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Monday, April 30, 2012

2013 Recruit - Kentan Facey

Just a good time to bump down the bad news about Stog's crash and burn (pun intended) off of the Terps roster.  It's too bad he has to go, but so be it - rules are rules, and it wasn't a rule that is that hard to follow...

Zags blog just posted that Kentan Facey has drawn some interest from the Terps.  He played well in the Philly Hoop Group Jam Fest this past weekend.  At 6'9", 200 lbs, Facey needs to add some weight and strength, but his high level of play and sweet 3.8 GPA will draw in the big boys from here on out.

St. John's, UConn, etc., have already offered Facey.  Personally, I like Jermaine Lawrence's game a bit better, but a lot of teams are already in deep on Lawrence.

 http://www.zagsblog.com/2012/04/30/philly-hoop-group-jam-fest-recruiting-rundown/

Oh, and Philip Nolan's photo speaks as to why recruits want to play for St. John's:

http://instagr.am/p/KBvzTPKPUN/

Stoglin goes pro

Well this is not the way I wanted to start my week. Stoglin has decided to sacrifice his remaining two years of eligibility and enter the NBA draft.  Pankey tweeted that MD fans weren't going to like the news today, but I had no idea the news would be this bad - then I read it last night. Thank God Sam Cassell signed with MD because we have some serious points to replace. That top 3 finish in the ACC next year looks less likely after today's news.

The wing spot appeared to be a strength for MD next year. With the loss of Parker and Stoglin, MD is seriously thin. Positions 1 - 3 will be manned by: Howard, Layman, Allen, Cassell, and Faust.

Late Aprils fools joke by chance? Please!!!  I think heart broken sums up my feelings right now.

Could Stoglin's departure mean that the 2012 class isn't over?  Does MD make a late run at Savon Goodman or Jerron Wilbut? 

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/77060/savon-goodman

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/116035/jerron-wilbut

If Turge doesn't add another guard this year, I would not be suprised if he didnt add a PG and two wings in next years class.  2013 will definately be a 3 man class now, assuming 2012 is in fact done. 



Update:  Apparently Parker and Stoglin were to be suspended for one year for "violation of team rules."  Link here:  http://maryland.247sports.com/Board/67/UM-Release-On-Stoglin-and-Parker-9339893

Let the speculation begin..

Friday, April 27, 2012

It's Friday Lets Talk Recruiting

Before we jump into recruiting can we please reflect on last nights draft.  Did anyone else notice that only 3 ACC players were drafted in the first round?  Alabama had 4 players drafted, more then the ACC in total.  That is pathetic.  Now that I've gotten that out of my system, lets talk recruiting. 

Terps Insider did a nice recap of some of the players MD is after.  I agree and disagree with some of the comments and speculation.  Here is the article:

http://terpsinsider.com/threads/weekly-recruiting-roundup.1058/

Now that you have had a chance to read over it, I will give you my 2 cents.  First, I don't think that we will have 3 scholarships to work with next year and here's why.  I think Stoglin goes pro, opening up one scholarship, giving the Terps 2 to work with.  I don't think that Len will leave, nor do I think that any of the players will transfer.  All of these guys are Turge's guys or have bought into Turge's system.  Combine that with Dodd redshirting (That was confirmed yesterday for those that didn't see it) and you already have one 2013 recruit technically.  In addition Smotrycz will be suiting up in 2013 and will replace Padge. 

Therefore, in terms of new additions to the team, MD will be adding 2 forwards in 2013, and losing only one.  Mitchell, Cleare, Pankey, & Len will all still be part of the team.  So you will have 6 forwards fighting for PT for 2 spots.  If you are a recruit do you want to sign up for that?  I think the coaches know this as well.  Why else would they only be recruiting ONE PF TARGET.  Junior Etou is the only forward MD is seriously involved with, compared to 10 thousand guards.

Onto the guards....

