"I could play three positions": 6-10 forward Aleks Alston shares how Buzz Williams convinced him to commit to Maryland over playing overseas

Even though it is already late in the recruitment season, the Maryland Terrapins managed to land a recruit in Aleks Alston, a 6-foot-10 power forward from Kenwood Academy in Chicago. The commitment was announced on Tuesday, but he reportedly already made his commitment to the Terrapins a week earlier.

This is a big acquisition for Maryland, as Alston is ranked 104th overall and the 22nd power forward in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports Composite. He is also regarded as the No. 1 prospect in Illinois.

After his commitment was announced, Alston spoke with 247Sports on Tuesday and said it was Terrapins coach Buzz Williams who managed to win him over.

"Really, the staff," Alston said. "You know, my biggest thing is relationships, and the staff made it feel like home when I first touched down. Right off the plane, came to the hotel, and the whole staff was pretty much there — especially Coach Buzz. Not a lot of head coaches meet the player on the first visit.

"Also, the way they talked to me about my game — there were a lot of people recruiting me who didn't know my game that well. The fact that they were able to display that on TV for me and talk about my tape, show me situations where I could fit into their roster — that meant a lot."

"They told me I could play three positions — the two, the three and the four — because that's what my game revolves around. Not a lot of people have been able to see that because I was the biggest player on my high school team this year, so I had to play the five."

Alston also said that his mother is originally from Serbia, and he had considered playing professionally there but changed his mind.

I still want to play for the national team, hopefully," Alston added. "But I just felt like the best decision for me was to go to college. I can always go play for the national team."

Aleks Alston expected to have stiff competition for the forward position at Maryland

Aleks Alston is expected to have some stiff competition at the forward position with the Maryland Terrapins. The team is expected to field a frontcourt that includes Pharrel Payne, Collin Metcalf, Elijah Saunders and Solomon Washington, which may make it hard for Alston to get a starting job.

While hard, it is still possible, though. However, he admitted that he still needs to bulk up, get stronger and work more on his game.