Terp Basketball Recruiting Target Johnny O'Bryant to LSU?

Well, this...is bad. Per RebelGrove (the Rivals Ole Miss site) writer Neal McCready, Maryland men's basketball recruiting target Johnny O'Bryant will announce to LSU next week. I'll let you read the rest of it:

First off, I'd say you shouldn't put 100% stock into this. I'm not an old-media-"Twitter-is-the-devil" type of guy, but with a relatively unproven source, it isn't certain 'til its certain. JOB going to LSU is plausible, especially because they were supposed to be one of the final 2 with Maryland, but I wouldn't take the word as 100% golden. Of course, don't discount it, either.

Secondly, if this is true, and it probably is, it sucks. But just because it sucks doesn't mean its a Chicken Little situation. The sky isn't falling, at least not yet. Yes, O'Bryant was Maryland's #1 big man target - maybe #1 overall target - and certainly a game-changer as far as Maryland's lineup goes. Landing him would've been a lot of progress and would make for a lot of happy fans.

But Maryland got in on this one late. O'Bryant was a national recruit, and Maryland recruited him for maybe six months and was one of his top 4 choices, maybe his #2. There are no moral victories, be it in the real game or in recruiting, but this wasn't a collapse.

(For those saying that it's a bad choice, there's some logical standard here. LSU is down south, near home, and has a record of producing NBA players far greater than Maryland. It makes a lot more sense than, say, Ole Miss or even Mississippi State. It wasn't long ago they were a premier team. Maryland makes more sense to us, but it's not a "WTF" decision.)

As for Maryland, now the focus radically shifts. Assuming Nick Faust is still a Maryland lean, Adjehi Baru is the only remaining star target. He's arguably better than O'Bryant and his ceiling is almost certainly higher, but his recruitment is also more complicated and likely to drag out. Maryland's in his new top 4, but with a lot of stiff competition.

Also, Antwan Space, Greg Lewis, and Desmond Hubert all became a lot more important. Space is still likely to Arkansas, but Lewis' and Hubert's recruitments are still very much alive. Maryland needs to become major players there, and should probably take the first commitment that comes. After all, the Terps still have three scholarships open (two, if Faust commits) and they wouldn't be taking up JOB's spot.

And yes, it sucks that this is the second time Maryland's gotten deep in a five-star's recruitment and fallen one spot short. Hopefully that'll change next year; if nothing else, serious progress is being made.