Sep 08, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) during the fourth quarter against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. Maryland defeated Temple 36-27. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

• Jonathan LaMantia over at the ACC Sports Journal gives us his daily link dump, which tends to always have some good Maryland news. In particular, he addresses the disastrous budget woes that the Terps have faced since the evil overlord Debbie Yow vacated the building. But 2017 is expected to bring a lot of hope!
• The Terps have been playing the waiting game for Antonio Barton, putting a lot of stock in the fact that he’s pretty likely to go here. As a result, they’re laying low on talking to other point guard recruits — like Malik Smith. Smith, an FIU scorer who could have come in and helped the Terps right away, announced his intention to play for Minnesota over in the B1G. You have to wonder how much longer the Terps are willing to wait… (StarTribune)
• Don Markus of the Baltimore Sun is already concocting previews of what the Terrapins rotation will look like with or without Antonio Barton in town. You can check them out here. What’s interesting is that, in both of his with or without scenarios, Roddy Peters and Charles Mitchell are not starters. I actually tend to agree with that.
• Matt Bonesteel of the Washington Post gives us the Terps non-revenue roundup. For you lacrosse junkies, that includes taking a look at the record-breaking women’s team that’s finally gearing up for the NCAA tournament. There’s also a little mention of some softball in there, and Stefon Diggs being named Mr. Terp.
• ACC commish John Swofford has been made out to be Leonardo Da Vinci lately with this whole “saving college football and killing expansion” thing, and rightly so. Give credit where credit is due, and Andy Staples of SI.com does by calling Swofford a “ninja magician.” But people have short memories, and I still don’t like the guy.
• Back to transfers, because it’s the offseason. Even though Maryland is losing out on some guards, there are still plenty available that the Terps could go after, many whom could play a crucial role not next year, but the year after. Guys like Julien Lewis of Texas, LJ Rose of Baylor, and even Trae Golden of Tennessee. So while we are missing out on players, there are still plenty more available.

Roll Terps

With all the Andrew Wiggins-to-Kansas hoopla finally bringing the 2013 recruiting class to a close, there’s no time better than now to look at which freshmen will make an impact in the ACC next year. Note that these are just a few of the players who I feel are certain to make significant impacts on their team; I left out guys like Nate Britt, who could easily become a force next year with minutes, but may not get them.

(All rankings are based on ESPN..I know)

Syracuse:

PG Tyler Ennis 6’2, 180 lbs #5PG, #20th Nationally

F Tyler Roberson 6’7, 200 lbs. #10 PF, #31st Nationally

Syracuse first go-round in the ACC is probably going to be a pretty good one, even if they’re rebuilding; they rebuild every year and are typically just as good. ‘Cuse has a top ten recruiting class entering due in large part to the two Tyler’s.

Tyler Ennis, a 6’2 point guard at St. Benedict’s Prep and the #5 PG in the country, is expected to come in right away and replace Michael Carter-Williams production. Ennis is much more of a scorer than Carter-Williams (he has a gorgeous runner), but make no mistake: he is a floor general first and foremost. Ennis picks and chooses his spots, and has more than enough speed to get around his opponents.

Ennis took a top twenty player and Washington commit, Nigel Williams-Goss, to task during the NHSI semifinals for 19 points. He also outperformed other notable ACC guard in UNC commit Kenny Britt, though not directly. While he does need to work a bit on his three point shooting and on-ball defense (though he has quick hands), Ennis is probably going to give anyone in the ACC some real issues with guarding him.

Meanwhile, Tyler Roberson is a 6-8, 200 lb forward who was rated as the best player in New Jersey (and 31st nationally) coming out of high school. Roberson is a prototypical Boeheim player: long, athletic, great at rebounding, even better in the open floor.

His game has come a long way since he first came onto coaches radars as a sophomore, and now he’s way more than a pure post player. Roberson can pass, score from three, ball-handle, and score loads of points in transition. He’s as versatile as they come, and even though Ennis is the centerpiece of this recruiting class, Roberson is more likely to wow people the most of everyone.

These two are going to catch the ACC by surprise.

UNC:

Isaiah Hicks, 6’8 210 lbs. #8 PF, #18th Nationally

Hicks comes into UNC like most players that come into UNC — with a boatload of accolades to his name. 2012-2013 Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year, McDonald’s All-American, North Carolina 3A championship (a game in which he grabbed 30 rebounds and blocked 7 shots to win). Hicks is a big man lots of teams do not want to play against.

He shot 41% from three point range last year, but he’s still a bit raw on the offensive end. He mostly makes his presence felt is by his explosive leaping ability and physical tools (his wingspan in 6’11). Seeing as Roy Williams loves to get out and run, Hicks should have absolutely no problem scoring a bunch of transition buckets by slamming it down easy.

