Upper Marlboro Product Chosen in NBA Draft

In 1981, Buck Williams was taken in the first round of the NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets after playing in College Park at the University of Maryland.

The forward later played in the NBA for the Portland Trail Blazers from 1989-1996. Now, 30 years after Williams was drafted, another player with ties to Prince George's County may have the chance to play for Portland.

Nolan Smith grew up in Upper Marlboro and was a senior guard this past season at Duke. On Thursday, he was selected 21st by Portland in the first round of the NBA Draft.

Smith played one year at Riverdale Baptist before he finished his high school career at powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. He was the ACC Player of the Year this past season as he averaged about 20 points and five assists per game for the Blue Devils.

If he stays with Portland, he will join a team with several ties to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Williams, the former Terp and a North Carolina native, was an assistant coach for the Trail Blazers last season.

The head coach is Nate McMillan, a former standout guard at North Carolina State. One of the veteran guards on the Portland roster in Raymond Felton, who played for the North Carolina Tar Heels and was acquired by the Trail Blazers in a trade with Denver on Thursday.

"It's a dream come true. To hear my named called, it's the biggest accomplishment of my life," Smith told The Washington Post. "Whoever's on the team, I'm just happy to be with them. It's gonna be a fun season next year as a rookie."

Jordan Williams, a sophomore standout last season for Maryland, was taken in the second round of the draft by the New Jersey Nets on Thursday.

“I'm excited for Jordan that he realized a longtime dream of his to have his name called in the NBA Draft,” said new Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon in a statement. “It's a testament of his hard work and the great opportunity he had to play college basketball at Maryland. We wish Jordan the best as he begins his professional career, and we will follow him closely as he adds his name to the long list of Maryland alumni to play in the NBA.”

Smith, in an interview with Patch a few days before the draft, said he wanted to play for his hometown Washington Wizards.

His late father, Derek Smith, was an assistant coach for the Washington Bullets and played in college at Louisville. But Washington took Jan Vesely of the Czech Republic with the sixth overall pick and then took Chris Singleton of Florida State with the 18th overall pick.

Nolan Smith still became the latest Prince George's County product to be taken in the first round, joining Michael Beasley, Jeff Green (Northwestern), Delonte West (Eleanor Roosevelt), Ty Lawson and Kevin Durant (Montrose Christian in Rockville).

"Basketball in this area is on the national radar because of the competion," Smith told Patch in an exclusive interview earlier this month. "We have all gotten better" through playing against top-notch competition.

Smith grew up with Beasley, who was drafted out of Kansas State by the Miami Heat. Smith was part of the DC Assault AAU team that won the U-16 national title.

"I wanted to make sure I got a good education," Nolan Smith told an Oregon newspaper in 2006. "That's something that's always been important to me. My dream is to play in the NBA, but if it doesn't happen, I'll always have that Duke degree under my belt."