DEERFIELD, Ill. - The Trinity International men's basketball program, under head coach Boomer Roberts, received a major boost in the 2016 recruiting class this week, as the Trojans announced the signing of Mark Smith, a 6-7 forward from Riverside-Brookfield High School (Riverside, Ill).

"We are very excited to add a player and person of Mark Smith's caliber to our program at TIU," Roberts stated. "Mark is an outstanding student and comes from a great family. He is a proven winner who has been coached by some high-quality coaches, and we think he is an excellent character fit at Trinity."

Smith is a two-year starter for Riverside-Brookfield and Head Coach Tom McCloskey. The Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press Illinois High School Rankings at the 4A level. Smith has his squad off to a great start this season, as the Bulldogs sit at 6-1, with the only blemish a shorthanded loss to Gonzaga College HS out of Washington, D.C., the 23rd-ranked team in the USA Today National Rankings. In that contest, Smith had his finest performance of the season, tallying 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

"Since I first saw Mark play as a junior, I was intrigued by the combination of his strength and his skillset," Roberts said. "He has a strong base, plays with an edge, and has long arms and big, soft hands. Mark runs the floor well for a big guy, catches everything, and keeps the ball high on his finishes. He gives us something we will need next season, which is a guy who can really score it on the low block. We believe Mark can be a consistent double-double guy for us as he continues to improve."

Roberts and his staff are not the only people excited about Smith's collegiate decision. "I chose TIU because of the family atmosphere and an opportunity to play basketball at a place that will provide a great education," Smith explained.

Smith is the first signee in the 2016 class for TIU, which will return 10 players from this season's squad and will be primed for what could be one of the best seasons in Trinity basketball history.

"Signing Mark was big for our basketball program because there are so many talented players in the Chicago area, and we want to be able to keep them here," Roberts said. "When you visit Trinity, you can't help but see that God is building something special in our program on the court and off, and Mark and his family wanted to be a part of building that. We think the best is yet to come for him, for our University, and for our basketball program, and we will continue to be in relentless pursuit of our goals."