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Early Tease to Friday's Recruiting Update



This is a nice read for a Thursday afternoon.  Good find by DJ.  Things I didn't know about the Harrison Twins... they were studs in football and their father believes that Aaron would actually be better at football than basketball.  At the age of 10, Aaron could throw the ball 53 yards.  Thats impressive. 

For all you football junkies, don't think that Turge would allow either of the twins to step on the field.  However, this could be a potential recruiting ploy.  Villanova & Kentucky dont have very good football programs.  Baylor has the strongest by far, but hopefully MD football gets back to where it should be.  Although neither of the twins will suit up, I would imagine that they are still fans of the game and would enjoy attending games.  Does this mean anything?.... ehh probably not but it's another selling point we as fans can ponder over.

Enjoy the article.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/18840892/with-focus-on-hoops-harrison-twins-find-themselves-among-nations-best

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Cap Classic - Tuesday Throwback 2010

Yep - great photo of our guys in 2010 - MVPe', Stogs and Hawk.


View From the Bench: Wide Body vs. Avg Frame (Photo)

Quick follow up photo to illustrate just how wide Chuck is - no coincidence - Chuck Barkley, Chuck Mitchell...boxing out will be no problem at all :)

Damonte's T-shirt slightly hides how much thinner he is than Chuck - look across the numbers and see the difference.  BTW, I'd bet Chuck is pushing 250+, not the 235 listed in the program. He will be 230-235 at the end of strength and conditioning this summer - yessir!


Capital Classic - A View from the Bench (Part I)

I enjoyed reading Nathan's post giving a recap of the Capital Classic.  To avoid overkill/overlap on a most enjoyable game and festivities that the Terps fans in attendance shared Saturday evening, I will give a quick echo of Nathan's sentiments he shared with us, and now give the down and dirty view from the bench -.Strengths AND Weaknesses from my point of view that night, keeping in mind it was only an exhibition game...my view from row 2 behind the US All-Stars bench:

Big to Small:

1) Damonte - Yes Damonte. Damonte was "clearely" taller than Shaq, looking a solid 6'9," maybe pushing 6'10".  He is a little bit knock kneed, his growth spurt leaving an impression on me of him being the newborn giraffe getting its legs under them.

Damonte is definitely raw in the areas of footwork and positioning.  He will need to learn how to use his body positioning better against guards driving the lane. In the Classic, the District team guards played with something to prove, as most were undecided/no big offers. They drew fouls from Damonte, taking advantage of his aggression.  The positive coming from his defense is that he was - yes, aggressive.  5 fouls by 3rd period; however, with some learned skills from the MD coaches, Damonte has the opportunity, and imho, ability, to lift his game.  Dodd had quick elevation on block attempts, and his vertical was impressive.  Dodd's FT form looked decent, and I would estimate his shooting will be limited to about 6-8 feet from the basket at this point in time.  I will project this out a bit - Dodd's offense will be very limited in ACC play, even if he redshirts.  I want to hear what comes back from the DCA games and a review of his outside shooting, if any.  I have the feeling we'll be pleased with his progress in a couple of years if he puts in the work - the staff was on to something.  I did not see it in the videos, but in person, I like Damonte's demeanor.

Capital Classic Highlight Reel

Courtesy of MarsReel. It unfortunately doesn't feature Seth Allen or Charles Mitchell. Quite a lot of footage of Damonte Dodd and Sam Cassell though. It also shows a lot of footage of Harzell, the 4 star Va Tech player who's status is now unclear after Seth's departure. Enjoy

http://www.themarsreel.com/2012/04/39th-annual-capital-classic-recap/

Sunday, April 22, 2012

How the ACC Stacks Up

I don't know about everyone else but I get irritated flipping back and forth between teams trying to figure out what exactly the ACC is bringing in.  More importantly, what are they bringing in compared to what are they losing. 

