3-star forward Ricky Lindo commits to Maryland basketball, reclassifies to 2018

The best 2018 recruiting class in the Big Ten just added another piece to the puzzle. Three-star forward Ricky Lindo announced Wednesday that he’ll reclassify to 2018 and join Maryland men’s basketball this season.

He becomes the sixth member of the class and should be a versatile wing for a team that’s thin in the frontcourt. Maryland’s class is ranked No. 7 nationally and could move up with his commitment, depending on how Lindo gets ranked among his new class.

Lindo was originally a member of the 2018 class, but was preparing to do a post-grad year and play as a member of the 2019 class. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson in Washington, D.C., and was going to play post-grad at Northfield Mount Hermon in Massachusetts. However, the 17-year-old had a late growth spurt, and Schnider Herard’s surprise departure earlier this month made him a priority for the program.

The 6’7 forward was the No. 7-ranked player from the District, and visited College Park right before the team departed on a trip to Italy. Maryland was the only high-major to offer him as a member of the 2019 class, but his recruitment had recently ramped up. He has the length to play either on the wing or as a stretch-four, both of which Maryland is light on.

He’s the third wing committed for 2018, along with Aaron Wiggins and Trace Ramsey, and announces his commitment after the Terps just went 3-0 in Italy. Herard’s departure meant head coach Mark Turgeon was facing the possibility of entering the season with just 10 scholarship players and little depth in the frontcourt. Behind Bruno Fernando and Jalen Smith, only recovering forward Ivan Bender and the little-used Joshua Tomaic remained.

He had been playing with local AAU team D.C. Premier this summer, next to 2019 center commits Makhi and Makhel Mitchell. His athleticism and versatility helped fuel his rapid ascent. Now, he’ll put it on display for the Terps in a couple months.