism. He tested out with a 42-inch max vertical back in the combine when he was 16. October, was it Charles? Something like that? So you’re thinking about a guy that can run fast and jump really high, he can do anything. They can put him out on the break on the wing, talk to him and let him go. So I think that’s going to help.
"And also Wyking was unable to do his full court press. You know, the Louisville press he likes to do. But when you got guys like Charles and of course Darius and Jacobi coming, and upgrading with the, what’s the kid’s name? Charles played against him last year. The left handed kid. Strong kid. Matt Bradley. When we got those kind of guys, I’m just like it’s going to be super athletic. The Pac-12, it’s going to be something for the Pac-12 to deal with. They’re not used to this kind of physicality that we bring from the south. They’re not. They’re not. We like to get down.”
