Chapel Hill
Malloy Smith will be keeping the family tradition alive at North Carolina.
The 6-foot-6 senior guard at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, announced his commitment to the Tar Heels on Friday, becoming the third member of his family to wear the program’s uniform. Smith announced his decision on ESPN during his father Kenny Smith’s NBA Tip-Off show.
“I’ve done a lot of praying and taken a lot of time in my recruitment, and I think the best (thing) for me to do is to join the Carolina family,” Malloy Smith said on the show. The 3-star point guard averaged 8.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season for Mater Dei, with single-game highs of 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Malloy Smith is the son of former North Carolina star Kenny Smith, who earned first-team All-America honors in 1987 before a 10-year NBA career and later becoming a longtime television analyst. Malloy’s older brother, K.J. Smith, also played for the Tar Heels and graduated in 2021.
Smith is the third member of North Carolina’s 2026 recruiting class, joining five-star guard Dylan Mingo and top-25 forward Maximo Adams. The class is expected to arrive on campus in June.
