Apr 10, 2013; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Crean at the Cody Zeller press conference for the NBA draft. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowksi-USA TODAY Sports

The North Carolina Tar Heels are raking in the recruits for the class of 2014.

At 12:15 today the #10 player in the 2014 class, G/F Theo Pinson, announced that he was committing to UNC, surprising quite a bit of people along the way.

Earlier in the day, most analysts had Pinson pegged to attend Indiana, as Tom Crean and Co.  had recruited him harder and longer than anyone else. But UNC pressed late in the game, and by 10 AM most had it at 50/50, with a slight edge to UNC. That turned out to be true, and the High Point, North Carolina guard decided to remain in his home state and compete in the ACC.

So what does that mean for the Terrapins, intangibly? Well, Pinson was a big target for Indiana, and their failure to get a commitment from him means that they are going to get much more aggressive in their pursuit of replacement targets. One of those happens to be a target of the Terrapins as well: shooting guard Dion Wiley.

Wiley, from nearby Oxon Hill, Maryland, has been courted by the Maryland Terrapins for a long time, and he remains their top target for the 2014 class. For the Terps, he is the primary objective, the one that ties the whole class together and helps bring in other potential big name recruits. But given how Wiley has repeatedly stated that his recruitment is still wide open, he is far from a sure thing for the Terps

As of late, Indiana has started talking Wiley a lot more despite already having a shooting guard commitment from James Blackmon Jr. in 2014. They offered Wiley this summer, and should they choose to press harder on him, it could have serious implications for Maryland. Indiana is a powerhouse with tons of tradition, and anytime they start to work on a recruit, you have to be concerned about the appeal they have for certain players.

When you toss Florida into the mix as well, since Billy Donovan just attended one of his AAU games, that means Dion is likely to be hearing a lot of very strong pitches from some very good teams, and that is something Maryland should be concerned about. Florida is a tournament team with a championship winning coach, and Indiana is close with even more tradition.

Wiley is a Maryland kid, and has stated how much he loves the Terps in the past, so they still have that going for them. The fact that Mark Turgeon has placed so much time and effort into recruiting him (visits, watching his basketball games, going to games with him) shows how committed the Terps are to, well, getting his commitment. As it stands, Maryland has to be considered the favorite, but it’s far from being a stone-cold lock.

I’m not sure that Indiana is going to take on another commitment at the guard position, as that would create a logjam and probably piss off some recruits. All this is mere speculation as to what could happen. In the coming weeks, we’ll find out just how committed they are in their pursuit of Wiley. Theo Pinson committing to UNC over Indiana definitely hasn’t ruined the Terps chances of landing Wiley, but you have to figure it made things tougher.

Mar 23, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) attempts to dribble by Memphis Tigers guard Antonio Barton (2) and guard Geron Johnson (55) in the first half during the third round of the NCAA basketball tournament at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

My bro Antonio Barton will be making his decision on which school he will be going to next year Sunday afternoon after church. Let go!!!!!

— Will Barton (@WillTheThrillB5) May 22, 2013

The Antonio Barton saga will be coming to a close Sunday afternoon as his brother, Portland Trail Blazers forward Will Barton, said via Twitter early Wednesday morning that his brother intended to make his decision after church.

Three schools are thought to be in the running for the former Memphis guard’s services: Maryland, Tennessee, and Syracuse (thought to be the long shot with incoming freshman Tyler Ennis taking over). Barton visited Tennessee sometime last week, and Maryland about a weekend before that, as he listened to what each school had to offer.

Barton decided to graduate early this summer and forgo his final year at Memphis, where he played for the previous three seasons. He saw his minutes diminish each year with the Tigers, and opted to transfer following their loss to Michigan State in the third round of the NCAA tournament — a game in which he only played one minute.

The Terrapins can offer Barton a starting point guard role on the team, as their former floor general Pe’Shon Howard opted to transfer out of Maryland himself. With only sophomore Seth Allen and incoming freshman Roddy Peters to run the point, the Terrapins can assure Barton the starting minutes he is likely seeking.