I came up with the following system to try and formulate a +/- rating for each team.  The scale will be based SOLELY on ESPN's evaluation of the player.  Players will receive a point value for how they were evaluated prior to joining the respective ACC team.  For example a 5 star player will receive 5 points and a player rated a 40 will receive 1 point.  Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to insert an excel table so this is going to have to be a list rather than a chart.

MD (A)
  • Players lost:  Mosley (-4), Weiss (-1), Parker (-4) --- Total (-9)
  • Players added: Cleare (+4), Layman (+4), Smotrycz (+4), Mitchell (+3), Allen (+3), Cassell (+3), Dodd (+1) -- Total (+22)
  • Net Impact:  (+13)

Saturday, April 21, 2012

MD picks up commitment from Shane Cockerille (QB)

Cockerille has committed to play for the Terrapins today before the spring game.  He is a 6'2, 205lb dual threat QB who is rated as a 3 star, 78, on ESPN and, high 2 star on 247 sports, and not rated elsewhere.  Out of all schools, he plays for Gilman, which has had 1 commitment to MD in the last 15-20 years.  He is a lefty QB who looks to have a decent arm, check out the throw around the 55 second mark in the video below.

He has also been mentioned as a safety prospect if his QB play doesn't translate to the next level.  He isn't CJ Brown in that he isn't a speedster, but he is more of a Cam Newton type runner who relies on plowing you over.  Disclaimer:  I'm not calling him anywhere near Newtons ability at all.  He has 4.9 speed as of the last junior combine he participated in, which if you want to compare things, is about .3 seconds slower than Andrew Luck.  Many think he will flourish in a zone read or spread scheme where he can take advantage of the speed he has with his legs, which is consistent with what Locksley brings to the table for offensive schemes.

He lists offers from Virginia, MD and Michigan, with high major interest from the likes of Notre Dame, Penn State and Ohio State.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Sam Cassell JR to the Terps (Most Likely)

Sam hasn't announced yet himself but based off of the interviews from the Capitol Classic I don't think there is any doubt.  Both Seth Allen & Damonte Dodd refer to Sam as a future teammate.  Damonte hits on it in greater depth.  Check it out for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTE1-IARY1c&feature=relmfu

"Sam he got a mean step back"

I find it very odd that both of these players would be discussing Sam as a teammate unless they knew something that wasn't made public yet.  Couple that with the timing of the announcement, I am 99% sure he will be a Terp.


Edit:  SCJr has officially re-committed to play for MD.  Rounds out 7 man class including the transfer of Smotrycz from Michigan.

MD Bball Assistant Salaries

Patrick Stevens has reported that MD's three assistants make the following each year:
  1. Hill - $307 thousand
  2. Spinelli - $207 thousand
  3. Ranson - $177 thousand
The combined salary expense is $692 thousand.  Under Gary, the previous set of assistants made $433 thousand.  That is a 60% increase in salary expense. 

I'm glad to see that MD is shelling out more money for it's assistants, as they are the ones that are hitting the recruiting trail.  They did a great job this year and I have high hopes for 2013.  The question becomes what is Hill doing?  He hasn't been mentioned as the lead recruiter for any of the 2012 prospects and I haven't heard his name for 2013 either.  I know he is involved with some of the 2014 prospects but the guy needs to step it up in my book. 

What are your thoughts?


Edit:  A copy of the contracts can be found here on the left hand side:  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/apr/20/maryland-mens-basketball-assistant-coaches-get-599/

-DJ

Capital Classic practice Video

http://youtu.be/iKQpVq4NXrQ

Enjoy.  Seth Allen is "surprising" everyone, but for those that actually paid attention to his recruitment you shouldn't be surprised at all.  Dodd keeps reassuring us though everyday that he is better than the first video we saw of him.  I still want him to redshirt though, for the record.

