The Maryland Terrapins men’s basketball program is taking up a huge footprint in the DMV area since the hiring of head coach Kevin Willard. On Wednesday, their presence in the area continue to grow as four-star class of 2023 wing DeShawn Harris-Smith announced his commitment to the Terrapins via 247Sports.
Harris-Smith becomes the third major recruit from the DMV to commit to Maryland for the 2023 recruiting class. He joins guard Jahnathan Lamothe and forward Jamie Kaiser.
The 6-foot-4 Harris-Smith is entering his senior season at Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, Virginia. He also played for Team Takeover on the AAU circuit.
He’s the 39th-ranked player in the nation, according to 247Sports. He chose Maryland over Indiana, Villanova, Penn State and Xavier.
Maryland assistant Tony Skinn played a major hand in recruiting and landing Harris-Smith.
The reaction from Willard and others surrounding the DMV expresses the importance of Maryland taking control of the area in just a short time.
Maryland has been in the dark for the majority of the top-level local talent in recent years. Former head coach Mark Turgeon just didn’t recruit heavily within the DMV. After he stepped down eight games into last season, it was imperative Maryland found a coach that either knew the area or would bring in staff that did.
Willard did so. Right off the bat, he hired Skinn and former Rhode Island coach David Cox. The two have gone to work from the start trying to capture talent. Cox led the charge on Kaiser. Now it was Skinn’s turn to land Harris-Smith.
“The two guys committed in my class right now, I’ve already played with both of them so we already have good chemistry from the jump,” Harris-Smith told 247Sports. “Being a hometown group, we would have a lot of push and support behind us. Coach Willard is a great coach who does the best for his guys and lets them rock out.”
And rock out is what the Terrapins faithful are hoping. If Maryland gets back on track as an elite program, they’ll have to keep the top-tier talent from getting outside the Beltway. It’s safe to say they’re off to a great start under Willard.