In addition, Maryland is very close to where Barton grew up in Baltimore, and the fact that he has a 4-year old daughter in the area may also play a factor in his decision to come home (though he has stated it will not). Barton is also very close friends with current Terrapin player Nick Faust, and has very strong ties to the area where he played AAU basketball (for the Baltimore Stars) right around the corner.

Maryland coach Mark Turgeon wants to bring Barton on board for his experience (he has played on three NCAA tournament teams). and because he would then be able to move Seth Allen to his natural position (shooting guard) with the acquisition. Barton is a knock down three-point shooter, connecting on 40% or better from deep all three years at Memphis. The move would allow the Terrapins to fully replace scholarships lost from Alex Len (NBA), Pe’Shon Howard (transfer), James Padgett (graduated), and Logan Aronhalt (graduated).

Meanwhile, Tennessee swooped in late in the game but appears to be a contender for Barton’s services. Tennessee started pursuing Barton after their two-year starting guard Trae Golden decided to transfer out, reportedly due to academic issues. Golden averaged 12 points per game for Tennessee last season.

Last year, Tennessee was a 20-13 NIT team, but the Vols bring back a first-team SEC guard Jordan McRae and look to be building off a strong foundation. Tennessee would likely hand the starting job over to Barton upon arrival, given that their backcourt depth just got a lot thinner.

Should he decide to attend Tennessee, Barton would be remaining in the state where he played the entirety of his college career. Knoxville is about six hours away from Memphis on the opposite side of the state, but remaining in the same area may become a deciding factor.

You have to believe at this point that Barton is highly considering Maryland, given the high praise he had for the university following his visit and the close proximity to friends and family in the Baltimore area. Still, it’s difficult to count out Tennessee, since they are offering a very similar situation to Barton in terms of playing time, which appears to be the biggest factor. Syracuse, at this point, has reportedly backed off, so this is more like a two-horse race now.

Either way, whichever school Barton decides to choose, the saga will be over by Sunday afternoon.

• To start things off, SlamOnline pays homage to one of the NBA’s brightest young stars, former Maryland Terrapin Greivis Vasquez. Fans of the Terps know his story, but it’s good for the rest of the world not wearing Gary Williams-shaded glasses to acknowledge how tough his journey has been. As it stands today, Greivis is a major cog in the future of the New Orleans Pelicans, and really did start from the bottom.
• Ah , freedom of information. The Maryland v. ACC lawsuit, which is likely to go up there with McCullouch v. Maryland and Brown v. the Board of Education in terms of landmark court decisions, is revving up now. Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post is providing all the essential documents in case you’re really bored in the offseason. 44 pages of dry.
• Since it only makes sense that Maryland would still get tied to the ACC no matter how far they ran, the Detroit Lions bowl is about to pit the Big Ten and the ACC against one another yet again. They’d be traveling to Detroit…to play postseason..football? My head is on fire.
• Now that Kevin Dorsey is in the NFL, there will be plenty more written about him, as he’s on the national stage. The Journal Sentinel decided to take a look at Dorsey as a human being, and you get the idea the guy is pretty smart when he starts talking about conflict resolution skills during a conversation involving Xbox.
• And finally, even on the Duke end of things, the writers over at Bleacher Report agree that the Terps are going to pose a problem for even an incredibly talented team like the Blue Devils. I like the sound of that, although I am still extremely nervous about facing this team. Sike.
• And finally, Microsoft unveiled their Xbox One today, and that thing is an absolute beast. It actually started lighting Twitter up with its marketing towards sports fans. The whole Snap feature where I can pin my fantasy stats on the screen while watching football is seriously what’s going to push me to pick one of these up. Even if it looks like an Atari. (Joystiq)

Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

• The Detroit Free Press broke down the salaries of assistant coaches in the Big Ten (on the football side of things), and the end result is that they make some serious dinero. It’s also no surprise that the top seven spots are occupied by coaches at some of the best schools in the country at football – Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska. It’s known that to draw in better coaches, you have to draw out your wallet. But where do the Terrapins stack up? Just as WaPo’s Alex Prewitt.
• Any time Maryland can beat Duke, in anything, it’s a good day. Fortunately, the Lady Terps lax team took down the Blue Devils 14-9 Saturday in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Lady Terps are on an absolute tear right now, and don’t look to be slowing down. They get to go up against future Big Ten opponent in Northwestern in the semifinals. They haven’t had the best luck with Northwestern, but even more interesting is that they have a former Terp on the coaching staff. (WaPo)
• Well here’s something interesting that might pique a few people’s interest…if you’re into believing in longshots. The Terps were previously heavy on the trail for the best shooting guard in the 2014 class, Rashad Vaughn, before backing off. Well, it appears Vaughn is hesitant to sign with North Carolina after visiting there over the weekend. He’s opened up his recruitment again, and that means anything can happen between now and National Signing Day. I don’t think Maryland or Vaughn has interest anymore, but we’ll have to see what happens. When a recruit says he’s opened up his recruiting, it usually provides an opportunity to swoop in.
• Well Maryland can probably be a little happier about leaving the ACC now that news has come out that there may not be an ACC network for a long, long time. The ACC has yet to buy back it’s media rights from Raycom and Fox Sports Net, which means unless they figure out a way to do so, they won’t be eligible to do anything until 2027. So what does that mean? Conference realignment talk is going to continue to be talked about, and people may have been too quick in calling John Swofford a genius. (MrSEC.com)
• I’m not entirely certain how I missed this, but Athlon Sports decided to take a stab at Maryland’s potential at getting to a bowl game next year a few weeks ago. Find out their analysis (as well as plenty of others) right here.

Apr 2, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Alex Len (25) blocks a shot by Iowa Hawkeyes guard Anthony Clemmons (5) during the second half of the NIT Tournament semifinal at Madison Square Garden. Iowa won the game 71-60. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Len hasn’t really been able to participate in many of the pre-draft workouts that send college players stock through the roof, so scouts are beginning to pick away at his game in hopes of getting a gauge on his potential. Len’s recent comments in the media about being the “best player in this draft” in ten years is tough talk; it’s a way to implant his toughness into the minds of evaluators without being able to show them first-hand. But all that is, is talk.

Len has been pegged as a lottery pick since the U18 European Championships, way before he stepped foot onto the Comcast Center court. I figured it’d be as good a place as ever to start looking at Len’s abilities, given the NBA players he went up against as a teenager and that’s where all the hype began.

Len played in nine games for the Ukranians, averaging 16 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks while shooting 47% over that time period. By comparison, two hyped up players (one in the NBA and one in this draft), Jonas Valanciunas and Rudy Gobert, averaged 19 points and 13 rebounds and 9.2 points and 9 rebounds per game, respectively. By looking at just his overall statistics you’d presume that Len, at the time, was a lot more like Valanciunas than Gobert. So for that, I think it’s better that you look at their head-t0-head comparisons.

Against Valanciunas, Len got more or less whipped. He only played 16 minutes and scored 6 points and grabbed two boards. Valanciunas, meanwhile, continued his dominance with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Jonas is very clearly a good NBA player, averaging around 11 points in the last month of the NBA season, but he is a year older than Len and much has changed since then. But in their first head-to-head, it wasn’t really close, and was only the second time he was held to single digit points the entire European Championship tournament.

But that was back in 2010, and three years later Len is a completely different player. To get a good look at Len as an NBA prospect, it’s even more important to understand his progression and development as a player, which includes analyzing those three years. At the time, Len was a 7’1, 220 lb. boy who couldn’t speak English. By the time he left college park, Len added significant bulk, ending up at 255 lbs. He transformed from a boy to man during the offseason between his freshman and sophomore year, displaying a drive to get better that will serve him greatly in the future.

