Maryland Minute 4.3.11 - Terp Recruits Shine in All-American Games

Here's a day-ruiner: the all-star game that included both Nick Faust and Martin Breunig wasn't on TV, as initially planned. Something about sponsors not paying, or maybe something equally disappointing. Anyway, there's little news on it, other than that Faust's team won and he put on a show.

The only write-up I've seen comes from the OG Terps blog, Turtle Soup. The news: Faust is great, Breunig is a work in progress.

Put simply, Faust did not disappoint. He's a fantastic athlete who is not afraid of contact. ...  He nailed two threes and when the game got close down the stretch, he wanted the ball. He did jack up an ill-advised three late in the game, but it went in. He handles the ball quite well for a two guard and also made some dazzling passes. The Wisconsin and Marquette fans that came with me were jealous.

As the game wore on, [Breunig] seemed to lose confidence. I'm not sure an All-Star game, where few fundamentals are on display, is a good venue for Bruenig. At times, he didn't seem to move with much purpose and appeared a step slow as compared to the other guys. Another cause for concern was that he really didn't mix it up well down low. He's a natural small forward and as such he's not going to be the answer we want at the 4.

It's a recommended read. In related news, there was another game involving two other Terp targets that was televised, as the generically-named All-American Classic in Houston included both Shaquille Cleare and Desmond Hubert. Hubert was on the East team while Cleare was on the West, and the two often matched up with each other. The verdict: Hubert is way better than I expected, and the jury is out on Cleare.

Hubert's a poor man's John Henson, in a good way. He's very long and a legit 6-9 or 6-10. Defensively, he was elite; he altered a few shots and even checked a few guards on the perimeter (seriously). He's way more athletic than I thought; he ran the floor like a gazelle, often beating guards down the floor. There are inklings of progress offensively. The most impressive thing was that he looked comfortable handling the ball; together with his athleticism and speed, that might be a fledgling face-up game. If Jordan goes pro or Judge isn't an option, Maryland could do a lot worse than Hubert.

As for Cleare (apparently pronounced "Clair"), he didn't make a lot of noise. He's very wide, though he looks closer to 6-8 than his listed 6-9. I didn't see the vacuum rebounding ability or consistently great post moves that everyone has fallen in love with, but he had bright spots, including a putback bucket early. Conditioning is probably something he needs to work on, because you could see that he started to run the floor worse as time went on. Don't be worried: it's only natural to struggle against older competition. He'll get his later.

Now, onto the traditional MM:

Baseball: Terps Blank No. 7 FSU, 5-0
FSU is a top-notch program, one of the best in the country. Sure, maybe baseball is only 2-9 in the conference, but these wins against legitimate programs, while only occasional, will help in the future.

Oh, hey, it's also their first win against FSU in the last 40 games.

Mass. QB Prospect Visits Maryland
Maryland needs a QB in this class. A.J. Doyle's only offers are from UMass and Western Michigan, but he's receiving some quality high-major interest and just visited Maryland.

Ryan Young paces Maryland lacrosse to a win at Virginia - The Washington Post
More on Maryland's huge, highly-needed lax win at UVA.

Torrey Smith Scouting Report
This guy thinks he's a second-rounder, but with first-round potential to go to a team like the Chiefs, Ravens (this), Falcons, Bears, or Packers. And hey, he might even get picked by the Skins if he drops into the 2nd.

Amile Jefferson, Southeast Pa. boys' basketball player of the year
Here's an update on Jefferson, everyone's favorite lanky 2012 Philadelphia-located PF. He's one of Maryland's top targets, but the competition is high.

The 17-year-old has scholarship offers from Georgetown, Miami, Syracuse, Temple, Villanova, and Wake Forest, among others. He visited with Temple coach Fran Dunphy and his players last Wednesday. North Carolina and Duke are also keeping tabs.

"The sky is the limit for him," Polykoff said. "I honestly think he hasn't come close to reaching his full potential."

Recruiting Report: Weekly recruiting roundup
No MM on Friday night meant this wasn't linked. Check out the Faust highlights.