UW changed coaches; Smith changed mind

IOWA CITY -- When it came time for Nicole Smith's original college decision, the Iowa Hawkeyes finished second.

Then Wisconsin changed coaches, and Smith changed her mind.

"After I talked to their new coach (Bobbie Kelsey), I felt Iowa would be a better fit," Smith said Wednesday from her home in Rockton, Ill. "I was more comfortable with Iowa's coaches and players."

That feeling was galvanized when she attended an Iowa camp this week, where Smith - a 6-foot-3 senior post - orally committed to the Hawkeyes.

A senior-to-be at Rockton Hononegah, Smith will be reunited in 2012 with AAU teammates Sam Logic and Melissa Dixon, who will be freshmen for the Hawkeyes next season.

Smith tore an ACL between her sophomore and junior seasons, and that cut down her scoring.  She averaged 15.8 points per game as a sophomore, 9.0 as a junior.

She had another surgery on scar tissue in March.

"My knee feels better, but still hurts sometimes," Smith said. "I think my defense and my shot-blocking and my rebounding is fine. I just need to get my confidence back in my scoring."

Smith is Iowa's third commitment for the Class of 2012. She joins Kali Peschel, a 6-1 guard from Sauk Centre, Minn., and Kayla Timmerman, a 6-3 post from Wayzata, Minn.