LEONARDTOWN, MD – St. Mary’s County Government’s Department of Recreation & Parks (R&P) is proud to announce the 2025 Will Smith Leadership Award recipients. Recipients received their awards at a ceremony held on February 16, 2025, at Great Mills High School
The Will Smith Leadership Award was established in 2009 to recognize 8th grade participants in the St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks youth basketball program. The award is named after R&P basketball alumnus Will Smith, who lost his life on September 21, 2008, while he was a student at Becker College in Massachusetts. The ceremony was attended by Will’s parents, Jeanne and William, and his brother, Timothy. Awards were presented by Raymond Bivens, Director of St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks.
“Presenting this award to these young men and women is medicine for us,” said Jeanne Smith, Will’s mother. “Will was a hurricane—for 19 years he went through life with the biggest smile, offering a hand to anybody.”
The award recognizes players who participate in the league from 6th-8th grades and demonstrate sportsmanship, passion for the game, and leadership on and off the court.
The 2025 Recipients of the Will Smith Leadership Award are:
- Aiden Mills
- Alex Pope
- Antonio White
- Blake Fleming
- Brody Lynch
- Brooklyn Gray
- Chandler Boyd
- Cooper Wieber
- Demi Carroll
- Desiree Dyson
- Gaige Wenk
- Jack Loewe
- Jacob Copeland
- Jamar Somerville
- Jamarion Jefferson
- Keimari Baskin
- Kendrick Berry
- Khloe Jarman
- Liam Klier
- Makhai Berry
- Maxwell Shubrooks
- Nasir Hebb
- Noah Earhart
- Quintin Dorn
To learn more about R&P youth sports leagues, including the youth basketball program, visit www.stmaryscountymd.gov/recreate.
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