Maryland AD Jim Smith on student attendance, recruiting players with pro experience, Kyle Schmitt hire

Ahmed Ghafir
2 hours ago
3 min read

Athletic director Jim Smith joined 105.7 The Fan for his weekly segment to talk about Maryland basketball’s two-game win streak, student attendance, hiring Kyle Schmitt and recruiting players with professional experience:

On Andre Mills, Darius Adams, Maryland men’s basketball’s two-game win streak

“We always want to be peaking in February, so hopefully that's exactly what we're doing in going into the Big Ten tournament and be able to continue to play at the level we're playing at now. And really you mentioned the guard play…our guys in the middle, our big men, have done a really good job defensively and I think that's also helped us a lot in this stretch. And you weren't there last night to see the real positive emotion from the team at the end of the game. You can just kind of feel that these wins have taken a little burden off their shoulders, but also given them a little air under their wings and some confidence. And you saw them play with confidence last night, and I hope we continue to play that way.”

On the strength of the Big Ten this season

“There's no question this conference is stacked in every game is a battle. And when you look at the top half of the conference, you say perhaps any one of those teams can win the national championship if they get on a roll. And they're battle tested. I think that's what our guys are learning. They're learning about how challenging it is to compete in the Big Ten, how you have to bring your ‘A’ game every day. And I think that helps all these teams when they get into the postseason.”

On the lack of student turnout at Maryland, college athletics

“We know. Look, I appreciate you bringing up the students. They are a huge part of the energy that they bring to every one of our sporting events. Since I've been here in my short period of time, it's been great to see the turnout. We are focused on making sure that they have a great experience. I think when you look around the court and you can see the energy they bring. They belong courtside. You can make an argument, ‘oh, we're giving up a lot of revenue by not putting other people there’ but I think the students deserve to be there. I think they'll continue to be there. And look, last night wasn't - six o'clock is right in the middle of dinner time for a lot of people, including the students, so to see them all come out and maybe miss their meal for our basketball team was great to see.”

On the hire of Kyle Schmitt to the football staff

“Fantastic to have Kyle join the staff, and thrilled to have him. I think you guys may have referenced it a few weeks ago, and we couldn't talk about it, but it's great to have Kyle, great to have a Terp back in on the staff. And he's obviously [a] legend in high school in the area so [he’s] going to help us in so many ways.”

On recruiting players with professional experience

“It's a question that the courts keep redefining for us so it's, it's hard. I have had a couple of 40 year olds come up and say they have a little eligibility left. But we're not ready to go there yet here at Maryland. But, you know, it's a fair question and the NCAA continues to get redefined by every court case. We clearly - the coaches and the fans all want some stability. So getting some eligibility stability would be a great first place to start so we know what is going to happen. We know what players we're going to have over a longer period of time. The constant free agency is not great for building a culture, for building a brand around the team. So we'll see. We're hopeful. The NCAA had a win in Alabama in the injunction being overturned for professional players. So perhaps that's the start of some positive news for stability.”

On other non-revs into spring sports

“You hit on the big ones, women's basketball, men's and women's lacrosse, both playing this weekend. Women's Lacrosse here at home, men at Syracuse. Going to be - that's a one versus two matchup in week two of the season. So look, there's some really competitive sports going on here. Gymnastics will be on the road against Michigan State. They're having a great year. Tennis is hosting Richmond and Loyola. They're having a good year. Lots of good sports teams here in the spring having a good start this season. Baseball first pitch this weekend at UNC-Wilmington.”

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