Joe Smith's jersey number hangs high above the court at Xfinity Center, a reminder of his rapid ascent from a virtual high school unknown to national player of the year and the No. 1 pick in the 1995 NBA draft after his sophomore season at Maryland.
Of the 64 times Smith took the court in his two years as a Terp, the one that is talked about the most two decades later is his first official game. It came against No. 15 Georgetown to open the 1993-'94 season. It was the day after Thanksgiving at USAir Arena, the Hoyas' homecourt.