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Plenty to get through today, but let's start with the awards, work our way to recruiting, and then the rest.
Alyssa Thomas named ACC player of the year, Brenda Frese coach of the year
Sweeping the big awards, and deserved on both counts. This is Thomas' second straight PoY award, though shockingly only Frese's first ever coach of the year nod. Given how they held this team together in the face of so many injuries, it was really the only option.
Logan Aronhalt: Maryland's first academic all-ACC member since '01
I'll say it again, I'd loved to have had Aronhalt around for more than one year. The GPA boost doesn't hurt.
Dwayne Morgan with two in front: Maryland and UNLV
UNLV's quietly turning into a recruiting powerhouse, but you have to back Maryland's chances in that scenario. It'd be huge to get Morgan in with Trimble so early; that's the base for a very good class, especially if they take four or so.
Mark Turgeon makes Dion Wiley a priority - IMS via the Sun
Wiley can shoot the leather off the ball, and after seeing the UNC game, that's pretty much exactly what Maryland needs. While I'm still a Rashad Vaughn guy, so is half the rest of the country; Wiley would fill in nearly as well, and getting a local trio like Wiley, Morgan, and Trimble would be a heck of a statement about the direction Maryland's taking.
ACC tournament: Maryland women’s basketball weathered injuries to grab No. 2 seed
Back to the ladies' hardwood: the tourney starts today, with a battered Maryland team the #2 seed. Hell of a job to do that well, but the icing on the cake would be finally getting the better of Duke in the final. Gotta get there first, though; the tourney for Maryland kicks off today against Wake Forest.
Mark Turgeon receives endorsement from Ol' Roy, his mentor
Perhaps this will seem overly nonchalant, but it doesn't exactly mean much; coaches go to bat for other coaches as a general rule, especially when they're from the same coaching tree. Still, worth a read.
Randy Edsall wants RB Brandon Ross as an ‘every-down guy’
Maryland's staff loves them some Ross, but I'm intrigued to see the split between Ross and Wes Brown. Brown obviously has the bigger reputation of the two and looked great when the offense was running as it should've been, but Ross was actually the Terps' most productive back last year. It's a good problem to have if you're Randy Edsall.
The student section's massive Maryland flag
That is extraordinary. Hope to see this make a comeback next year for games where the wall is full.
Rivals' first top 50 for 2015
A bit light on local products, at least at the upper level; the highest-ranked DMV kid is Bryant Crawford, the 6-2 point guard from Gonzaga. But he's joined by Marcus Derrickson, Franklin Howard, and Leroy Butts in the top 50, so all in all a solid group. Obviously it's still very early days, but I doubt there are better names anywhere in the class than "Franklin Howard" and "Leroy Butts."