Reading Resident Excelling for Division 1 College Basketball Program

Evan Smotrycz struggled a bit to settle into his role as a Wolverine. Now as a Terrapin, the Reading native is really starting to find his groove.

Smotrycz, a three-year member of the Reading Memorial High School basketball team, is making strong contributions for the University of Maryland men's basketball team after limited success playing for the University of Michigan. 

In two years at Michigan, Smotrycz averaged single digit points per game. Last year he transferred to Maryland and after he sat out the 2012-13 season because of the transfer, he is fitting in perfectly with his new team.

So far, the Reading resident is third on the team with 13.9 points per game, not far off the pace of leading scorer Jake Layman, who notches 14.4 points per contest. In addition, Smotrycz is the team's leading rebounder at 7.3 boards per contest.

An article earlier this season in the Washington Post said that Smotrycz has been "everything Coach Mark Turgeon hoped he would be" since transferring.

“If your shot’s not dropping, you have to find other ways to impact the game," Smotrycz told the newspaper on December 2. "Whether that’s rebounding, offensive rebounding, getting to the rim. You’ve got to do something. You’ve got to find a way.”

Smotrycz will be close to home this week. Maryland comes to Chestnut Hill on Thursday at 7 p.m. to take on Boston College. The Terps are currently 5-4 overall this season and hope to get back in the win column after consecutive losses, the last coming at the expense of George Washington University following a buzzer beater.

During his three seasons in Reading, Smotrycz averaged 14.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. Following three seasons, he enrolled at New Hampton Prep School, where he played two postgraduate years and averaged 14 points per contest.