Karina Smith, the No. 1 ranked recruit for the Class of 2027, had a stellar high school career last season at Ontario Christian High School in Ontario, California, averaging 34.9 points, 6.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 4.2 steals per game.
An eager enrollee, Smith’s highlight performances both during the season and on the AAU circuit have garnered him national popularity and earned him recognition as one of the top recruits in the 2027 class.
The 5-foot-5 guard was named to this weekend’s Under Armour Next Elite 24, playing in a highly competitive environment alongside 17 other five-star players from the 2025, 2026 and 2027 classes, and he still did his part.
Though Smith did not take the court for practice on Thursday, she played a major role as a member of Team Fire in Friday’s scrimmage and proved why she is arguably the best high school basketball player in the nation.
In one sequence, Smith drained a three-pointer, dribbled past a defender for a shot near the paint, then found space to make another difficult jump shot to save a broken play.
It was a new environment for the sophomore, competing against tough competition, but the five-star athlete remained unfazed and proved to be one of the best players in the action on Friday.
What was the guard trying to prove by going on the court?
“[I wanted to] “Just enjoy the game,” Smith said, “instead of having too many thoughts in your head.” [and] “I’m just playing free because these are the best players in the country. And I still have a lot of time to improve my game and work on the things I need to work on, so I’m just going to show what I’ve got, fix the things I need to work on and just have fun.”
“I thought I played well. Maybe I could have made better decisions, but those things happen. But overall I thought I played well.”
Watching her play, Smith moves around the court at her own pace and her feel for the game seems to flow effortlessly.
“I wait for the game to come to me. [is a big part of my mindset]”I’m not going to rush it, I’m not going to force it, I’m just going to take good shots. I might take bad shots, but I’m going to take more good shots than bad shots. I’m going to get my teammates involved, too. So overall I feel like I’m a great point guard and I’m just going to go with the flow of the game,” Smith said.
Size has always been a major criticism of Smith, as he is just 5 feet 5 inches tall, making him the shortest player competing in the Under Armour Elite24.
But Smith’s size hasn’t hampered her playing style and she has found ways to deal with it, which was on display in Friday’s scrimmage.
“[With my size, I’m] “I just use my strengths,” Smith said, “I have a high IQ, I have a good jump shot, I can break down defenses, so I’m just using that at a high level, at a professional level, to stand out more than my size, because you can’t tell by appearance, so I have to stand out in a certain way to stand out from the crowd.”
She has certainly been outstanding over the past 12 months, developing into an all-around player on both ends of the court and catapulting herself into the No. 1 spot in the 2027 class.
“In middle school, I was a scorer but I wasn’t able to get my teammates involved. So this past year, I’ve just worked on getting my teammates involved. I feel like that’s really helped me in every game because when I get my teammates involved, it creates more for me.”
Now that he has a wide range of skills at his disposal, Smith is looking to evolve into a more vocal leader next year while also improving his feel for the game and continuing to earn his desired position on the court.
Overall, it’s been a strong year for the 2027 guard, and she more than proved herself on Friday, the second day of the Under Armour Elite 24, showing that she has the potential to be one of the top players in high school basketball, regardless of age.
