Maryland basketball recruiting: The quest for a point guard in 2015

Maryland already received almost certainly their most important and high-profile 2015 recruit in big man Robert Carter Jr. earlier this month, but there are other positions of need they'll look to bolster in the class. Without landing another sit-and-play transfer (like Terry Henderson) the Terps will have five open scholarships, and have needs at basically all positions. Looking at who the staff has offered and targeted so far this recruiting cycle, they'll likely try to add a wing player, a big man and, perhaps most importantly, a point guard.

Ah, the point guard. The most important position in basketball, especially college basketball, and the one Maryland's struggled to find any consistency with for the better part of a decade. Incoming freshman Melo Trimble has the makings of a star but there's virtually zero depth behind him.

Mark Turgeon and his staff have prioritized bringing in a point guard in 2015, and the list of potential names has started to solidify. Let's take a look:

Kevin Dorsey

Measurements: 6-0/170

School: Paul VI (VA)

247 Composite Ranking: 4-stars, 105th overall, 24th PG, 5th rated player in Virginia.

Competition: VCU, Minnesota, Nebraska, Creighton

Highlights:

My take: Dorsey is the newest point guard offered by Mark Turgeon, and might be their best reasonable option. He's a quick and athletic guard with a propensity for getting to the bucket, especially in transition. He isn't known as a great shooter, but his shot has improved enough to be a weapon. On defense he's a pest who never stops giving effort constantly frustrating the man he's guarding. Overall, Dorsey is a very different player from the current guards on the Maryland roster, which might make him the perfect addition. While Trimble and Dion Wiley are methodical and cerebral, Dorsey is a spark-plug. Maryland has an in with Dorsey's school, as new Director of Basketball Operations Nima Omidvar was an assistant coach at Paul VI for two years (2007-2009) under current coach Glenn Farello. It's still early in his recruitment, but if Maryland makes him a priority, I'd think he's as good a bet as any on this list to become a Terp.

Bryant Crawford

Measurements: 6-2/170

School: Gonzaga (DC)

247 Composite Ranking: 4-stars, 76th overall, 17th PG, top rated player in DC.

Competition: Louisville, Indiana, Villanova, Georgetown, Connecticut

Highlights:

My take: Crawford is absolutely the best point guard on Maryland's wish list in 2015. For a long time he was regarded as a major long-shot for the Terps, but with the defection of Seth Allen, they've stepped up their pursuit and it looks to have gotten them back in the hunt. He plays for AAU Team Takeover, a local powerhouse connected to, again, Nima Omidvar, who helped form the program. Many saw Indiana as the frontrunners for Crawford, where former Takeover coach Kenny Johnson was an assistant coach for two years, but in April Johnson moved to Louisville. The Cardinals haven't yet offered, but if they do they'll become the team to beat. This'll be an uphill climb for Maryland.

Justin Robinson

Measurements: 6-1/170

School: St. James (MD)

247 Composite Ranking: 3-stars, 122nd overall, 26th PG, 2nd rated player in Maryland.

Competition: Virginia Tech, Illinois, George Washington, UMass, Memphis

Highlights:

I couldn't find any, so here's a preview for the 2013 St. James season that includes some stuff with Robinson.

My take: To be frank, Robinson is the kind of player that Maryland should be able to land if they want him. I don't want to call him a back-up plan, because if he's the point guard they come away with at the end of the process he's still a good addition; but I believe the staff has their sights set a little higher. As a player Robinson is a pass-first, under control point guard. He's unspectacular and doesn't do anything exceptionally, but he'll take care of the ball, get his teammates in position to make plays and can hit an open jumper. It's a pretty good thing if a staff's fallback plan is a top 150 player that's rated second in the state. It should be said that 2015 is perceived as an usually weak one locally, which is why so many of the major targets are outside of Maryland and DC.

Noah Blackwell

Measurements: 6-2/190

School: Roseville (CA)

247 Composite Ranking: N/A

Competition: Oregon State, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount

Highlights:

And here's another, because, you did you watch those?

My take: I really don't know. He has an offer, but Turgeon hasn't seen him play, so it's likely not a "committable" offer, meaning that if Blackwell called Turgeon tomorrow and said he wanted to be a Terp, Turgeon would tell him to hold off. I expect the entire staff to watch him on the AAU circuit this summer, and perhaps Blackwell will visit College Park. As a player, he's a similar enigma. His highlights look like a 5-star, White Chocolate 2.0, but his lack of ranking and major offers are concerning. Maybe Maryland's the first big-time program to see him play? Again, I don't know. This summer will be very telling, because a guy with a game like that will turn some heads at events. Like Dorsey, he's a very different guard than the ones in College Park, and that's a good thing.