There’s no doubt about Metea Valley senior forward Dominic Smith’s best basketball skill.
The same can be said about the role Smith plays for the Mustangs.
“He’s our best defender,” Metea Valley coach Isaiah Davis said. “He’s the best defender I’ve probably ever coached. He always guards the best player. Always.”
On a team full of scorers, that makes Smith an outlier and a linchpin.
“We have faith in him,” Metea Valley junior guard Tre Watkins said. “He just runs through screens, gets steals, and he also gets rebounds at the same time while guarding the best player.
“He’s just a great defender, great hustler, great everything on defense.”
Smith said playing defense is tied to a mindset instilled in him long ago.
“When I was younger, I had a coach that wanted us to play defense first instead of offense,” he said. “So I wasn’t really thinking about the offensive side of the ball, and it just kind of carried over.
“I play football, too, so that kind of helps.”
Football, in fact, is Smith’s best sport. He is being recruited as a receiver and has narrowed his choices down to Augustana and Butler.
Taking hits on the football field prepped Smith for the rough play that often occurs in the paint and any time there is a scramble for a loose ball. He knows where to be and what to do when he gets there.
“He has a good work ethic and toughness, just a high motor, a high intelligence on the basketball court,” Davis said. “He does a good job of not getting screened.”
The only thing Smith lacks is an ego. He isn’t concerned with scoring and is averaging about seven points.
But that doesn’t mean Smith, who missed seven games with a concussion this season, can’t do it. He demonstrated that by scoring a career-high 19 points during Metea Valley’s 87-78 win against Prospect on the road in Mount Prospect in the regular-season finale on Friday.
Smith made all nine of his shots, mostly on back-door layups and short shots in the paint, as the Mustangs (19-12) shot 65% from the floor and 82% from the free-throw line.
“I just kept thinking, ‘I’m still open,’” Smith said. “I kept getting right-handed layups, but I didn’t even know it was a career high until (Davis) just said it in the locker room.”
Senior forward Jake Nosek also set a new career best with a game-high 28 points, and Watkins added 23 points.
Smith’s big game was well timed.
“It was good to see him break out tonight because we have a playoff game on Wednesday,” Watkins said, referring to the eighth-seeded Mustangs’ Class 4A Bolingbrook Regional semifinal against ninth-seeded Plainfield North. “Just finding him open under the basket will lead to some good offensive plays.”
While the Mustangs, who are averaging 62.8 points, rarely have trouble scoring, they were not pleased with Prospect’s 29-point fourth quarter.
“We know that we have to get better at defense because we know allowing 78 points won’t win us a game,” Smith said.
Smith, a three-year varsity veteran, would like nothing more than to end his basketball career by helping the Mustangs earn at least one more victory. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2018 and haven’t played in a regional championship game since 2015.
Plainfield North edged Metea Valley 56-54 in the regional semifinals last season. Two years ago, the Mustangs lost their playoff opener to Willowbrook 66-64.
“It would mean a lot because I haven’t won a playoff game since I’ve been here,” Smith said. “We keep losing in the first round in really close games. So I think we just need to lock in on defense and keep sharing the ball.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
