Former Maryland star and current college basketball analyst Len Elmore is very complimentary of the job Jalen Smith has done for the Terps, who have strung together five straight wins, but he says it’s another player who is the team’s X-factor.
Smith, a 6-foot-10 sophomore center, is averaging 15.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game for Maryland. He’s also building a reputation as a rim protector, as he’s averaging 2.5 blocks per game and has 54 total blocks for the season.
Elmore, a center at Maryland from 1971-1974, has been impressed with Smith’s rim protection of late.
“You block a couple of shots and then your mere presence has an impact on the offensive players around the rim,” Elmore said on Glenn Clark Radio Feb. 4 before he called Maryland’s 56-51 victory against Rutgers on FS1. “Him being on the floor gives the guys guarding on the perimeter more confidence [about] getting in guys’ grills and [forcing] the issue.”