Spring Game open thread

Anyone making it out this year to the spring game this year? I'm very interested to see the reports and all the video that come from the game. I'll go ahead and break down what I'm looking for on offense and defense after the break.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Thaddeus Hall commits to Frank Martin/South Carolina

Well, Thaddeus Hall pulled the trigger before having an SAT score that qualifies him, and gave Frank Martin a verbal commit he desperately needed to get the ball rolling. Nonetheless, Frank Martin did some quick, aggressive work and charged in on other schools such as St. John's and Maryland, who recently had been more tepid than hot on Hall, possibly due to qualifying concerns. Braziller states that Hall's Jefferson HS coach Pollard says he's fine with a C average and taking the SAT May 5th. I love Hall's story as evidenced by my post last month, but I've read quite a few inside concerns on the two St. John's boards I frequent. I root for Thaddeus to do well on his SAT. If he qualifies, it'll be a great comeback for a kid who had to overcome major adversity in his personal life.


In addition, we know that Maryland and St. John's have been going for more sure bets at guard, with St. John's looking for a sharp shooting SG (Marco Bourgault).

Zach Braziller of the NY Post broke the verbal from Hall:


It seems that with Maryland's continuing involvement with a number of 2012 guards other than Sam Cassell, Jr, it has become put up or shut up time for Jr. Thus, I give the slight advantage to Maryland as USF still has two schollies to give out for the 2012 class, even with "high and dry" Rudd, Jr. coming back - while Maryland has only one - hence my lean towards the Terps. Plus, I think there is a 2A rule about only one "Jr." per squad allowed ;)

USF Roster and Recruits for 2012:


Ekene Ibekwe's Throwback Thursday Tweet


Great shot of the 2004 ACC Tourney winners. I tweeted to Ikene how I remembered watching him take extra free throw practice when practice was done and everyone else was gone. Ekene worked hard to improve his game all four of his years as a Terp.

Jake Layman/Under Armour Twins invited to USA U18 Tryouts

Well, after reading some chatter lately about Jake Layman playing against weak competition during his HS team's season, and how he's not as improved as the scouts said he was last summer, he must have done something right. Jake was just invited, along with the Harrison twins, to the tryouts for the USA U18 team.

I'll be curious to see if Andrew Harrison gets the starting nod at PG over Nate Britt. It should happen, but Nate still could somehow squeeze in there. I hope the Harrisons want to keep their against-the-grain #UA approach going come August/Sept announcement time.

The ACC placed 7 committed recruits at the tryouts.

As mentioned on the sports wire yesterday, Billy Donovan will be the head coach, and Mark Few and Shaka Smart his assistants.



MD Football - Offered WR Corey Cooper


Yesterday Keith Niebuhr (Keith from Rivals) reported that MD offered Corey Cooper of Raleigh Millbrook.

Here is some info on Corey. 

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Corey-Cooper-123414;_ylt=Ate7iyBWAVj5l90eRLjmpKVIPZB4

3 Star WR.  Ranked as the 45th best WR.  He has offers from USC, Vandy, Tenn, UNC, NC State, WVU, ... the list is huge. 










This kid is a stud.  Would love to add him.  Very nice size.


On another note, fan favorite Jalen Tabor made the front page of Rivals

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/

Here is the link for a video on Jalen from Rivals.

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1356765

Rivals 150 Chat with Eric Bossi

Shown below are highlights from the 2013 Top 150 Rivals chat with Eric Bossi that occurred yesterday.  All of the comments that involved MD or a player MD was recruiting are shown below.  I threw in the Torian Graham comment just for the hell of it. 


Comment From MattMatt: ] What's Maryland's chances of landing the Harrison brothers?
Wednesday April 18, 2012 2:46 Matt
2:47
ericbossi: 
They are certainly in the thick of it with Kentucky right now. But, the Terps aren't just holding off for them.

They are very strong with Philly PG Rysheed Jordan right now and have been turning up the heat on him.

