Bino Ranson scanned the dark charter plane transporting the Maryland basketball team back home from a crushing two-point loss at Wisconsin. The assistant coach noticed a light gleaming from one of the players’ rows.
While most of his Terrapin teammates slept away the pain of defeat, Jalen Smith caught up on homework needed to pursue a degree in information science. The next morning, Ranson recalled, Smith was an early visitor to the coaches’ offices, before heading to the court to put up shots.
“That’s unbelievable,” Ranson said. “Most kids … they might not go to class the next morning after a tough loss and (having to) to travel back from the Midwest.