His freshman year was like most seven-foot big men; that is to say, it was riddled with inconsistency. Len missed his first ten games due to eligibility issues, and had three games to get ready before ACC play. He reached double figures six times the entire season, and only three times during ACC play. Still, Len was efficient, blocked two shots per game, and showed a good (not great) ability to rebound. He also proved he was a competent face-up defender, as the Terps defensive stats while he was on the floor went through the roof.

His sophomore season was similar to his freshman year in that it was clear Len still looked uncomfortable and inconsistent at times, but he also showed flashes of the ability to take over games. His first matchup of the year, on a national stage against Nerlens Noel, was evidence of that: 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Yes, he was inconsistent, but with young big men, scouts look for a few things: the ability to get better, take over games, and evidence that they haven’t hit their ceilings. Len accomplished all three of those things last year, and he did it without a point guard, which is a position that tends to bring out the very best in big men.

Len has a still-developing skill level that rivals some very good big men. Pau Gasol’s name gets thrown around, because they are both smooth, huge, athletes who have a solid face-up game. I think that’s absurd, mind you, because Pau was much better as a rookie than Len will ever be. Others look at Enes Kanter, a young European big who needs more years to develop. That’s also off-base; Len is more athletic than Kanter by far.

A lot of analysts project him with other European players of the same age, but that’s not fair for Len. They mostly do it because he’s white and somewhat skinny, with a finesse game. Len doesn’t have an entirely European game to him; for starters, he already has two years of American basketball under his belt. He also doesn’t mind contact down low, and while he may not initiate it all the time, he never shies away from it. He has a known mean streak, and actually gets fired up during games, and more importantly (as I said before), shows a clear drive to get better. Oh, and he likes to dunk.

When you compare him to whatever European you can throw out there, it’s an injustice to him unless it’s actually predicated on their games and not their faces. Notice that he is not often compared to someone like Roy Hibbert. Hibbert may be an All-Star center now, but from his freshman through senior year, he was a questionable college prospect. He didn’t run the floor well, didn’t have a complete post-game, and still isn’t a great rebounder for his size. To suggest that anyone knew, coming out of college, that Roy would be an All-Star someday is revisionist history. There were tons of questions upon his arrival into the NBA as to whether or not his game would transition to the NBA. So I’m suggesting that as prospects, not so much in their respective games, the two are similar.

Len is probably a better draft prospect than Roy Hibbert as a sophomore and junior. Want to compare them as prospects? Go right ahead here. It’s very similar, except that Len runs the floor better, is considered to have a better offensive game, and is in much better condition. But make no mistake, Len isn’t Roy Hibbert. He’ll never be that bruiser down low, nor will he likely on a night-to-night basis monster jam over opposing big men and impose his will at a Pau Gasol-type level.

But Len is a very good prospect as an NBA center. If he polishes that face-up game even more, then the worst case scenario is a watered down Brook Lopez. A guy who doesn’t score like Brook, but rebounds similarly and has more upside as a defender. A 10 point, 8 rebound a night guy who can give you some blocks, as well. Or he’s a better offensive Kosta Kofous, who has been in the league for about five years and just last year averaged eight points and six rebounds per game. Kofous was a better college player, to be sure, but Len has a lot more going for him that Kofous in terms of next-level skills.

To say that Len will be someone like Nikoloz Tskitishvili is ridiculous. That’s one of the biggest busts of all time in the NBA, and he played four years in the NBA before getting bounced. Even if you’re hard pressed to compare him to a European bust, then give him the decency of saying Darko Milicic. And quite frankly, most everyone thinks Len will be a lot better than him, too. So if you want to say that Len’s projection is a ten year veteran who didn’t live up to expectations but had a decent career, then go ahead and be my guest.

I’m sticking with something much better.