Hicks is still pretty lanky, so he does have to add muscle at some point in the future, but if we’re talking ACC impact freshmen, he will certainly be one of them.

Duke:

Jabari Parker, 6’8, 220 lbs. #2 SF, #2nd Nationally

Duke has the next best thing after Andrew Wiggins heading into their program in Jabari Parker, the 6’8ish big man who can play both small forward and power forward. Parker was a McDonald’s All-American, sure, but he’s a whole lot more than that. ESPN gave him the National Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior of the Year award. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2012, a First team All-American, the Jordan Brand Classic MVP, whatever. Everything a high school player could accomplish, he pretty much did.

Oh and he already has two FIBA Gold Medals for the United States from 2011 and 2012.

Unfortunately, a foot injury his senior year made him gain a bunch of weight, but that really doesn’t matter much to his game. Parker is an outstanding shooter, and possesses a pretty mean turnaround J. He also has an incredibly high basketball IQ — one of the best of any player to come out, ever. Parker has no problem making the extra pass throughout a game, and doesn’t really force anything.

He does have weight issues, and he’s not particularly quick or incredibly strong, so he will struggle against more athletic wings. But the reality is that if Parker didn’t get a foot injury his senior year, he may very well be considered a better prospect than Wiggins.

Expect him to come to Duke, start right away, and completely dominate the ACC.

NC State:

Anthony Barber, 6’2, 175 lbs #7 PG, 26th Nationally

Anthony Barber/Ty Lawson was a real catch for NC State this year, and the speedster is going to get handed the keys to the Wolfpack straight away. Barber isn’t an incredibly good shooter, and doesn’t have great mechanics, but not much of that is going to matter.

Barber is almost unguardable off the dribble, with the ability to go left, right, or straight ahead and finish at the rim all the time. He creates for others with that speed, with most of his playmaking resulting from kickouts. He’s a big enough guard that he can defend well against others, and isn’t one to get blown past too often.

While he does have to work on half-court playmaking ability, and his weight isn’t prototypical, at the college level he’s going to do pretty well. Plus, NC State needs a point guard, so he’ll be getting a lot of minutes very early in his career.

Pitt:

Mike Young, 6’8, 210 lbs #15 PF, 57th Nationally

Mike Young is another guy I got to see play at NHSI this year, where he teamed up with Tyler Ennis on St. Benedict’s Prep to get to the National Championship game and dropped 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and collected 11 rebounds.. If you asked just last year about Mike Young, you’d have heard that he was a player who banged down low a bunch but wasn’t big enough to do it and wasn’t versatile enough to be considered a big time recruit.

Flash forward to this year, and Young is a serious blue-chip prospect who is still growing. Young still makes his living in the paint, but he’s more than capable of stepping out and hitting a jumper. Young doesn’t get a ton of opportunities, so he sort of just creates his own within the flow of a game. He’s a tremendous rebounder, and he’s going to give opposing, slightly larger, power forwards trouble because of his quickness.

Given that Pitt is losing all three of their centers from last year, you can fully expect that Young will be thrown into the mix really quickly and asked to produce right away. I happen to think he can.

Notre Dame:

Demetrius Jackson, 6’1, 170 lbs #6 PG, #24th nationally

The McDonald’s All-American point guard from Mishawaka, Indiana made a name for himself last year on the AAU circuit, and started picking up offers left and right from B1G schools like Ohio State and Indiana among others. Jackson is an athlete, first and foremost, but he’s developed into a very good floor manager as of his senior year.

He also has one of the more interesting stories of any player coming into college. Prior to being a superstar point guard, he was a troublemaker who was basically living on his own at age 12. Then, he was placed into foster care and eventually adopted into one of his teammates’ family. From there, he was enrolled into a Catholic school and credits it with having turned his life around entirely.

Anyway, Jackson is a great scorer, racking up 1,398 career points in high school, and has significantly developed his long range shot to the point where you have to guard him from there. He’s of a similar mold to Anthony Barber in both size and playing style, although he does have very good vision in transition and is more of a playmaker.

Jackson should see significant minutes at Notre Dame, and will fare just fine against the top-tier athletes in the ACC.

Florida State:

Xavier Rathan-Mayes, 6’3, 180 lbs. #8 SG, #44 Nationally

Rathan-Mayes played over at Huntington Prep, and should be an incredibly good scoring replacement for Florida State as they lose Michael Snaer. Rathan-Mayes is notable for being the guy who recently dropped 55 points earlier this year (to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists), and can shoot light’s out with his quick release.

Mayes played alongside Andrew Wiggins and was probably hoping to do the same at Florida State, but he should be just fine on his own. He is a combo guard, being slightly too small to be a shooting guard but not a great enough ball handler to be a point guard, meaning he’s going to start at the point for Florida State. He can create his own shot, and is going to be getting plenty of them alongside Okaro White.

