OSU Signees Make One Of Best H.S. Hoops Duos

FLOWER MOUND, Texas – There have been a lot of great high school players and high school teams to come out of the state of Texas.

So when a coach says he might have the most prolific teammate duo in Texas high school history, people listen.

Guards Marcus Smart and Phil Forte of Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas already have a lot of accomplishments on their resumes.

They are the reigning champs and are gunning for a back-to-back, and they both have invitations to the McDonald's All-American game. Smart will play in the game itself while Forte will take part in the 3-point shootout.

It seems a fitting way to end their high school careers together for the pair that has been together for quite some time.

"They've been best friends since third grade," Marcus High School coach Danny Henderson said. "They've been playing on the same basketball team since third grade and it's impossible to think of one without thinking of the other. They just go together."

And that's why it's only fitting that their careers continue to go together at Oklahoma State.

Travis Ford signed both players and will reap the benefits of a five-star player in Smart, as well as a player many call the best shooter in the country in Forte.

Forte has made it a personal mission to make 600 3-pointers per day before leaving the gym, and has followed through on that promise. It is music to the ears of OSU fans who will have to prepare for life after the hot shooting of Keiton Page.

And Marcus Smart, ranked as the 14th-best player in the country and third-best small forward by Rivals.com, will make an intimidating combination with fellow Texas five-star Le'Bryan Nash, assuming Nash sticks around.

Forte said he thinks he and his teammates can step in and contribute to what is already a talented group.

"We want to get up there and we want to win," Forte said. "We know they have great coaches and great players and we just want to join in as part of that group."

Both players can easily stand on their own as big-time recruits, and both received a number of gaudy offers.

Forte chose OSU over the likes of Kansas and Kansas State while Smart turned down offers from North Carolina and Texas, among others, to join the Cowboys.

In the end, Smart said he and Forte have been playing together for almost 10 years and they didn't want that journey to end now.

"When it came down to it, when didn't want our careers to end," Smart said. "We wanted to go ahead and play our careers together and finish out the rest of our basketball careers."