Mar 15, 2013; Greensboro, NC, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard/forward Dez Wells (32) reaches for the ball as Duke Blue Devils forward Ryan Kelly (34) and forward Mason Plumlee (5) are in the background. The Terrapins defeated the Blue Devils 83-74 during the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

• Lately the hubbub is about the Big Ten schedule being announced, and even though it’s an entire season-offseason cycle away from us, people like Tom Fornelli of CBSSports are putting Maryland in the losers column. I’m not sure that anyone in the state of Maryland thinks we’re losers in the scheduling discussion, even if we get to play Ohio State in our first home Big Ten game.
• If you’re curious about how the B1G 2014 schedule came together, this Adam Rittenberg article will pique your interest quite a bit. Apparently the fact that the Terps and Rutgers play both traditional powers (Michigan and Ohio State) on the same day (October 4th) was pure coincidence. And no one believes that except Jim Delany.
• In case anyone was wondering how the Terps fared in previous years against Big Ten opponents, well, it’s not very pretty. But keep in mind that a lot of these games were played before AOL was popular and kickers didn’t wear face masks. So I personally don’t put a lot of stock in this analysis. (The Gazette)
• Former Terp and future NBA player Alex Len might be recovering from a stress fracture in his foot, but he’s still putting in work. Len has been interviewing with NBA teams left and right before the upcoming draft, in hopes of convincing some team that he’s worth taking a flyer on. Even if he won’t be playing for a little while. I just hope the Wizards don’t land him, no matter what, because his career would be derailed before it even began. (Alex Prewitt, Washington Post)
• In other former Terps news, though a bit older, Nik Caner-Medley was hospitalized earlier this month for a heart arrhythmia suffered while playing for his Maccabi Tel Aviv team. Fortunately for you guys, I can speak Spanish, because this article is in complete Spanish. It’s still uncertain as to whether or not he’s going to be able to play again for his team this year, who made it to the quarter finals.
• ACC basketball is a ways away, but so far the verdict on the Terps is less than encouraging from some outlets, including Syracuse.com, who thinks the Terps will be middle-of-the-pack bad. They’re newcomers, so I’ll let it slide just this once, but they are right about one thing: we’re going to miss Alex Len.

Roll Terps, and congratulations to the graduating seniors!

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.

Mar 14, 2013; Greensboro, NC, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Mark Turgeon calls to his players against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the first round of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

After a week long hiatus from complete and total domination of the Nike EYBL, Team Takeover continued to prove they are one of the best AAU teams in the nation with yet another impressive showing in Dallas. Takeover went 4-0 for yet another weekend, bringing their win total to 13. For those keeping track, their loss column remains barren so far this summer.

Meanwhile, Kai Locksley got back on track, and Terry Larrier of Team Scan looks to be getting a bit more interest from teams with his recent play.

So how did the Maryland Terrapins targets in the EYBL finish up?

Team Takeover

Dion Wiley, SG

At this point, saying that Dion Wiley is an amazing shooter is merely a formality. Wiley started the weekend off in his first game by dropping 14 points and connecting on 4-of-7 three pointers. On the weekend, he finished with eight triples, which was good enough for 42% from beyond the arc overall. He finished up averaging 10.7 points through four games, leading his team overall in scoring (though it was close this weekend.) While he’s very talented in the scoring department, Wiley was also a pretty good thief this weekend, too. He averaged just a shade under two steals a game with seven total takeaways, showing that he is also a capable defender in the process.

Wiley may not be in the top five of shooting guards in the 2014 class yet, mostly because he isn’t the most amazing passer/rebounder. But still, it’s hard to argue that anyone in his class has a much more developed shot. Landing Wiley for the Terps would mean acquiring the shooting talent they’ve been searching for for a long time, and as it stands he is numero uno on their want list.

Obi Enechionyia, F-C

Obi finally had his coming out party during his first game against the Albany City Rocks (a 30 point win.) He finished with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with five boards. Obi’s play has been erratic at times this summer, so it was nice to see him come in and provide some scoring for the first time in awhile.