Given the amount of minutes the Canadian was probably promised by Florida State, expect him to come in right away and stuff the stat sheet.

Maryland:

Roddy Peters, 6’4, 180 lbs. #12 PG, 52nd Nationally

Even though Peters missed his senior year due to injury, you can expect him to come in and be a force right away. I won’t write too much about Roddy as so much has already been said about him by this blog and countless others.

The bottom line is this: Maryland has a need at point guard, and Roddy Peters fills it. They also have weapons on the offensive end that Peters will be able to make the most out of with his ability to work the ball around. He’s a great finisher at the rim, a good shooter, and a willing defender. All those things equate to a player who may not be a star from day one, but someone who is going to make a significant impact. Especially for the Terps.

Nov 12, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Mark Turgeon tosses a ball to the referee during their game against the Morehead State Eagles at the Comcast Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The NCAA Rules Committee voted yesterday on rule changes for the 2013-2014 college basketball season. There was nothing ground breaking, or anything completely new that will be added. The committee has recognized the trend of low scoring and is working to fix it, but they don’t want to change too much to quickly. Many are surprised to see that the 35 second shot clock will still stand for next season. The rules committee did not vote on any changes to the shot clock, citing that there was not enough support to even consider a change.

As noted, there will be no major changes coming next season. There were slight changes to the block/charge, and we will see more use of replay in late game situations. The rules committee wants to make a stronger push to have the rules already in place enforced more frequently. This is in response to the cry for less hand checks and arm bars, to allow more freedom of movement on offense. These rules already existed, but are not called as frequently, which means next season we could see more off-ball touch fouls called.

Charging has now been amended to mean that a defensive player must be set guarding position before the offensive player begins his upward motion. Put in other terms, a defensive player can not slide over once an offensive player has started his upward motion. The hope behind this change is that more blocking fouls being called, will lead to more players going to the free throw line for either 2 shots or an And-1 situation. Art Hyland, secretary editor of the men’s rule committee, said, “If that happens two or three times a game thats seven or eight more points a game.” Not sure if this is the increase in scoring people wanted to see, but its a step in the right direction. Changing the charging rule could also lead to less players attempting to take a charge, and more open looks at the rim for driving players.

The use of replay was something I believe everyone saw coming. Once the door is open to using replay, it tends to lead to more opportunities to use it. Officials can go to the monitor in the final two minutes to review out of bounds and shot clock violations. In the final four minutes of the game, officials can stop play to review two and three point shots. The rule before was that they would signal to the scorers table and review the play at the next media timeout. The four minute mark is the final media timeout, and in close games it is even more important for coaches and players to know what each basket was. A foot on the three point line in a six point game, for example, has great impact on a coaches play calling for the next possession.

What does this mean for Maryland next season? Not much at all on the defensive end. Charges taken are not an official stat kept in basketball, but with 7’1″ Alex Len protecting the rim, Maryland did not take many charges during the season. Alex Len will be missing from the team next season, but I don’t think that will change much in the defense. The wide body of Dez Wells and Seth Allen’s quickness will still make it difficult for guards to penetrate, and the length of Jake Layman and Evan Smotrcyz will help protect the rim from small forwards and power forwards. The discipline and athleticism of Maryland allowed to switch on many ball screens preventing driving opportunities for the opposing team.

Maryland’s guard could see a positive impact from the changes to charging on the offensive end. Seth Allen, Dez Wells, and Nick Faust have shown the ability to get into the lane and attack the rim. With less players taking charges, they could see more open opportunities to finish their attacks on the rim. The focus on calling more blocking fouls could also lead to them getting more free throw opportunities as well. Improving free throw shooting was always going to be a point of emphasis with this team, but now it is that much more important.

Around the ACC, I see Maryland being one of the teams that benefits from this change. Teams with attacking guards like North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Miami should also see some added benefit from the changes to block/charge. The Wolfpack worked more inside-out last season, but with the departures of Richard Howell and C.J. Leslie, we could see them look to attack more with their guards. Virginia Tech’s fast pace style offense could also reap some benefits as well, but given how poor their defense was last season, any focus on improving the offensive game could hurt them more than help.

Teams like Virginia and Boston College who don’t attack the rim often, but instead use their offensive sets to generate open looks could benefit from the focus of allowing more freedom of movement. An emphasis on preventing hand checking could help their players coming off of multiple screens. They lack speed, but use work within their sets well to create open opportunities for jump shooters. While teams like Clemson and Wake Forest, might just need a complete overhaul of the rule book to help them.