Comment From JosephJoseph: ] Who are Uk's most likely signees from this group? Also, is it possible Andrew Wiggins reclassifies to 2013?
 
2:14
ericbossi: 
UK seems locked in on the Harrison twins early and is doing well with them. I haven't heard anything about a Wiggins re-class.
Comment From DreDre: ] With Villanova having it's worst season in almost 10 years what are the chances that the Wildcats can land the Harrison twins or Allerik Freeman?
 
2:19
ericbossi: 
Jay Wright's system has proven that it can work and it has proven to be very guard friendly. I'm sure that they will bounce back. I like Nova's chances with Freeman better than the Harrison twins
Comment From MattMatt: ] any updates on savon goodman and torian graham?
 
2:24
ericbossi: 
Starting to look like both end up moving into the class of 2013. I don't see either of them signing in 2012, that's for sure.
[Comment From SammySammy: ] 
What kind of class with UK end up with in 2013?
 
2:36
ericbossi: 
They are off to a great start with skilled power forward Derek Willis. If they can get the Harrison twins, then lookout. Can they get a fifth #1 class in a row, won't be easy. But I don't think anybody expects them to do anything other than recruit very well.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Rivals 150 - MD Targets

S/O to Maryland1206 for informing us. 

Rivals has updated their top 150 players for 2013.  Here are where MD targets stand:

Andrew Harrison - 2
Aaron Harrison - 5
Rysheed Jordan - 12
Dominic Woodson - 27 **not sure how involved we are anymore
Kennedy Meeks - 58 **
Kris Jenkins - 60
Stan Robinson - 88
Jaren Sina - 90
Junior Etou - 91
Roddy Peters - 108
Daquan McNeil - 123
RaShawn Powell (Pookie) - 132

A lot of names on that list.  I think this is Pookie's first time on the top 150.  Jordan shot up from around 30 to 12.  Robinson dropped from 40's to 88. 

Am I missing anyone?  Tyler Ennis should be on the list (4 star) but I couldnt find his name.  Not that it really matters because we are no longer involved with Ennis. 

Here is the link: http://rivals.yahoo.com/basketballrecruiting/basketball/recruiting/rankings/rank-2752/2013;_ylt=AtaaBpOm1kyp5kldIDapwdvVO5B4

And the demise of Oregon Football begins

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7819621/ncf-oregon-ducks-deny-drug-culture-eugene-espn-magazine

Disclaimer:  I take no stance one way or the other on weed, don't smoke it myself, but if that is your choice then go for it.


All I can say is wow.  That is pretty brazen of a football player to actually come out and do an interview while smoking weed with ESPN.  Everyone knows that the stuff is all over college athletics while banned, but it seems as long as players are low key with it and don't bring it to spotlight they are ok.  But seriously, an interview with ESPN?  NCAA investigators must have already booked their flight to Oregon.

Evan Smotrycz - What number he will wear

Evan posted on twitter that he was changing his handle to reflect his new number.  He decided he was going to change his number from #23 to #3.  Hours later he decided to change from #3 to #1.  There was quite a lot of traffic about him possibly wearing #3, given that it was Juan's number.  I personally don't have any objection to it.  If the number isn't retired then it's fair game in my book. 

That brings up a question though.  Is the number in fact retired? 

If it isn't retired, I wish he would have stuck with #3.  I think that would have shown a ton of balls.  He basically would be saying that "Yea I know a legend use to rock #3.  Dont worry, I am going to come in here and start my own legacy." 

Pittsburgh jam fest

Props to Bball Purist for sending me the link.  We are still working on adding other authors on the site.

While this isn't 100% MD related, I think many of you will find interest in the news.  This weekend there is a very large AAU tourney in Pittsburgh.  Both the Houston Defenders and the DC Assult will be participating.  They both are receiving #1 seeds and have a first round bye.  Both teams will first play at 9:35 Friday night. 

