Four-star guard DeShawn Harris-Smith down to five schools

Class of 2023 four-star prospect DeShawn Harris-Smith tells On3 he’s down to five schools: Villanova, Indiana, Maryland, Xavier, and Penn State.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound shooting guard from Fairfax (VA) Paul VI Catholic also received offers from Georgetown, Rutgers, Kansas State, Iowa, LSU, and others.

Each of Smith’s five finalists has hosted him on an official visit.

Smith is the No. 63 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus, the average ranking from all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 12 shooting guard and the No. 1 player in the state of Virginia.

On3’s evaluators are higher than the industry on Smith, ranking him 45th nationally in the class.

This summer, the DMV native averaged 12.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game for Team Takeover (DC) on the EYBL Circuit. He also shot nearly 60 percent from the field and 41 percent from three.

Smith breaks down finalists

Villanova: “Villanova is a winning program right now. They definitely play the right way and develops wings like me every year. It’s not too far from home and they have a connection with my high school PVI and my AAU program, Team Takeover.

Indiana: “Great historic program. Coach Woody (Mike Woodson) was an Indiana alum. He really wants to put them back on top. He’s spent 34 years of his life in the NBA so he’s definitely a vet and could teach me everything I need to know to get there.”

Maryland: “I just like to have an opportunity to stay home and play in front of my friends and family. They want me to come in and play mostly point guard which I think is my best chance of making it to the next level. Maryland is recruiting all my DMV guys so I would know my freshman class really well and will have good chemistry from the beginning.”

Xavier: “Sean Miller is one of my favorite coaches. Their play style is exactly how I want to play, get up and down. They see me as a true combo guard so again, play some point guard. Their campus is set up perfectly. Everything I need is in one place and has few distractions.”

Penn State: “They have believed in me from the very beginning and have shown loyalty and real love to me. I feel like I would have a great relationship with the coaching staff from day one. I would have the chance to come in and start right away. Coach (Micah) Shrewsberry also coached in the NBA a while and has a chip on his shoulder to rebuild the program.”

Smith says he’d like to make his college decision by late August.