Maryland guard among nation's top 20 freshmen according to The Athletic
Maryland guard DeShawn Harris-Smith was named one of the top 20 freshmen in American by The Athletic on Thursday.
Harris-Smith came in at No. 11 on The Athletic's list, one spot behind Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson and five spots ahead of Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako, a Rivals five-star who was also voted preseason Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Both Jackson and Mgbako were McDonald's All-Americans.
A four-star prospect and the No. 37-ranked player in the 2023 class according to Rivals, Harris-Smith has continued to see his stock soar leading up to the start of the 2023-2024 season.
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Harris-Smith was one of the Terps' top players during the team's overseas trip to Italy in August, averaging 9.7 points and 7.3 rebounds while leading the team in assists.
The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder has drawn considerable NBA buzz before even playing in his first collegiate game.
Maryland head coach Kevin Willard had high praise for Harris-Smith at the league's media day in Minneapolis, calling him "the most physically gifted player I've ever coached."
Willard heaped even more praise on Harris-Smith at the team's annual on-campus media day, which was held Oct. 17.
"He's the most competitive person I've been around," said Willard. "And that's a great skillset. He doesn't want to lose. He brings it every day and that is a rarity in today's kids, it really is. He's got a competitive spirit and a work ethic and that's why he's the best freshman that I've ever had. I know that when he's on the court, there's a fire that rages in him that he does not want to lose. It's a rarity in today's world that you have someone that young that has that fire and that passion and he's got it. And I'll roll with someone like that all day long."
Harris-Smith and the Terps open the season Tuesday, Nov. 7 at home versus Mount St. Mary's. Tip time is set for 7 p.m.
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