Then there are our friends in Durham, the Duke Blue Devils. Duke’s more aggressive style of defense could be toned down slightly if the emphasis on hand checking is enforced. Not enough to drastically change their defensive style, but we could see a call or two a game go against them for it. There is the potential for them to adjust to it slightly during the course of the year, but as I said don’t expect this to change how Duke plays defense. For our acting fans on the page, you guys will lose out the most. There is no focus on calling players for flopping, but if the changes to charging fouls does lead to less players attempting to take them, then we could lose out on such moments as these.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0upQDkY-pg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eosDRPYhfAY

It is great to see the rules committee focusing on improving the offensive game in college basketball, I wouldn’t expect these changes to sudden lead to more games in the 80s. Don’t expect Wisconsin and Virginia to start scoring in the 70s or even the 60s on a consistent base. These are slight changes, but a step in the right direction for the rules committee and the game of college basketball. When I say that teams will benefit from these, I by no means mean that Maryland will go from middle of the ACC to first place or Duke will drop to last place just because of some slight rule changes. The benefits will be subtle and like all sports will come down to if teams choose to exploit them for an advantage or not. The rules committee will not meet again until the 2015 season ends. Until then lets hope to see an improvement in the offensive game and more awesome Dez Wells dunks.

Mar 15, 2013; Greensboro, NC, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Mark Turgeon cheers on his players against the Duke Blue Devils during the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The Maryland Terrapins basketball program pursuit of two transfer students came to an end this week. Rutgers guard, Eli Carter, decided to play the rest of his college basketball career at the University of Florida, while George Mason graduate Vertrail Vaughns will play at the University of North Texas. Vaughns had visited College Park earlier this week, and Carter picked Florida after his visit this past weekend.

All is not lost for Coach Turgeon and his staff this offseason. Memphis graduate and Baltimore native, Antonio Barton, is still looking for a new place to call home. The time table for Bartons decision is still unknown, but Maryland has been active in recruiting him for next years team.

With the early departure of Pe’Shon Howard, along with the injuries to Seth Allen and Roddy Peters, Maryland is looking for another guard to add to the roster. Carter and Vaughns would have provided a body, but I’m not sure how well they would have fit with what Maryland needs. Dez Wells, Nick Faust, and Seth Allen have all shown the ability to score, but what they really lack is the ability to run the offense for long periods of time. Most of Maryland’s struggles last season came from the inability to run the offense. Without a true point guard, Maryland was not able to set up their offense and run it on a consistent enough level, which led to extended scoring droughts and high number of turnovers.

The situation at Rutgers was not great, and is well documented. Regardless, Eli Carter still saw a drop in most statistical categories from this freshman season to his sophomore season. His one area of improvement was his free throwing shooting, aside from that he had more turnovers than assist and shot below 40% from the field and behind the arc. In a system better suited to his skills he could be a productive player, but for what Maryland needs, I’m not sure he fit. The Terps need a better distributer first and foremost, and Carter’s assist to turnover numbers aren’t promising.

I know not to question the current staff. They have done a great job of not only fitting Maryland’s roster with talented players, but have also filled it with a diverse range of skillsets. Just like Carter, I’m not sure how Vertrail Vaughns would have fit in with the roster for next season. He also saw a drop in his number from his junior year to his senior year. His shooting ability is not something to go crazy about (41% FG 34% 3-Pt), and he was not a primary ball handler (13 assist for the season). Maryland would have still been left with the same void at the point guard position, they would still be waiting for someone out of Dez, Nick, Seth, and Roddy to separate themselves and take the spot. Vaughns shooting could have been a plus, but the reliability of it would have been a factor.

I’m all in favor of looking to grab the one year graduate students, its an ideal situation if the scholarship is available. Logan Aronhalt was a solid addition to last years team. He brought the ability to shoot the three and a veteran attitude to a young locker room. I just don’t know how either Eli Carter or Vertrail Vaughns would have answered the biggest question of the Maryland offseason. Sometimes you can have too many players on a team. There are only 40 minutes to split up, and only 5 players can be on the court at once. Coach Turgeon had a deep team last year, and at times struggled with rotations and did not allow many player to get into the groove of the game.

Despite missing out on either one of these players (I doubt they would have taken both), Maryland is still having a good offseason. The deperatures of Alex Len and Pe’Shon Howard did not catch the staff by surprise. With there being over 350 players transfering this offseason, it is a positive sign that Maryland was able to retain everyone else. With the direction college basketball has moved to where players are either leaving earlier for the NBA draft or transfering right away, it is encouraging to see that Maryland has a staff and players who are bought in to a long term goal. Assistant coach Scott Spinelli, will soon leave for a head coaching position, but it will not be this offseason. Another bullet dodged for Maryland, as he has been instrumental in not only landing key recruits, but also helping the players progress.  It will still be an uphill battle next season for the Maryland basketball team, but maintaining stability is a tough thing to do now a days. Maryland has maintained their roster and coaching staff, now its a matter of them coming together as team and improving as individuals.

