Bruno Fernando commits to Maryland basketball: Terps land 4-star center

Maryland basketball scored its first 2017 basketball commit in Bruno Fernando, a four-star recruit out of Florida. Fernando is ranked the second-best center in the state and the 71st overall player in the class. He took an official visit to Maryland this weekend and announced his commitment Sunday on Twitter.

With Damonte Dodd playing out his final year of eligibility and Diamond Stone leaving early after last season for the NBA draft, Maryland's once-crowded frontcourt was fading quickly. The Terps missed out on landing a 2016 big man, so coach Mark Turgeon went out and found one early for the 2017 class.

Turgeon and assistant coach Dustin Clark traveled to watch Fernando last week, and the center told the coach he was committing Saturday night, according to Jeff Ermann of InsideMdSports.

Fernando formerly committed to SMU as a 2016 recruit, but will play out a post-grad season at IMG Academy before enrolling at Maryland. He held offers from Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, LSU, SMU and Marquette among others.