Jalen Smith
Jalen Rasheed Smith (born March 16, 2000) is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins.
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 16, 2000 Portsmouth, Virginia |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Mount Saint Joseph (Baltimore, Maryland) |
| College | Maryland (2018–2020) |
| Position | Power forward |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life and high school career
Smith was born in Portsmouth, Virginia to Charles and Orletha Smith and his one sibling Kiara Smith.[1] Smith attended Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, Maryland where he averaged 22.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game as a senior and won several awards, among them, the Gatorade Maryland Boys Basketball Player of the Year twice.[2] He was named to the 2018 McDonald's All-American team.[3]
Recruiting
Smith was ranked among the top 25 prospects of the 2018 recruiting class by Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN. He was also ranked as one of the top prospects at his position by all three scouting services.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Smith PF |
Baltimore, MD | Mount Saint Joseph (MD) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) | Jun 26, 2017 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 24 247Sports: 15 ESPN: 10 | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
College career
On November 8, 2017, Smith signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Maryland after verbally committing in June.[4] He selected Maryland over programs such as Villanova and Virginia.[5] As a freshman, he averaged 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He had 19 points and 12 rebounds in a 79–77 win over Belmont in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament. In the next game, a 69–67 loss to LSU, Smith finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five blocks.[6]
On December 4, 2019, Smith finished with 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a 72–51 win against Notre Dame.[7] On January 21, 2020, Smith scored a career-high 25 points and had 11 rebounds in a come-from-behind 77–66 win over Northwestern.[8] At the close of the regular season, Smith was named to the First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media and the Defensive Team by the coaches.[9] He was named Third Team All-American by the Associated Press and Sporting News.[10][11] He averaged 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game as a sophomore.[12] After the season, Smith declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[13]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Personal life
His father, Charles, is a retired Navy Chief.[14] Smith goes by the nickname, "Stix", though after bulking up for the 2019–20 season, he has been referred to as "Logs" by head coach Mark Turgeon, and "Thix" by Maryland fans.[15]
References
- "USA Basketball Bio". usab.com. USA Basketball. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- Cann, Harrison (March 30, 2018). "Jalen Smith made Terps fans excited about the future at the McDonald's All-American Game". The Diamondback. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- Borzello, Jeff (January 16, 2018). "Top players named to McDonald's All-American teams". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- Ermann, Jeff (November 8, 2017). ""Sticks" is on Board with Maryland". 247sports.com. 247Sports. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- Geary, Molly (August 21, 2018). "Jalen Smith Is a Crucial Piece for Maryland as the Terps Aim for a Bounce-Back Year". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- Markus, Don (April 8, 2019). "Jalen Smith will return for sophomore year at Maryland for a multitude of reasons — including his education". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- "Jalen Smith's double-double helps Maryland rout Notre Dame". ESPN. Associated Press. December 4, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- Markus, Don (January 21, 2020). "Sparked by Jalen Smith and 'street ball,' No. 17 Maryland overcomes 15-point deficit to beat Northwestern, 77–66". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- "Top Flyer: Dayton's Obi Toppin leads AP All-American team". FoxSports.com. Associated Press. March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- DeCourcy, Mike (March 11, 2020). "Sporting News' 2019-20 college basketball All-Americans". Sporting News. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- Oyefusi, Daniel (March 20, 2020). "Maryland's Jalen Smith named to AP's All-America men's basketball team". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Phillips, Scott (April 7, 2020). "Maryland's Jalen Smith declares for NBA draft". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- Markus, Don (May 28, 2018). "Mount Saint Joseph's Jalen Smith will have big expectations, big role as Maryland freshman". baltimoresun.com. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- "Jalen Smith Maryland Bio".