Nov 24, 2012; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Randy Edsall on the sidelines. The Tar Heels defeated the Terrapins 45-38 at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

• We’ll start things off with this tweet: 

Feb 19, 2013; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard/forward Jake Layman (10) reacts after a basket during the first half against the Boston College Eagles at Conte Forum. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

According to Alex Prewitt of The Washington Post, Maryland is going to host Oregon State at the Comcast Center next season. An exact date has yet to be determined. The Terps have never played Oregon State before in basketball.

Oregon State finished with a 14-18 record this season and isn’t exactly a humongous match-up. However it will help as a resume builder during the non-conference schedule. One of the biggest strikes against Maryland this past season was that their non-conference schedule was extremely weak. Regardless of if the Beavers are good or not next season, they do play in a conference (the Pac 12). This past NCAA tournament, the Pac 12 had five total teams compete, up from only two the previous year.

Oregon State returns four of their top five scorers from a season ago in forward/center Roberto Nelson (17.8 PPG), forward Devon Collier (12.6 PPG), center Angus Brandt (11.3 PPG), and guard Ahmad Starks (10.4 PPG). The Beavers lost 14 of their 18 games in conference play and their only notable victory was against Colorado. However, they did finish with a 21-15 record in the 2011-2012 season and appeared in the CBI postseason tournament.

So far, we know that the Terps will face Connecticut (at Barclays Center), George Washington (BB&T Classic), and now Oregon State. They will also appear in the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands and will face Marist in the first round. Paradise Jam’s other participants are Loyola Marymount, Northern Iowa, Providence, Vanderbilt, Morgan State, and La Salle. There are a few opportunities early on in the season for resume-building wins. Connecticut, Providence, Vanderbilt, and La Salle are all solid programs. Now the Terps likely won’t face all of those teams and will only face one of Providence, Vanderbilt, and La Salle if they get to the championship game of the tournament.

As many various analysts and other basketball people predicted, Alex Len is leaving Maryland to enter the NBA Draft after two seasons with the Terrapins. The Ukrainian big man came to College Park as a relative unknown and ended up putting together two strong seasons with the team despite several growing pains. As was expected from many national basketball pundits, the Terps center had a much more productive sophomore campaign in which he averaged 11.6 points-per-game and 7.8 rebounds-per-game in 26.4 minutes-per-game. It was clear pretty on this season that Len would be going pro after the season concluded. Len absolutely abused Kentucky in the Barclays Center Classic to open the season, including dominating Wildcats future first round pick Nerlens Noel. The writing was on the wall.

Even though Len’s decision was somewhat expected, now the question becomes: how will Maryland go about replacing the production of the talented big man?

The Terps do have quite a bit of production to replace down low with not just Len leaving, but senior forward James Padgett is graduating. Padgett started a handful of games for Maryland and was a key leader for the squad. However as much as both Len and Padgett will be missed, they are definitely replaceable and won’t be missed nearly as much as many people might think.

From a depth standpoint, the Terps definitely have the personnel to have a strong frontcourt next year. First off, I’d imagine that Shaquille Cleare will step into the center role that will be vacated by Len. Cleare was a highly touted prospect coming out of The Village School (TX) and was expected to be strong contributor in terms of rebounding and defense. However, it was a season of ups and downs for the Bahamas native. Playing time seemed to be the deciding factor to Cleare’s season. He averaged 3.7 points-per-game to go along with 2.7 rebounds-per-game in about 12 minutes a game. The production wasn’t exactly mind-blowing but I think the potential is definitely there for Shaq to tell in and be a productive starter next season. He has the size at 6-9 to be effective in the ACC and can alter shots much like Len did. His size is arguably his biggest asset as Cleare was able to hold his own against some of the ACC’s premiere competition this past season. In relief of Len against Duke on February 16, Shaq absolutely stifled Blue Devils superstar Mason Plumlee and the senior forward was held to a mere four points in 33 minutes. Cleare will play a much different role that he did this past season. He was merely another body to help bring toughness and size down low when Len spent time on the bench. Cleare’s main objective was to alter shots and be a force in the low post. He did a solid job of that at times but will be looked at to produce in many different ways next season. It’s a challenge that I think he is ready for.

