DeShawn Harris-Smith Gatorade 2022 - 2023: Player of the Year Boys Basketball

“A physically tough prospect who gives all-out effort, he’s hard to stop once he gets going downhill. Harris-Smith loves to compete in attack mode. His jumper is legit when it’s needed and his defense is a major strength of his game. He’s productive across many stat categories and has great leadership qualities, which have helped get his team into the ESPN Top 25 rankings.”

Paul Biancardi

National Recruiting Director for ESPN

Athletic Excellence

At the time of his selection, the 6-foot-5, 208-pound senior guard had led the Panthers to a 31-3 record and a berth in the GEICO High School Nationals tournament. Harris-Smith averaged 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game through 34 contests. He also led the Panthers to the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I state championship and the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament final. He’s ranked as the nation’s No. 45 recruit in the Class of 2023 by ESPN.com.

Academic Achievement

Harris-Smith has maintained a 3.42 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball on scholarship at the University of Maryland this fall.

Exemplary Character

Harris-Smith has volunteered by performing maintenance and doing other odd jobs at a local convent. He has also donated his time as a youth basketball coach.

Boys Basketball - Virginia