Maryland basketball looks to have a leg up in recruiting 2020 point guard Daishen Nix of Trinity International School in Las Vegas.
Nix, who is ranked as the best point guard in his class and No. 16 overall player by the 247Sports Composite, visited College Park last November to watch the Terps play Virginia. Nearly seven months later, that game is still his only official visit so far.
“I’ve talked to coach Bino [Ranson] and coach Turgeon a lot,” Nix told Testudo Times at the at the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 camp last week. “I like the way they play, they’re guard-heavy, so I like that.”
The 6’5 point guard has nearly 20 offers, receiving interest from from Kansas, Arizona, Gonzaga and UCLA, among others. Nix, who is originally from Alaska, also had positive words about Kentucky. He said at the camp that no school is at the top of his list right now and he won’t be making a decision any time soon, but the fact that he’s only taken an official visit with the Terps so far is a positive sign for Mark Turgeon’s staff.
Daishen Nix is rare. The hooper from Alaska doesn't play on the sneaker circuit, but is ranked top-10 in his class and holds offers from Kansas, Gonzaga, Arizona, Maryland, Alabama, and other top schools. @djfromveg pic.twitter.com/adj5CKlmvD
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) June 7, 2019
Nix looks to have a high basketball IQ with a knack for making impressive passes. He used to play football as a quarterback, which he said gives him better vision to make plays on the basketball court.
2020 point guard Daishen Nix (# 72), who Maryland is recruiting heavily, with a nice assist at the NBPA Top 100 camp. Terp targets Chet Holmgren (‘21), J.T. Thor (‘21) and Justin Lewis (‘20) are also competing at the camp. pic.twitter.com/R1Xgxe0Y4U
— Lila Bromberg (@lilabbromberg) June 12, 2019
He said he wants to major in mechanical engineering, an academic area Maryland excels in.
“They’ve got to be an educational school first,” Nix said of his deciding factors.
Maryland has Marcus Dockery committed at point guard in the 2020 class, but with Anthony Cowan Jr. graduating next spring, the Terps will need all the help they can get in replacing him. At the moment, there are no open scholarships remaining for 2020-21, but if Jalen Smith turns pro next spring or someone else leaves the program, another will become available. Landing a five-star recruit like Nix would be a huge pickup.
His performance at the Top 100 camp is sure to bring more attention to the rising senior, and with the other schools after him, securing his signature won’t be a cakewalk. Turgeon has been in the mix to land several five-star recruits in recent years — since landing Diamond Stone, the Terps have just missed on Jaren Jackson, Josh Jackson, Devon Dotson and Keldon Johnson, to name a few. There’s likely plenty of time left in Nix’s recruitment, but Maryland has put itself in the mix.
“I’m not worried about colleges, where I’m going yet,” Nix said. “I’m not committed anywhere, don’t [have] interests anywhere, still got my recruiting wide open.”