COLLEGE PARK - He has the quickness and leaping ability, the head-above-the-rim variety, that commands the respect of opponents and the attention of basketball fans. He comes from a school that has become a University of Maryland pipeline. He will be the only senior on next year's Terrapins squad.

Junior forward Jamar Smith has wanted to come to Maryland since his days as a four-year star at Overbrook High in South Jersey. Smith got his wish after spending two productive seasons at Allegany (Md.) College. Now, he gets to spend his practices pushing and shoving an old teammate in the low post.

And Ryan Randle could not be more pleased to compete with an old friend. Randle, Maryland's senior center and a key part of the Terps' bench during their national championship run a year ago, took the Allegany route to College Park one year ahead of Smith.

"The flame got restarted," Randle said of his association with Smith. "We're not trying to hurt each other. We're trying to make each other better. You have to respect Jamar's quickness and ability to rebound and his smarts for the game. You got to watch him, or he might try to jump over your head. It's like having an older brother on the team."

Smith, who should see a sizable number of minutes in tonight's exhibition finale against EA Sports All-Stars after playing six minutes in a 97-79 win over the Harlem Globetrotters last week, said the adjustment to Division I is ongoing. It started with a weightlifting regimen that left his legs feeling dead, and it has continued with the demanding practices under coach Gary Williams.

"It's a lot different here, totally different coaches. [Allegany coach] Bob Kirk really helped me to mature. Here, you'd better know what you're doing, because [Williams] points out every mistake," Smith said.

"If you're playing hard and you make a mistake, he won't make a big deal out of it. But if you make a mistake and you're not going hard, he lets everybody else know about it. He gets you going. I'm still probably thinking too much out there instead of just reacting."

Williams said he likes the way Smith is developing in the pivot with his back to the basket, although he hasn't ruled out playing him at either forward position down the road. The plan is for Smith to team up with freshman Travis Garrison to complete a four-man frontcourt rotation led by Randle and senior Tahj Holden.

"Jamar has got good inside moves, and he's also very quick at 6-9, 225. But you have to be consistent and go hard all the time with that quickness," said Williams, who has coached three Allegany players in the past four years. Houston Rockets guard Steve Francis started the trend.

"With junior college guys, they know when it's time to practice and they know you have to be on time. There's a bigger sense of urgency, because you know you're only going to be here for two years."

Smith prepared for his Maryland tour impressively. After scoring more than 1,800 points and grabbing more than 1,000 rebounds in high school, he helped Allegany make it to the national junior college championship as a freshman bench player in 2000-2001 - Randle was a starter and a sixth man on that team. Last season, Smith led the Trojans to a 32-4 record by averaging 17.9 points and 12.8 rebounds.

The Terps had been eyeing Smith closely last fall, but he did not sign early with Maryland. Then, when it became apparent to Williams that sophomore forward Chris Wilcox would leave early for the NBA, Smith became a bigger priority. In the meantime, North Carolina entered the recruiting picture, but it was too late.

"I was set on coming to Maryland. I planned on coming here even before Ryan made his decision. Then they won the national title and got all of the attention that comes with it," Smith said. "It's all about being noticed. And I think my minutes will be a key factor this year."

NOTES: Williams plans to give the younger players more playing time than they received against the Globetrotters. Seniors Steve Blake, Drew Nicholas, Holden and Randle each played at least 31 minutes last week. Williams also said that 6-2 swingman Calvin McCall will start again at small forward, giving the Terps a five-man senior starting lineup. "I wouldn't read too much into that, but Calvin is playing well with the other seniors," said Williams, who gave 6-7 freshman Nik Caner-Medley 18 minutes at small forward last week, the most among the freshmen.

Terps tonight

Exhibition opponent: EA Sports All-Stars

Site: Comcast Center, College Park

Time: 8

TV/Radio: Comcast SportsNet/WBAL (1090 AM)