Finishing Up Maryland's 2010 Recruiting Class: Where Do Terps Go From Here?
Juvonte Reddic has committed to VCU. C.J. Leslie isn't heading to Maryland. Eric McKnight is falling off the radar. Where does that leave Maryland for 2010 basketball recruiting?
Well, I can tell you where it leaves most fans: in the dark. It's possible that Gary Williams is content with a somewhat balanced five man class (two guards, two wings, one post player) and decides to stop it there. But Maryland still has an available scholarship, and they might sniff around using it. That doesn't necessarily mean they will, or even that they're likely to, but it's certainly still an option. Personally, I'd be surprised if they didn't go after at least one more player, but I've been wrong before.
As to who they'll pursue? That's the million dollar question. There aren't a lot of obvious options at this point; most have committed elsewhere by now. We do know that Gary and Co. would probably go after a post player (seeing how that's the only imbalance in the class), and that there isn't a lot to choose from in terms of elite post players.
The best available is Luke Cothron out of Alabama, a former N.C. State commitment who decommitted a few days ago reportedly due to concerns about a possible C.J. Leslie commitment, which would result in decreased playing time for him. But he's very interested in Kentucky and Alabama, and reportedly has attitude concerns (as evidenced by the whole decommitting thing). That probably means he's not an option. I figured I'd throw the name out there, though, just so you were familiar with it.
With him essentially off the board, it begins to get more sketchy. Jon Graham is a familiar ol' name, but I would imagine that if they were going that route ("easy" local get) that McKnight would be a more prominent option.
Another familiar name might be Aziz N'Diaye, a JuCo center out of Idaho. He has legit size (7-0) and is a three star on Rivals. You don't hear a lot about Maryland being connected to him anymore, but the name has been thrown around in the past, so it's worth keeping an eye on.
ESPN recently published an article that detailed the best under-the-radar post players in the country. While there are a few ringers in that article that are hardly "sleepers" (Maurice Walker, Enes Kanter, and Kadeem Jack are all very well-known commodities), others could be options. Gorgui Sy Dieng, a 6-9 center, has been lightly recruited, with his only offers from Louisville and Marshall, and so could be a possible option. The name that really caught my eye was Brice Kofane, a teammate of Mychal Parker and ex-target Hippolyte Tsafack. He's a little on the thin side, but is extremely athletic and an energy player that would thrive in an up-and-down game. He's also a great student, which is never a bad thing given that whole '8%" controversy. The Parker connection can only help.
Either way, I expect Maryland's to coaches to wrap it up soon and move on to 2011, where they could use a big-time impact player to pair with a senior Sean Mosley and a junior Jordan Williams; get one more impact player, and that's an elite team. To do so, they'll need to recruit hard, and that means tme is needed. That being the case, I don't expect too much in the way of mid-April recruitments again.
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goos article
I don’t know anything about any of those players, but having 6 players in one class seems over doing it. I agree that we do need an impact player to add with Mosley and Williams. Maybe Stoglin or Parker fill that?
Am I the only person that is a little underwhelmed by our 2010 class? Damn that T-Ross de-commitment hurt. I’m intrigued by Stoglin and Howard, I think Parker will eventually be solid, but it would be nice to get the stud recruit (yes, I know stud recruit does not equal success at UMD). I’m just worried about Pankey’s recovery from his leg injury, and perhaps a little skeptical about some kid from Iceland making a meaningful impact in the ACC.
If Goins leaves then we’re looking at two spots. Maybe a Juco PF for this year and save the other for 2011.
We’ve got bigger fish to fry than a juco power forward for this year. I’m pretty convinced we’re going to land Hopkins or Hubert in 2011 with all of the talk out there and Cook seems like a possibility also. I just don’t think we need to add another big body for the sake of adding one. We’re going to be undersized next year but it’s just a fact we’re going to have to deal with like we did the past 2 years. I’m expecting all of our bigs to show marked improvement though.
On insidemdsports.com
Quinn Cook mentions his devestation at Marylands loss. That could potentially be a sign of his liking of MD.
Did anybody notice Maryland has two incoming players who were heavily recruited by Harvard (Howard, Iceman). Like everybody else on this blog, I want the Terps to win, but I am glad Maryland is pursuing guys that have proven they can get it done in the classroom. There is more to college than basketball.
The PG position will be intersting competition between Stoglin and Howard. I don’t see Cook coming to Maryland with two PGs on the team. That said, my vote for best player out of the incoming recruits is Parker. While it is true he played against inferior competition in high school, his natuaral ability can be jaw dropping. He’ll start his sophomore year.
As for one more player, a JUCO does in fact make more sense unless Maryland can land a legit big man, like Kofane, Hippo or Dieng. Thanks for the recruiting update.
I noticed that (Harvard) as well
Kofane is on their radar too, I believe. Our basketball team is turning into a mini-Ivy.
I’m just saying, a 6 man class is a bit much in my opinion. Sometimes you just have to go into a season knowing that you’re going to be a bit undermanned. If we were to pick up a juco power forward now it might turn away Hopkins or Hubert in 2011. I don’t want an inferior player just because they can play next year.
Serious Rebounders Need Apply!
Ben – The Terps have a great need for someone to clean up the boards with Jordan. All season the lament was how often they lost the rebound battle. I don’t see that person on the team right now or among the incoming class.
Shouldn’t that be the concern and isn’t it reason enough to keep recruiting? To my thinking it’s pretty crucial that this matter be addressed if the team’s going to be able to maintain anything close to their level of play in 2010-2011.
Sure it can be argued that UM got by with just J-Dub this past season, so maybe they can get be again with a sub-par rebounding team, but should anyone be satified with “get by” if substantial improvement is out there?

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