VIP: Update on Local Four-Stars, Next Steps

  • Four-star guard Jamie Kaiser wrapped up his official visit to Indiana on Wednesday and returns back home today. The visit had to be cut a bit short as Kaiser and his dad made the trip to Bloomington. While Maryland and Indiana have emerged as two major players, a key aspect is that mom did not make it to Indiana but the same could be said for Virginia who did not get dad on campus. Kaiser was originally scheduled to visit UCLA last week but couldn’t make it given the tight timeline. That development led Kaiser’s family to turn the original unofficial into an August official visit, but now, that visit has been postponed—not canceled. That’s an important distinction as Kaiser could pause on next visits the next few weeks as he moves to IMG Academy, becoming the newest transfer, on August 24. The plan for Kaiser is still to visit UCLA while Miami is also making a push for the fast-rising guard. Auburn began showing interest weeks ago and that’s a new school that has emerged as a potential visit destination, as has Oregon who extended an offer just four days ago. What does that mean? As things stand, an imminent decision is no longer expected as he’s expected to push his timeline into senior year. Maryland assistant David Cox benefits from a longstanding relationship with Kaiser and the family and head coach Kevin Willard remains in frequent contact with the four-star. There’s still a belief that the Big Ten is the best fit for Jamie, but he’s taking in the attention to see where the chips fall. Which means that the other local four-star guard has a more imminent decision…

  • Maryland wrapped up their visit with Paul VI (VA) four-star guard Deshawn Harris-Smith on Wednesday and he’ll head to Indiana today for what’s expected to be his final official visit. After that, it’s decision time for the local guard. Maryland has laid it all out for Harris-Smith and the ability to become part of a potential local flavor in Maryland’s backcourt in the 2023 class is something Deshawn and his family take to heart. In addition to assistant Tony Skinn, head coach Kevin Willard has been in consistent pursuit and done well building a strong rapport with the family. Now, the Terps draw the end of his recruitment as the staff has been a mainstay over the last three months to position themselves in the top group. Maryland is a legitimate contender and look for Deshawn to bunker down and evaluate his top suitors following the Indiana trip. Villanova and Penn State are also under consideration alongside Maryland and Indiana.

  • Outside of the priority targets class, Maryland will work to get 2024 Montverde (FL) top-ten prospect Derik Queen on campus before he returns to school. The staff has prioritized the Baltimore native just as much as the prime 2023 recruits even with so much left to play out in Queen’s recruitment and the appeal to return home remains prevalent. Arizona has emerged as the biggest contender while Kentucky is already in pursuit, but Maryland is quarely in the mix. Maryland could also make a run at Link Year Prep (NC) four-star guard Trey Green after winning MVP at Peach Jam, averaging 16 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. An intriguing development in Green’s recruitment is Kansas State announced the hire of Rodney Perry, Green’s high school and AAU coach, on Wednesday. The Wildcats became the latest school to offer on Tuesday.