Maryland basketball battling Villanova, Kevin Willard for top recruit

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Once Kevin Willard left Maryland basketball for Villanova, there was a mass exodus in College Park. Both Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Rodney Rice entered the transfer portal, and so did most of the bench. But the Terrapins' lone 2025 recruit also re-opened his recruitment.

Chris Jeffrey, a 6-3 combo-guard, opened his recruitment up once Willard left to look around. Now with Buzz Williams as the new head coach of the Terps, Jeffrey is considering Maryland once again. According to 247Sports, Jeffrey is set to decide between Villanova and Maryland.

NEWS: Chris Jeffrey, a four-star prospect and former Maryland commit is now down to just two schools he tells @247Sports

Jeffrey reopened his recruitment following the coaching change at Maryland.

Story: https://t.co/EnzNkTD4Wp pic.twitter.com/quWI3mo5e7

— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) April 2, 2025

Jeffrey committed to Maryland back in October. It was a big win for the Terrapins to keep the Maryland native in the state and get him to College Park. According to the Composite, he is the 138th-ranked player in the country, If Williams could retain Jeffrey, that would be his first major win as the Mayland head coach and it would come against Willard.

Here is 247Sports' scouting report on Jeffrey:

Jeffrey is an ultra-competitive and consistently productive power guard. He stuffs a stat sheet like few other guards in the country and averaged 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and almost 2 steals per game during the EYBL season. He has good backcourt size at 6-foot-3, a very strong build, and plays with both a high-motor and extreme physicality. His intangibles and leadership skills are off the charts as he sets the tone on both ends of the floor.

While he’s not a conventional point guard, he’s often played with the ball in his hands. He’s capable of initiating offense, but can be turnover prone when asked to be the primary handler. He excels at getting downhill, playing through contact to get paint touches, and snapping kick-out passes once he collapses the lane. He’s also comfortable stopping for mid-range pull-ups, but an inconsistent three-point shooter with questionable, set-shot type, mechanics (30% 3pt in EYBL while averaging just one made three every two games).

Jeffrey is a very aggressive defender who gets after people on that end of the floor and is capable of forcing turnovers. His physical strength also gives him the versatility to switch onto bigger players, while he is also an excellent rebounding guard.

Overall, he may not have the most polished skill-set or a ton of wiggle, but he’s the type of player who raises the level of everyone around him and is consistently productive because of his physicality, toughness, motor, and aggressive two-way floor game.

247Sports

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