The transfer route has been very kind to Mark Turgeon so far in his tenure at Maryland. Prior to last season, Turgeon landed a commitment from Michigan transfer forward Evan Smotrycz. Smotrycz is expected to be a huge piece at the four next season. It’s unclear if Smotrycz or Charles Mitchell will get the starting nod at the power forward position. Either way, Smotrycz proved to be a strong asset in the low post for the Wolverines in his two years with the school, especially on the offensive end. In his sophomore campaign (2011-2012 season), the Reading, Ma. native averaged 7.7 points-per-game and grabbed 4.9 rebounds-per-game in 21.1 minutes a game. Smotrycz also proved that he didn’t force bad shots most of the time as he was a 48.1 percent shooter for the Wolverines. In watching tape on Smotrycz, the first thing that jumps out is that he is an exceptional shooter. He is very effective from beyond the arc (43.1 percent in his sophomore season) but can also put the ball on the floor and hit a mid-range shot as well. Smotrycz has the height but definitely could stand to put on a little more weight, just like Len did last offseason. Having a big like Smotrycz that can shoot the ball is going to be a major bonus for the Terps next year since Len was the only big that could sufficiently shoot the basketball this season. He may not be the shot-blocker that a guy like Cleare is, but Smotrycz should be a welcome addition on the offensive end.

Finally, we come to Charles Mitchell. Mitchell wasn’t a highly sought-after recruit out of the Atlanta-area. The guy that many have compared to Charles Barkley, had a pretty impressive freshman season at Maryland. Mitchell averaged 5.5 points-per-game to go along with 5.4 rebounds in only 15.7 minutes a game. It was clear early on that Mitchell was a very strong piece in the low post for the Terps. The Georgia native grabbed an astounding 10 boards in only 16 minutes against Kentucky in the season opener. One of the biggest positives about Mitchell is his clear passion for the game. On every possession, you can see just how much Mitchell loves to be out there. He gets fired up after making a shot and smacks the floor when he commits a bad foul on the defensive end. He is an absolute bull in the post and his game will only improve after gaining experience of an entire season against the tough ACC. Mitchell can score the ball more than many people thought he would. In limited minutes, he was able to replace double figures in points in six games over the course of the season. Mitchell may be the first big man off the bench once again in his sophomore season, but clearly is essential to Maryland’s success going forward.

A player that is coming into the season a bit under the radar is freshman Damonte Dodd. Dodd was a guy that not many people had heard of when he committed to the Terps. Dodd was a kid that hailed from Maryland’s Eastern Shore and decided to gain more experience by going to prep school for a year. The Centreville, Md. native starred at Massanutten Military Academy this year and is continuing to gain experience by playing AAU ball this summer. After being a relatively unknown prospect last summer, Dodd is now a three-star recruit for Maryland and caught the eye of several recruiting analysts. Dodd is definitely a longways away from being a huge contributor at the collegiate level but I think if he puts on a little of weight, he can play 10-15 minutes a game in relief of some of Maryland’s bigs.

The departure of Len is a big deal but doesn’t leave Maryland in as big of a hole that many people may think. The Terps now won’t have to worry about Len being double and triple teamed by opposing defenses and may see many teams defend them man-t0-man next year. The depth is definitely there with Cleare, Smotrycz, Mitchell, and Dodd. Three out of the four have at least one season of experience at the collegiate level and should be able to provide strong defense and consistent offense as well. Only time will tell how talented this group really is, but it’s definitely a strong core to build on.

In our latest installment of predicting the production of various Terps in the future, I have decided to profile freshman guard Seth Allen. Allen was a very underrated guard coming out of high school and was Mark Turgeon’s first recruit after replacing legendary coach Gary Williams. Allen was a three-star recruit of Fredericksburg Christian School and didn’t have many offers from big-time programs. However, the Maryland coaching staff developed him into a solid player in his freshman campaign and will be a big asset for the Terps in the coming years.

The first thing that comes to mind when anybody sees Allen play is his lightning-like quickness. The Virginia native can drive the lane with the best of them and certainly can finish a play. He is also very aggressive and doesn’t back down from any defender, no matter what big the size mismatch may be. His quickness is also a major asset on the defensive end as he has the ability to jump in front of any pass and take it the other way. The Fredericksburg Christian School product also has a decent shot when he has a chance to take it. As many freshman are, Allen can be a little erratic when it comes to shooting the ball. At times, Allen takes ill-advised, contested shots and that comes with the territory.

When comparing Allen to similar guards around the ACC over the past few years, there are a few names that jump out in terms of production that is similar to or equal to Allen’s. I set the parameters of the search to players that were similar in height to Allen at 6-1 and of course just players that have played in the ACC. There was one former Terp that comes to mind when I see Allen play and that is Terrell Stoglin. Stoglin and Allen both played about 22 minutes-per-game during their freshman seasons but Stoglin averaged 3.6 more ppg and one more assist-per-game than Allen. However, the talent between the two is very similar. Both are lefties and Allen actually shot at a higher clip during his freshman season with the Terps.

But as much as Seth Allen is similar to Terrell Stoglin, one name came up that bared an even closer comparison. Allen’s statistics are eerily similar to that of sensational Miami sophomore guard Shane Larkin.  For some reason, Larkin didn’t even cross my mind when I ran Allen’s numbers through the database. But the numbers speak for themselves.

