Breaking down 2016 Maryland basketball point guard commit Anthony Cowan

Maryland began a successful start to their 2016 recruiting class with their most recent commit, point guard Anthony Cowan. Cowan hails from the District of Columbia, adding another local high-profile recruit to Maryland's roster and marking the second time in recent history that the Terrapins were able to snag highly regarded talent in their own back yard, something they seemingly struggled to do for quite some time. Cowan is the No. 1 player in Maryland in the 2016 class and is the 17th best point guard nationally, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. While Cowan is currently ranked as the 78th best player nationally, you can probably expect him to see another big climb in the national rankings, similar to what Melo Trimble experienced before he entered his senior season.

Cowan currently attends St. Johns College High School, an independent catholic college prep school located in D.C. There Cowan has led the Cadets to a 19-7 record whilst topping the team in scoring (19.4 ppg), three pointers and free throws made as a Junior. Cowan committed to the Terps on January 26^th, picking the University of Maryland over other schools such as Florida State, Illinois and even neighboring George Washington and Georgetown.

Last month the Washington Post sat down with Anthony to discuss his transition from a role player to evolving as a leader of the Cadets as a junior. Cowan explains his responsibility of being a "leader for the younger players" and his desire to control the floor and place the success or failure of his team on his back each night in the video below:

Cowan seemingly expresses a level of leadership and confidence anyone would want to see in their team’s floor general. Cowan’s current head coach, Sean McAloon, discusses Cowan’s particular ability to do almost anything a point guard can be asked to do in the above video. He particularly places a lot of emphasis on Cowan’s ability to get to the free throw line eight to nine times per contest. Sound like someone else we have grown quite fond of this season in College Park? Speaking of Melo Trimble, when you watch Cowan, you'll see a lot of similarities between the two player. It seems clear that like Trimble, Cowan has all the talents to contribute to the success of the Terps almost immediately. The biggest difference between the two players is their size, with Trimble checking in at 6'3" while Cowan is 6' even. But Cowan is showing the same ability to get to the rim, find open teammates and hit three pointers.

Currently Anthony Cowan is the Terrapins only hard commit for the class of 2016, but this could optimistically be the start to a very successful recruiting class. Cowan by himself already has the Terps ranked 15^th nationally in terms of 2016 recruiting class rankings and number one in the Big Ten. Obviously this is subject to much change, but the signing of Anthony Cowan is a huge get for the Terps.

Here are some more highlights of Cowan: