The championship game may not have ended the way he wanted it to, but another Maryland basketball signee wraps up his high school career with a prestigious honor.
Paul VI (VA) four-star guard Deshawn Harris-Smith was named the WCAC Player of the Year this weekend. Harris-Smith finished with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting in a 65-63 loss to St. John’s on Monday night, but the high-flying guard has consistently shown why he’s considered among the top guards in the country and a key building block in Kevin Willard’s foundation.
“We go as he goes,” PVI guard Darren Harris said earlier this month. “He inspires us to play as hard as we can. He’s nicknamed that Dog for a reason. He gives his all every time he’s on the floor, practice or a game.”
Harris-Smith committed to Maryland over Villanova and Indiana among others and will get a chance to run the point in College Park. “I just like to have an opportunity to stay home and play in front of my friends and family. They want me to come in and play mostly point guard which I think is my best chance of making it to the next level. Maryland is recruiting all my DMV guys so I would know my freshman class really well and will have good chemistry from the beginning,” Harris-Smith said over the summer.
He's a DOG
Congrats to @thatdogdeshawn who was named the WCAC Player of the Year!
You're going to like him, Terp Nation pic.twitter.com/93VBn3oDwE
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) February 28, 2023
Head coach Kevin Willard was in attendance on Saturday to watch PVI take down Bishop Ireton, the former school where Maryland signee Jamie Kaiser Jr. once suited up. Willard was also in attendance for St. Frances’ championship game on Sunday, hours after the win over Northwestern, to watch Maryland signee Jahnathan Lamothe outlasted Mount St. Joe’s for a 78-75 win. The Baltimore standout finished with 30 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the win after being named a First Team All-Conference selection.
The two local guards will play key roles in Maryland’s backcourt next season after signing with the program back in November.
“We’re extremely excited to welcome DeShawn, Jamie, and Jahnathan to the Maryland basketball family,” Willard said at the time. “They know the culture of Maryland basketball and each will make an immediate impact on the program. They all play with a chip on their shoulder and a drive to make their programs and teammates better every day.”
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