Seth Allen Yr. 1: 22.0 MP, 7.8 PPG, 38.9% FG, 73.9 % FT, 2.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.9 TOs

Terrell Stoglin Yr. 1: 21.5 MP, 11.4 PPG, 46% FG, 82.7% FT, 1.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 2.3 TOs

Shane Larkin Yr. 1: 25.6 MPG, 7.4 PPG, 36% FG, 85.7% FT, 2.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.9 TOs

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First off, Stoglin may not be the greatest comparison. Allen started only seven games for the Terps this season while Stoglin started 11 in his rookie campaign. Stoglin was also a bigger piece on offense as he scored in double figures 18 times while Allen only managed to hit double figures in 13 games. Allen only topped 20 points once and Stoglin was able to reach that plateau on four occasions. Judging by these statistics, Stoglin was a more focal part of the offense and was better prepared for the world of college basketball. He was also forced to start a little more than Allen was. Through much of the 2012-2013 season, veteran guard Pe’Shon Howard started for the Terrapins so Allen wasn’t leaned on quite as heavily.

On the other hand, Shane Larkin seems to be a spot-on comparison to Seth Allen. Larkin was a relative unknown during his freshman season at Miami as I’m sure Allen is to anyone that isn’t a Maryland fan. Points-per-game and field goal percentage are both very similar with Allen holding a slight edge in both categories. As was the case with Larkin this past season, Allen can drill a shot from any spot on the court if given room to operate.

Many of the numbers are extraordinarily close but one statistic that jumped out at me was turnovers. Both Allen and Larkin turned the basketball over 1.9 times per game which is about par for the course as a freshman. As we watched the Terps throughout this past season, you could see the flashes of greatness when Seth Allen was on the floor. However, Allen was tremendously erratic at times. It was almost as though he was moving so fast that he seemed to play out of control. Larkin was very much the same and probably had a lot more room to grow from his freshman to sophomore year than Allen does.

So the next question becomes: can Seth Allen make as big of a jump as Shane Larkin did in his sophomore season?

I think the answer is yes. First of all, Larkin has played the past two years of his career with a chip on his shoulder. After originally committing to DePaul, the Orlando native was forced to withdraw from his commitment at the Chicago-based university due to an undisclosed illness. I tend to believe that Allen will also play with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Allen wasn’t heavily recruited in high school and had mostly interest from schools much smaller than Maryland. Mark Turgeon had his eye on Allen since he was the coach at Texas A&M and probably was the main reason that Allen ended up in College Park.

Larkin nearly doubled many of his numbers in his sophomore campaign. The Hurricanes guard averaged 14.5 points-per-game, 4.6 assists-per-game, 3.8 rebounds-per-game, and 2.0 steals-per-game. He also shot at a remarkable 47.9 percent clip after only hitting 36 percent of his shots as a freshman. After watching quite a few Miami games this year, it was evident how much Larkin’s game has evolved from a season ago. He wasn’t tentative in the slightest and was absolutely fearless on the basketball court. Larkin really improved his shot as a whole, especially from beyond the three-point line. The son of former Cincinnati Reds shorstop Barry Larkin shot 40.6 from beyond the arc and seemed to attempt even more shots from downtown later in the season. Larkin also drove the basketball a lot more and converted his fair share of pretty reverse layups and circus shots.

With the expertise of a coaching staff such as Maryland’s, I think that it is definitely possible for Seth Allen to make a big jump in his sophomore season. Now Allen might not make quite the jump that Larkin did but I think a spike in numbers is definitely in the Woodbridge, Va. native’s future. As I noted earlier, Allen reached double figures in 13 games and that was with guards like Pe’Shon Howard and Logan Aronhalt receiving playing time in the backcourt as well. If Allen adds a little bit of muscle, he could be even more of a threat to drive the ball to the basket. That could make his game downright scary as he was a solid finisher this season, including the drive that upset Duke in the regular season. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Allen’s shooting percentage improve. If the lefty works on his shot and general decision-making, he will be even more of a force. He did force a good amount of shots and still managed to shoot at nearly 39 percent from the field. I think it’s a bit of stretch to transform into a Shane Larkin-type player in one season but I think Maryland will have a much more disciplined and strong basketball player in Allen.

Oct 13, 2012; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) gestures towards a teammate during pregame warm-ups before the game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Paul Frederiksen-USA TODAY Sports

After a season in which the torn ACL was contagious among Maryland’s quarterbacks, the Terrapins will look to turn the page in the annual spring game on Friday evening. Maryland went through five different quarterbacks in 2012 including C.J. Brown, Perry Hills, Caleb Rowe, Devin Burns, and linebacker Shawn Petty. The good news is that Brown progressing strongly from his torn ACL last summer and has been named as the starter, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. The Pennsylvania native also received a sixth year of eligibility for his troubles which should have him in a Terrapins uniform for the next two years. The quarterback, along with several other positions, will be worthy of keeping an eye on during the spring game. Here’s a few of the position battles that Terps fans should be analyzing.

