Alton’s Smith, Cotto sign D-I letters

GODFREY - Ruben Cotto and Brandon Smith were teammates on a successful Alton High basketball team that went 24-7 the past season.

Now the pair of seniors are going in different directions to play NCAA Division I ball.

Cotto, a 6-foot guard, signed a letter-of-intent Wednesday to play for Saint Louis University of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Smith, a 6-3 forward, signed with South Carolina State of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

"I'm happy for both of them and I'm a very lucky head coach to have coached two great players," first-year AHS coach Layne Bennett.
Cotto averaged 22.3 points per game for the Redbirds and was the Most Valuable Player in tournaments at AHS, Centralia and Chatham Glenwood. He was a second-team, Class 4A All-State selection.

"It's a big day for me," said Cotto, considered one of SLU's chief recruits. "I think it took a lot of pressure off me when I (verbally) committed to Saint Louis."

He did that in late March and then got to play in the new Chaifetz Arena on the SLU campus Saturday. Cotto scored 17 points - making five treys - in helping the Illinois squad defeat Missouri.

"I really like it and I'm going to enjoying playing there," Cotto said of the 10,600-seat facility. "I want to be an impact player."

Cotto, a transfer from Miami, said the move to Alton was a wise one for him. "I got more confidence this season and learned to be a leader. I was able to refine my game," he said. 

Smith improved his game dramatically the past season. He averaged 13.6 points, second to Cotto, and supplied the Redbirds with an inside presence.

"I'm excited about signing with South Carolina State," Smith said. "To be honest, I really didn't think that much about it until today."

South Carolina State is part of an 11-school conference of historically black institutions along the Atlantic coast. Coppin State, Howard, Morgan State and Florida A&M are some of the other schools in the 38-year-old league.

"It's tough academically, but I like what they had to offer. It's a nice school with a good atmosphere," Smith said.

Smith, a budding artist, hopes to hone his craft while the same time playing basketball for the  Division I Bulldogs in Orangeburg. He'd also like to become a coach some day.

"I natured a lot and I thought I had a good season," he said of the past campaign. The Redbirds passed the 20-win plateau for the fourth straight time.

Smith added, "A lot of people thought we wouldn't win 8-to-10 games, so my No. 1 goal was to win. And I didn't care how we did it."
Bennett said he's proud of both players and looks forward to charting their future success.

"They have an opportunity play to play college basketball and get a free education," he said.

"Ruben was a first-year player who lived up to his expectations and had a great year. Brandon came a long way as a player, student and person. He was persistent. And that's the way you can achieve great things," Bennett said.

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