How will this effect MD?  Well I'm 99% sure everyone who visits this blog knows that the Harrison twins play for the Houston Defenders so this is an opportunity for the staff to watch a few games and recruit the twins to a certain degree.  Im not sure what the "contact rules" are currently for College coaches and recruits, but regardless it is an opportunity for the coaches to watch and for the recruits to see the coaches present.  Additionally, it is an opportunity to watch the DC Assult and Dodd as well as Kris Jenkins. 

Here is a list of all the teams participating:  http://www.hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/tournaments/under-armour-pittsburgh-jamfest-tournament-field/

Here is the schedule itself:  http://www.hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/17U-PITT-Gold-Web-Final-Sheet1-Sheet1.pdf

I am curious what members of the staff will be attending the Jam Fest.  Keep in mind that the Capitol Classic is also this weekend.  Given the number of MD recruits playing in the game as well as Sam Cassell JR., I would think that some presence would be shown.  Does Turge go to Pittsburgh Friday night, Capitol Classic Saturday, and back to Pitt Sunday??  He could very well be earning his Frequent Flyer miles this weekend.

In other news, if you haven't already heard, Larry Brown accepted the SMU head coaching job.  I was hoping that he would take some sort of advisory role with MD.  If he wanted to get back into head coaching good for him.  I am wondering how much success he will have there.  Danny Manning at Tulsa also interests me.  I wonder the type of players they will each attract.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

New 2013 Target (Guard) - Jon Severe

This was first reported by Therecruitscoop.  It appears that the staff is watching Jon Severe tomorrow.

Following Jon Severe's Dayton & Cincinnati offers, Maryland will watch the 2012 Long Island Lightning (NY) SG workout on Wednesday.

I don't have a lot of time at work today but I figured I would fill you in on the latest MD potential recruit.  Meet Jon Severe.  He plays on the same team as Uconn's Omar Calhoun and some have gone so far as to say he is the best player on that team.  That is saying something considering that Calhoun is a top 50 player in 2012 and has been invited to a few of the showcases. 

**Rivals says he is 2013 while Therecruitscoop says 2012.  I am thinking this was a typo.

I am still gathering info on this kid.  It appears he had an injury that forced him to miss significant time which is why he is undervalued. 

http://www.therecruitscoop.com/jon-severe-hearing-from-numerous-schools

Coming off an injury, the progress of Jon Severe was supposed to be slow. After tying a school-record with eight made 3-pointers, some college coaches are beginning to consider him as the best player on his loaded team.

A 2013 6-foot-3 combo guard from Christ the King in New York, Severe has emerged as arguably the best player on a team featuring UConn signee Omar Calhoun, top-100 point guard Isaiah Lewis and talented role player Jordan Fuchs, among others. One D1 assistant coach believes he may be the best player on the team – not potentially – but right now.
Severe has an excellent shot and can shoot from range. He can dribble well, but needs to improve on that if he wants to have the ball in his hands more often. Severe has the ability to drive to the basket and finish in traffic. He is also a strong defender, who continues to get better in all aspects of his game. The New York native has developed his game into a much more compete ball player, as opposed to just a shooter.

After being hurt over the summer, along with the season before that, Severe has had an unlucky history with injuries. At the same time, he is finally having his breakout year during his junior season. Because of this, the Christ the King star is now hearing from plenty of schools. He has offers from, “Houston, Xavier and Drexel,” with interest from, “Providence, Texas, Rutgers and Florida.” There are a number of other schools who are exploring the option of getting involved as his stock seems to rise every game.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/104849/jon-severe

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Jon-Severe-136572

Rivals has him as a 3 star with offers from Cincy, Xavier, Seton Hall, etc.

Clip from a NYC article:

That’s exactly what happened on Sunday night as Lewis was able to find Jon Severe (27 points) and Calhoun (22 points) open all night long en route to a 79-67 Christ the King (7-3, 3-0) victory over Xaverian (8-2, 2-1) in Queens in our ESPN New York Game of the Week.



