By JACOB POLACHECK
Jalen Smith, the 6-foot-10 power forward from Mount Saint Joseph (MD) High School, announced his commitment to Maryland Monday via Twitter.
“To all of the College Coaches who took time out of their busy schedule to recruit me for the hard work that I have put in academically and athletically, please know that I am honored and thankful,” said Smith in a statement released on Twitter. “With all that being said, I believe that I can academically and athletically achieve my goals at home through my commitment to the UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND….. GO TERPS!!!!!!”
Smith joins Aaron Wiggins as the second commit in the Terps 2018 class. According to 247Sports, Maryland has the No. 7 ranked recruiting class in 2018.
“I felt like they were the best fit for me,” Smith told Rivals. “I felt like Maryland would allow me to get better as a player and as a scholar because if basketball doesn’t pan out, they have the field that I want to study.”
Smith is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 29 overall player in the Class of 2018 and the No. 2 player from the state of Maryland. Playing with Team Takeover, Smith has averaged close to 11 points, six rebounds, and a block per game this summer.
“They are going to bring me in as a freshman to play but I will have to put in a lot of work to do it,” he said. “I can help with their offense with picking and popping, and shooting, along with creating open spaces for other players.”
Smith’s former high school teammate Darryl Morsell will be a freshman at Maryland this fall. “We have a tight relationship. He is always there for me,” Smith told Rivals about his relationship with Morsell. “He is pretty much my brother. We grew up together. I knew I was going to be even more comfortable there with him.”
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