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The summer open recruiting period is well underway and the Maryland basketball staff has been busy. With the coaches spread out far and wide around the country, they've seen enough to extend three new class of 2015 offers, all to guards.
What's most interesting about the three new(ish) Terp targets is that they all have very different styles of play. Let's get right to it.
Glynn Watson - Saint Joseph's High School (Illinois), 5-11/160
We've known for a while that perhaps Maryland's top need in the class of 2015 is a point guard. Incoming freshman Melo Trimble figures to be a fantastic player, but is also the only player on the roster capable of running the point. The Terps' main point guard targets have been Justin Robinson and Kevin Dorsey, but with Dorsey committing to Minnesota recently, Robinson stood alone. Maryland has a very good shot at landing the 3-star Robinson, but putting all your recruiting eggs in one basket is rarely a good idea. This is where we get to Glynn Watson.
Watson, a 4-star point guard from Illinois, hadn't been a name mentioned alongside Maryland until very recently, but after an impressive showing in front of Mark Turgeon at an AAU event last week, the coach formally offered him a scholarship on July 14th.
Blessed to get a offer for Maryland
— Glynn Watson (@Glynn_Watson30) July 14, 2014
In an interview with Nick Medline of ZAGSBLOG Watson says Turgeon compared him to former star Texas A&M point guard, and eventual lottery pick, Acie Law IV.
Of the three new offers, Watson is the "truest" point guard. He's quick, smooth and has a nice jump shot, especially from midrange. He's also athletic enough, shows a good ability to penetrate and finish around the rim and tends to make smart decisions with his passing.
As a late arrival to the recruiting process, Maryland looks to have some ground to catch up on the perceived frontrunners Creighton, Nebraska and Purdue.
Eric Davis - Arthur Hill High School (Michigan), 6-3/165
Eric Davis is much more of a combo guard than Watson. The 4-star from Michigan is a fantastic scorer as well as a very good passer. He definitely looks to score first, but, man, so would I if I could do it as well as Davis.
Maryland offered on July 15th, but, like with Watson, will be hard pressed to catch up to the programs that've been after him for much longer. The difference being that while Maryland might like their chances against the likes of Creighton, Nebraska and Purdue, the leaders for Davis seem to be Michigan State, NC State, UCLA and UNLV.
Prince Ali - The Sagemont School (Florida), 6-4/190
Prince Ali, a 4-star shooting guard, was a Maryland target before committing to UCONN in November. Upon decommitting from the national champs in May, the Terps jumped right back into contention and officially offered a scholarship on July 15th (seeing a trend?).
Ali is both my favorite of the three new offers and the most likely to be a Terp (the two most recent 247 Crystal Ball picks are for Maryland, by IMS manager Jeff Ermann and somebody named "Volk"? Sounds made up). He's an explosive athlete that throws down highlight reel dunks with regularity, as well as a good shooter who's hit ~40% from three so far this summer.
Already a top 40 2015 player, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ali rise in the rankings before it's all said and done. He's been one of the most impressive players in the summer AAU circuit. Aside of Maryland, the top competitors for Ali's services are UCLA and Louisville.