Sports

Flintridge Prep's Kenyatta Smith Scores 10 in Harvard Upset of New Mexico

New Mexico was a sexy pick for many to make the Final Four before they fell 68-62 to Harvard. Smith, who hails from Sun Valley, was second in the Ivy League in blocks and blocked two shots in the upset.

Flintridge Prep graduate Kenyatta Smith put up 10 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks to help 14th-seeded Harvard take down heavily favored New Mexico (seeded 3rd) on Thursday night. The sophomore center was also efficient, putting up his numbers in 19 minutes of work.

It was the upset of the day Thursday and now the Crimson move on to face 6th-seed Arizona at 3:10 p.m. Saturday in EnergySolutions Arena, the same venue for their historic victory over New Mexico.

Before joining Harvard, Smith had a banner 2011, leading Flintridge Prep to a CIF-Southern Section divisional championship and being one of seven players to be selected as a John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year, an honor that's also been claimed by Baron Davis, Tayshaun Prince, Tyson Chandler and Andre Miller of the NBA.

Find out what's happening in La Cañada Flintridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

You can see a video of Smith talking to Patch from 2011 to the right of this article.

Last year Harvard made its first NCAA appearance since 1946 and lost in the opening round 79-70 to Vanderbilt.

Find out what's happening in La Cañada Flintridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Harvard was established in 1636 and historians claim it is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from La Cañada Flintridge