Maryland men’s basketball dominating the Class of 2023 rankings

By: Connor Baratta

Maryland men’s basketball is on a recruiting tear for the Class of 2023.

New head coach Kevin Willard has already made a statement before coaching his first game for Maryland. Willard landed three four-star recruits in Jahnathan Lamothe, Jamie Kaiser, and DeShawn Harris-Smith in the past few months.

According to 247Sports, Maryland has the 10th-best recruiting class.

Willard was known for his recruiting capabilities from his previous coaching stint at Seton Hall. South Orange, N.J. was not an easy place to recruit players to play for him, but he made it happen. Coming to the DMV area presents less difficulties as a recruiter than Willard faced at Seton Hall, but by no means is it a walk in the park. Still, Willard has already proven that he is a more-than-capable recruiter.

Jahnathan Lamothe:

The first recruit to verbally commit to the Terps was Lamothe, who committed back on June 5. Lamothe chose Maryland over Georgetown, UCF and conference foe Penn State. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard attended St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, and is listed as the third-best recruit from the state of Maryland, according to 247Sports.

Lamothe is ranked as the 123rd-best prospect in the country and the 19th-best at the shooting guard position, according to 247Sports. Lamothe brings a solid size along with strong finishing skills for a guard.

Lamothe is set to reunite with sophomore forward Julian Reese, who played at St. Frances Academy alongside Lamothe in the 2019-20 season.

Jamie Kaiser:

The second commit Willard landed was Jamie Kaiser in early August. Kaiser is a big-time get for Willard, as he received offers from numerous Power Six schools, including Big Ten foes Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. 

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound forward is the 49th-best recruit in the class and the 10th-best at the small forward position, according to 247Sports.

Like Lamothe, Kaiser is from the DMV area. Kaiser enters from IMG Academy but is originally from Burke, Va. 

Kaiser brings a great overall skill set to the table. Kaiser can shoot and handle well, has great size at his position, can drive with physicality, and can attack the basketball beautifully. If Kaiser can continue to improve his speed, his game would be near flawless by the time he steps foot in College Park. 

DeShawn Harris-Smith:

The third player to commit to Maryland was DeShawn Harris-Smith, who committed less than three months ago. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound forward is ranked as the 39th-best player in the country and the sixth-best at the small forward position.

Harris-Smith, from Fairfax, Va. stays in the DMV as Willard continues to recruit well in the College Park surrounding areas.

Harris-Smith will bring heart to the Terps as a player who has a reputation of playing hard and wanting to win. His biggest strengths are his ability to pass and his elite rebounding skills. 

Harris-Smith will fit in nicely alongside Lamothe and Kaiser, as his strengths complement those of Lamothe and Kaiser well. Harris-Smith strives at attacking the basket, where he picks up fouls and heads to the free throw line often. A big area of growth that would help Harris-Smith is his shooting, as he isn’t the most natural shooter.

Recap:

Willard has made a splash at Maryland without coaching his first game. Adding in three four-star recruits — specifically ones with ties to the DMV — should bring life to Terps fans.

In a season on the court that doesn’t expect to be one of Maryland’s best in recent memory, Willard has done a good job of creating interest around the Terps. The already dominant Class of 2023 could put the Terps right back on track as one of the best squads in the Big Ten in just a couple years.