Maryland making some moves

Whew. How was your Wednesday? We spent most it of promoting our new college basketball season preview (available here), and want to thank everyone who wisely invested $15.99 on The Almanac.

And if you didn’t grab it yet, don’t worry. We’ll entice you yet.

Let’s get to the news.

THREE POINTERS

1. Fear the Turtle

Maryland has quietly compiled an impactful 2023 recruiting class this summer. First, it was combo guard Jahnathan Lamonthe, then sharpshooter Jamie Kaiser just a few weeks ago. Wednesday, the Terps added a tough, physical wing in DeShawn Harris-Smith.

You want a core to build around? That’ll work.

Harris-Smith is slated as a 4-star prospect who is an elite rebounder for his size (6-5), an adept, versatile defender and aggressive offensively, though he doesn’t boast a refined skillset. But when you’re trying to load your roster with tough players who make winning plays, Harris-Smith fits the bill.

If new coach Kevin Willard is trying to restore Maryland to its heydey, he’s off to a great start. For now, the Terps rank as a Top 10 class. And Harris-Smith is all in.

“Get ready to see me Jahn and Jamie put Maryland back on the map,” he told On3.com.

But wait, there’s more with the Big Ten!

Penn State landed 4-star prospect Carey Booth, the son of former Nittany Lions star Calvin Booth (now the GM of the Denver Nuggets).

He’s the program’s second-highest ranked commit ever, behind Tony Carr. The 6-9 forward was initially not considering Penn State because his dad went there, but that didn’t last.

“Honestly, when Penn State first started recruiting me, I didn’t think I would go there because I wanted to separate myself from my dad and pave my own path,” Booth told 247Sports, “but I was just really impressed with how they recruited me and showed me how I would fit in their system.”

Given his size, pedigree and burgeoning skillset, Booth could be good enough to build a system around.

Booth becomes the third recruit (but lone 4-star) for Penn State’s 2023 class under coach Micah Shrewsberry, who’ll be in just his third season once Booth is a freshman.

More on the recruiting front: 

• UConn added 2023 prospect Yarin Hasson, a 6-9 forward from Israel.

• Julian Bowie, a 2024 combo guard, says he’s heading to Boise State.

2. USF forward stuck in student visa limbo

Classes began Monday at the University of South Florida. But junior Russel Tchewa wasn’t there. Not that it’s his fault.

The 7-foot big man is still in Cameroon, awaiting the U.S. to approve his student visa, per school officials. Tchewa returned to his home country in the spring when his father got COVID. It’s perplexing for coach Brian Gregory, who says Tchewa also went back to Cameroon in 2021 — for the first time in four years.

“He did all the paperwork and everything was fine, his student visa was approved and he returned back to the U.S. after spending time at home. Twelve months later, he went through the same exact process and that has led us to this situation that we're in right now,” Gregory said.

“As of today, Russel's student visa has not been approved by the U.S. for his return — even though it's the same situation as a year earlier when it was approved. They said they needed additional information. He has provided that additional information. There is no issue with Russel. We're not sure why this has been delayed.”

Tchewa averaged 8 points and 5.7 rebounds and started 27 games last season. He’s on track to graduate in December.

Gregory had a zoom call with Tchewa on Tuesday but doesn’t have a timetable for a return.

3. Andy Kennedy perfects the class drop-in

UAB is no different than most colleges. Students reported in the last few weeks and classes got underway soon thereafter. Well, one freshman, Hutch Mohr, might be a little different. He’s a cancer survivor and a HUGE fan of the hoops team.

Enter coach Andy Kennedy. The man knows how to work a room.

But give it up for Hutch! I suspect many freshmen wouldn’t know Jelly Walker on sight, let alone Tony Toney.

SUMMER READING

Peeling back Syracuse’s sub-par season

Summer reading assignments suck. Trying to absorb info when your brain just wants to zone out is like trying to outrebound Oscar Tshiebwe. Well, good news. We did the assignment. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Sean Paul gives CliffsNotes on programs that aren’t Top 25 contenders but are worth knowing entering the 2022-23 season. So sit back, relax, and enjoy. 

The Syracuse Synopsis: It’s been an ongoing question for nearly a decade: Is this Jim Boeheim’s final season? He’s 77, his sons, Buddy and Jimmy, just completed their college careers, and he is coming off the first sub-.500 year in 46 seasons. He’ll retire when he’s ready; Syracuse isn’t forcing him out after one poor showing. But what does 2022-23 have in store for the Orange? It’ll depend on the effectiveness of their famed 2-3 zone defense.

Main characters: You can’t talk about Syracuse's main characters without mentioning top-75 signee Judah Mintz. He can score from all levels and makes some terrific plays when attacking the basket. His backcourt mate, Joe Girard, will potentially play an off-ball role, allowing him to focus on shooting. Girard has started 91 games in three seasons and went 89-221 (40.3 percent) from deep last season.

But the zone defense needs size. That’s where Jesse Edwards comes in. The 6-11 center averaged 12.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks before an injury ended his season in February. He should be one of the more dominant ACC bigs.

Let’s not forget — Benny Williams was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school. The versatile 6-8 forward didn’t play a huge role last season because he wasn’t ready. He’s an NBA-level talent and can rejuvenate his draft stock with a bounce-back sophomore campaign.

The conflict: Can the defense return as a top-100 unit? ‘Cuse was 207th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, by far its worst rating since 1997. The Orange are more athletic and longer than a year ago, but it’ll be interesting to see if that translates to an improved defense. Even an average (by Syracuse's standards) could get them back to the Big Dance.

Spoiler alert: ‘Cuse projects as a mid-tier ACC team. That places them firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Edwards and Girard should be steady, but the season hinges on if Mintz and Williams can realize their potential.

THE FAST BREAK

Links as you mentally count the number of things you can Quit Quietly.

• Kris Parker, a 4-star 2023 prospect, reportedly got a professional contract offer from the Australian National Basketball League. LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton both played in the NBL.

• Have John Calipari and Mark Stoops spoken since the hoops-football dust-up? UK AD Mitch Barnhart doesn’t know (and doesn’t sound worried).

• The entire men’s and women’s Marquette basketball rosters signed with an NIL Collective.

• Schools that want to jump to D-I may need to have a conference membership first.

• The NCAA has a new CFO and Senior VP of Administration, Mario Morris.

THE FIELD OF 12

Best in the Big Ten

We’ll stick with the Big Ten analysis, but switch to football in honor of the season kicking off tonight! Who does our crew think takes the conference trophy?

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