Nick Faust, Junior, Guard, #5
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Courtesy of UMTerps.com
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 205
Twitter: @nickfaustLIVE
Collegiate Stats: Averaged 9.4 points as a sophomore
Recruiting Ratings: 4-star, Top 50 recruit on 247, Rivals, and ESPN
High School: Baltimore City College
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Freshman Year Highlights:
How'd He Get to College Park?
Faust was recruited by Gary Williams and signed with the Terps in October 2010, but when Williams retired in May 2011 he announced he was reopening his recruitment, asking for a release of his Letter of Intent just a day after Turgeon came on board. But it took not even a week for Faust to reaffirm his commitment to Maryland -- the only one of that recruiting class to do so, which was huge for a fanbase that had seen the class fall apart in front of them and was still reeling from Williams' unexpected retirement.
Career Highlight:
Scoring 19 points as a freshman in the ACC First Round game to help knock off Wake Forest. It was the most points by a freshman in an ACC tournament game since Laron Profit.
Dream Season:
Faust doesn't have the fanfare of Dez and hasn't made as many breakout lists as Jake Layman, but that doesn't mean he won't. His biggest strength could come from the fact that he's generally not regarded as this teams best player but has the potential to be. We saw him struggle at times in past seasons but his growth until now is very noticeable, and if he can put it all together this year, watch out.
2013 Prospectus:
Faust is unquestionably a leader of this team and a true veteran, one of just four players who have been with Turgeon for all three of his seasons here and the only one of those four who was recruited by Maryland. He has generally been known for his offensive ability, but Turgeon has been speaking highly of his defense lately, including the fact that it will be Faust's job to guard opposing teams' best player. He was forced to play point guard for parts of both his freshman and sophomore years, and with Wells inheriting that job this year he should finally be able to be completely comfortable in Turgeon's offense. Faust is a versatile athlete who will be an important cog for this team with his ability to both shoot it from deep and get to the hoop. After improving his three-point shooting percentage by 8 percent last season, look for that upward trend to continue.
Up Next:
Our next player is not someone you'll ever see handling tip-offs