Services set July 7 for former Maine West basketball star Jim Smith

Posted June 27, 2018 1:00 am

Daily Herald News Services

Jim "Smitty" Smith, a basketball star at Maine West High School in the early 1960s and later at Northern Illinois University, died Friday in St. Louis from kidney cancer at age 71.

At NIU, the 6-foot-7 Smith, whose full name was Raymond James Smith, earned a spot on the 36-player NIU All-Century Team in 2000-01 and three halls of fame. Smith, who still ranks among the all-time NIU leaders in scoring and rebounding averages, was a 1969 NBA draft pick (ninth-round) by the Lakers) and ABA (fifth-round by the Miami Floridians).

As a senior at Maine West, Smith led coach Gaston Freeman's Warriors to a 22-3 season in 1965, and they won the first two Mid-Suburban League titles in 1964 and 1965.

Smith's service is set for Saturday, July 7, at 9:30 a.m. at the St. Isidore Parish, 431 West Army Trail Road, Bloomingdale, IL.

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