Quarterback: C.J. Brown vs. Ricardo Young – Even though Brown has already been named the starting quarterback, this is still a competition to look into. As we know from last season, injuries happen and can be a crippling factor in deterring a team’s chances of playing in a bowl game. After all, Brown is only eight months out of tearing his ACL in training camp last August. It’ll be interesting to see how Brown’s mobility is coming into the season. During his sophomore season in 2011, Brown replaced former Terp Danny O’Brien on October 8 in a game against Georgia Tech and took the bulk of the snaps from that point forward. Brown’s biggest asset is his speed which he put on display several times throughout his sophomore campaign. The Terps signal caller rushed for over 100 yards on three different occasions. His performance against Clemson is what made me into a believer. Brown rushed for 162 yards and a touchdown while tossing three touchdown passes through the air in a tough loss. If he can be accurate and still have some speed, Brown could have a big year and lead Maryland to a bowl game. The weapons will clearly be there in having Stefon Diggs, Deon Long, Marcus Leak, and Nigel King to throw to.

On the other hand, Ricardo Young is quite a different story. After sitting due to injuries/transfer rules at Virginia Tech and New Mexico, Young made the move back home to join Mike Locksley. Young is a similar mold to Brown in terms of his physical abilities. The Washington D.C. native stands at 6-1, similar to Brown, and is extremely quick. His speed should be his biggest asset and will rival Brown for sure. Young ran for 780 yards in his junior season at Woodson High School and was the Gatorade Player of the Year in D.C. in 2010. Accuracy is going to be the key to how effective Young can be. In practice on Tuesday, the former New Mexico signal caller only completed five of 13 passes during 7-on-7s. Two of the passes were dropped by receivers so that would put Young  completing nearly 50 percent of his passes. That isn’t so bad and proves that he is making improvements. However, Young is going to have to be as accurate as possible if he wants to give C.J. Brown a run for his money.

Defensive line: Who will help to replace the production of Joe Vellano & A.J. Francis – With senior defensive anchors Joe Vellano and A.J. Francis graduating, Maryland has some massive holes to fill on the defensive line. The duo of Vellano and Francis combined for 104 tackles (23 for loss), 10 sacks, and four fumble recoveries. It’s not going to be easy. However, the Terps have plenty of talent left on their defensive line. Defensive tackle Darius Kilgo is Maryland’s lone returning starter on the defensive line and should provide a strong presence and sense of leadership for the Terrapins defense. Kilgo is an absolute monster at 6-3, 300 pounds and is a dominating presence. The Charlotte native had 40 tackles last season. Combine Kilgo with fellow starters Quinton Jefferson, Justin Anderson, and Keith Bowers and you have a very talented defensive line. The fact that all have experience should do wonders for the younger players around them.

Safety: A.J. Hendy vs. Sean Davis – This is probably the most contested position battle with two young Terps battling for playing time. Both players saw extended playing time a season ago and each could easily win the starting job opposite Anthony Nixon. Both have good size at 6-1 and are around 200 pounds. Davis is a little bit more lean at 185 but didn’t do a terrible when he received playing time last season. This is one of the battles that I will be looking forward to the most because there has been such a vast majority of starting safeties over the past season or two. In 2012, the likes of Hendy, Davis, Matt Robinson, and Eric Franklin saw significant time. If Maryland could find a sure fire starter opposite Nixon, this defense could actually be better than it was a season ago.

For all Terp-related tweets, follow me at @DurtyPuckhead.

Jan 5, 2012; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Alex Len (25) shoots free throws against the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Comcast Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The TerrapinStationMD staff has decided to take on an initiative, given that ACC play is underway: player rankings. They’re great for debate and they’re a good way to keep tabs on who’s hot and who’s not on a week-to-week basis.  We’ll be compiling these and getting them out to you on a weekly basis, so be sure to check in for updates.

One thing to note, some teams have four guards and one center; other teams have 3 guards and two big men. Basically what we’re saying is that it’s hard to lump certain players into a specific group. Take Terrell Stoglin from last year: he scored like a shooting guard, but he was more or less Maryland’s entire backcourt. He could be classified as a one or a two. We tried to accommodate for that in the rankings.

Regardless, let us know what you think of the rankings. We try to be unbiased, but if you feel a Terrapin should be higher (such is the case of Alex Len this week), state your case and perhaps next week we’ll take it into consideration! As always, get at us on Twitter (@TerpStationMD, @DurtyPuckhead, @mrwillis88 or @jcolenda4) or in the comments portion of this site.

Point Guards

Shooting Guards

Small Forwards

Power Forwards/Centers