Looks like Turge is after another shooter.  Good news is that he has qualified.
What do you guys think?  What really catches my attention is that he is overshadowing Omar Calhoun, which is no small task.  I love big city guards and it appears that this kid can flat out score.  He has good size at 6'3 as well.  The injury thing kind of worries me, but at the same time it offers an opportunity for MD.  We can get good value on Jon.  Without the injuries we could be looking at a 4 star guard.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Damonte Dodd - New Video

Well I guess Turge and Co. can evaluate a player a lot better than most of us.  Here is the latest video of Damonte, who is playing with the DC. Assult this summer.  This video is about 100% better than the video that leaked a few months back.  Im not sure if he has improved that much or if it is a matter of him playing with much more skilled guards. 

Another incoming big man, Damonte Dodd, had a big weekend at the Big Shots Event. Video: (via )

Thoughts?  I had been extremely negative about this recruit but I'm quickly starting to come around.

Evan Smotrycz - Newest Terp (Updated)

First reported by InsideMDSports.com -

Huge news this morning for Turge and the Terps.  Evan Smotrycz has committed to the Terps.  He will be forced to sit out the 2012 season and will be eligible to play beginning 2013.  Evan was a 4 star top 100 PF from Mass.  He grew up a MD fan... Im not sure why Gary didnt recruit him to begin with, but all that is water under the bridge. 

The Terps now have added another outside threat to their roster.  MD now has added 3 outside threats (Allen, Layman, & Smotrycz).  Thank God. 

Welcome Evan @_ev23

A bigger question is:
a) how does this effect the 2013 recruiting class
b) is the 2012 class finished

Thoughts?

ESPN did a write up on Evan committing to MD.

Here is the link: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7818975/evan-smotrycz-transfer-michigan-wolverines-maryland-terrapins

Highlights:

"Where I fit in was kind of a four man who can pick-and-pop and come off screens and make plays and obviously shoot it," Smotrycz said. "I like the way coach (Mark) Turgeon ran his offense. He showed me a lot of film of where he thought I'd fit in and I thought it was what I was looking for."

Part of what sold him, he said, was the chance to play in the ACC, the Comcast Center and the plan Maryland had for his development next season, when he has to sit out due to mandated NCAA transfer rules.

"I just felt really comfortable with the coaches and the guys on the team," Smotrycz said. "Maryland is such a big time program that it would have been tough to beat. I didn't feel like I needed to go anywhere else."

Smotrycz left Michigan after two seasons, where he started 42 games and was the team's fifth-best 3-point shooter by percentage of all time. - WOW ALL TIME

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Saturday morning wake up- Larry brown and Evan Smotrycz

Jeff Goodman has been reporting this morning that Larry Brown is now in consideration for the SMU head coaching job. How is this MD related? Well given the relationship that Turge and Larry have and the comments that have floated around indicating there might be an opportunity for Larry to join the MD staff as an advisor, I thought it was news worthy. I personally hope he decides a head coaching job is to much of a commitment and he would prefer a lesser role at his age. Larry would be a great addition at MD. It will be interesting to see how this play out. Evan Smotrycz begins his official visit to MD today. He posted a picture a few minutes ago on twitter. No other news on his trip yet. The picture is pretty sick though. Check it out. http://instagr.am/p/JZzJRuvXHY/

Friday, April 13, 2012

Bball - Zags Blog Article on Transfers


Adam Zagoria ‏ @AdamZagoria
College Transfer Wire: Who's Coming & Who's Going
For those trying to keep up with all the activity this year, this is a listing of a majority of the big names that are on the move.  It shows who is leaving and where they are considering.  It also points out if they have scheduled any offical visits. 

