Maryland men’s basketball forward Jalen Smith earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday after averaging 15 points and nine rebounds in his first two games of college basketball.
A five-star recruit from Baltimore, Smith was the highlight of coach Mark Turgeon’s 2018 class. He’s started each of Maryland’s first two games, and his 19-point, 13-rebound performance in the season opener against Delaware made him the first Terp to start his career with a double-double since Buck Williams in 1978.
“Jalen’s a great player,” Turgeon said after the 73-67 win. “Defensively he did a good job … and he rebounded well.”
[Read more: Bruno Fernando was a force when he was on the floor, but foul trouble kept him off it]
The 6-foot-10 Smith has three blocks through the first two games and has been a key player protecting the rim alongside forward Bruno Fernando. Fernando has also battled foul trouble in the first two games, adding to Smith’s minutes and workload.
Smith scored 11 points and had five rebounds in the Terps’ 78-57 win over Navy on Friday.
[Read more: Mark Turgeon wanted more from Darryl Morsell, so he benched him. It worked.]
“Being with him every day at practice and seeing him doing those things over and over, I expected him to do it in the game,” Fernando said after beating the Blue Hens. “I wasn’t surprised by anything he did. I knew he was going to step up any time.”
