Maryland Basketball: Breaking down the 2018 recruiting class

Jalen Smith – Baltimore, MD

Center | 6-foot-10 | 195 lbs | No. 16 overall

Easily one of the best big men in the 2018 recruiting class, Jalen “Sticks” Smith possesses an outstanding balance of size, length, and skill. At 6-foot-10, he brings plenty of height to a frontcourt and also runs the floor extremely well. Because of this, he is able to consistently beat his matchups down the floor and finish around the basket or above the rim. In addition, he is capable of stretching the floor out to 3-point range.

Even though Smith might need to add some muscle before he dominates in the paint, he is already a solid post scorer who defends well inside also. A potential rim-protector due to his length and athleticism, Smith projects as a solid two-way player. He is also able to use that previously mentioned athleticism to snag contested rebounds for his team.

In terms of his role as a freshman, Jalen Smith will see plenty of minutes. With his high rating and polished skill set for his size, Smith should fit in nicely next to rising sophomore Bruno Fernando. While Fernando bruises his way to buckets and rebounds inside, Smith will be the big man who can stretch the floor and play a more versatile role. Overall, this duo could make up one of the best frontcourts in the Big Ten.

While Maryland basketball obviously projects to be very young once again this season, there is an abundance of talent. If these recruits are able to come in and make immediately positive contributions, then a high finish in the Big Ten is likely to come. Can head coach Mark Turgeon squeeze every ounce of potential out? It should be fun to see.