Harrisons - full speed ahead - from Bball Purist

Good find by Terptek.  Here is his commentary:

I hadn't seen this video yet, even though it’s from late March.  The Harrisons have well rounded games and are truly triple threat players.  The combo of size, strength, speed, vision, leadership and shooting ability tells me that Bino and Turge must maintain whatever they’re doing right and get our UnderArmour Twins in here and beat out UK.

http://ballislife.com/the-harrison-twins-are-a-backcourt-problem-best-duo-in-the-nation/

Q&A with Jalen Tabor

If you are new to following MD football and recruiting, a name you want to pay attention to is Jalen Tabor.  The local MD product is a 5 star Cornerback that plays for Friendship Collegiate Academy in DC.  He is 2014 recruit and would be the ideal player for MD to land to continue the stay home movement.  Shown below were my questions to Jalen and his responses.

1)  Besides football and twitter what are some other hobbies you have or activities you enjoy?

Jalen - I love just playing football and chilling with my friends!

2)  Name your favorite NFL team and player.  Who do you model your game after?

Jalen - My favorite NFL team is the NY Giants and my favorite player is Joe Haden. 

3)  Who was the first school to offer you and how old were you at the time?

Jalen - Tennessee was the first school to offer.  They offered last May.

4)  Name the three schools recruiting you the hardest.

Jalen - Tennessee, Maryland, and Va Tech

5)  What coach from MD is most involved with your recruitment?

Jalen - Coach Johnson!

6)  What are your thoughts on the Diggs and Brown commitment?  Did their decisions increase your desire to stay home and start a MD dynasty?

Jalen - Im cool with Diggs and Brown and their decision makes MD more comfortable.  It becomes a bigger school for me! It makes me wanna stay.

7)  Do you consider yourself a leader?  Are you quiet or vocal to your teammates on the field?

Jalen - Yea.  I consider myself a leader.  I’m vocal, but I also lead by example.

8)  How good is this flag team of yours?  Who else is on it?

Jalen - My flag team is pretty good!  We have a lot of D1 players!

9)  I know that you are waiting for National Signing Day to announce your decision.  Earlier we discussed Looneys as an option to carry on the local 5 star tradition.  Are you still considering that as an option?  Are you still thinking a big stage for your announcement?

Jalen - Yea I still wanna make my decisions on a big stage!  A Very Big Stage!

10)  Anything else you want to share?

Jalen - One last thing.  Go Terps and thanks for your time!

I want to thank Jalen for his time.  Jalen and I will be following up from time to time to see how the process is going.

Is it just me or does that MD Flag look like it belongs on him?




Whats going on at Va Tech?

First Rob left and now James Johnson, Seth Greenberg’s top assistant, is leaving for a similar position at Clemson.  Why the lateral move?

Smotrycz updates - From DJ

RT @insidemdsports Smotrycz: “I kind of grew up on Maryland. They were dominant when I was younger and that was always something I had in the back of my mind.”
He has been through the recruiting process before, so he knows what to say and what not to say when on an official visit.  I’m not sure if I should take this too seriously, especially given the sentence prior, but it definitely sounds good for MD.

Abner Logan went back and forth with IMS as well on Smotrycz last night before his official started today and said that he is good, just needs the PT.  Of course, that is a fball player evaluating a bball player so take it for what you want, but he said that he played with him in HS so he knows he can play.
I haven’t seen much else regarding Butler outside of that one random visit, so I’m not sure where that stands.  Perhaps he was in the area and decided to check it out to evaluate all the options.  Nevertheless, it sounds good for MD on Smotrycz.  Maybe Turge can lock him up a la Layman where he will commit on the spot and decide to not take anymore official visits.

Confessions from a Cubicle

I had been teetering with the idea of creating a MD based blog for quite some time.  This week I decided to go ahead and make it happen.  I was Charlotte NC Terp on Testudo Times.  If you frequented that board you know that I love to follow MD recruiting, mainly basketball but football is picking up.  That is what the focus of this blog will be, who MD is currently pursuing and potential targets.

Enjoy