Unfortunately, the rest of his weekend didn’t go as well. One of Obi’s best attributes is his ability to send away shots at a high rate of production, but he didn’t record a single one at Dallas this weekend. Granted, there was a game where Obi played four total minutes, but he did get in double-digits minutes wise every other game and still couldn’t muster up a major impact. He also only scored six more total points over the remainder of the weekend, and didn’t pull down very many boards, either.

This doesn’t mean he’s a bad player by any means; it’s more a by-product of the completely loaded AAU team he is a part of. Obi provides whatever is necessary, and isn’t being asked to be a top scorer or rebounder.

 Martin Geben, F

Geben is the newcomer on the Terps radar, and heading into this weekend he was playing some very good basketball: through nine games, Geben averaged 7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and a little over one assists, block, and steal per game. All this while shooting 46% from the floor, being the leading rebounder on Team Takeover by a wide margin, first in blocks, and scoring the fourth-most points on the team (only 5 behind Hoyas commit Tre Campbell). On an undefeated team.

So how did he do this weekend during the third session of EYBL? More of the same. His first game, Geben didn’t miss a shot from the floor, going 4-of-4 and finishing with eight points, six rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. It’s that kind of all-around performance that is making him stand out to scouts. His second game was the first statistical oddity I’ve seen out of Geben throughout EYBL. He still scored nine points, but didn’t compile a single rebound.

You can attribute that to going up against a big time sleeper in Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year Bonzie Colson. Colson isn’t getting much love on the recruiting trail but that guy can flat out ball. He’s been one of the best players of EYBL, averaging 18.3 points and 7.6 rebounds, and he’s incredibly efficient as a post player (though undersized). Just goes to show you Geben isn’t invulnerable.

His third game Geben returned to form, scoring 11 points and 7 rebounds, while also sending away two shots, in a win over Mokan Elite. All in all, a pretty darn good weekend yet again for Geben, who is likely going to see more and more schools enter his recruitment.

Baltimore Elite

Kai Locksley, G-F

Locksley has cooled off significantly since his first weekend where he went on a scoring and rebounding spree. Still, the third session was one that saw Locksley return a bit to his form, as he started things off right with a ten point, four rebound performance in his first game of the weekend. He followed that up with a nine point, six board game, but what stood out in both games was the fact that he shot over 50% from the floor. Heading into the weekend, he was connecting on less than 40% of his shots, so to see him get that number up is a good thing.

A lot of that has to do with playing on a team that isn’t too great. Baltimore Elite currently sits at 3-10 so far, and with Locksley being one of their best players, he’s probably trying to force the issue. But as a two-sport athlete, he’s a damn good prospect.

Team SCAN

Terry Larrier, SF

Larrier has been on the Terps radar for awhile now, but with his play at EYBL it’s probably going to heat up even more if Maryland is looking for a “sleeper” small forward. Larrier, the 6’8, 205 lb Pennsylvanian, only started one of Team Scan’s first nine games, yet managed to average nine points and six rebounds throughout EYBL. This weekend might have featured his best performance.

Against BABC, who has been giving everyone fits so far, Larrier scored 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and also pulled in seven rebounds over 25 minutes to lead his team to a victory. He led all scorers in made field goals and points even though he didn’t even hit a three pointer and only shot (and made) one free throw.

Against the Albany City Rocks, Larrier also had ten points, three rebounds, and three steals. Unfortunately, Larrier’s first and fourth games didn’t see him do much scoring. He only had four points and four rebounds in his game against Expressions Elite, and played only three minutes against Mokan Elite

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

• To start things off, the 2014 recruiting class for football just got a little bit stronger, as 3 1/2-star running back Jonathan Thomas committed to Maryland. Great news for the Terps, who nabbed the Mass. back over an SEC program (Arkansas). To be honest, I wasn’t fully expecting this after he took a visit to Arkansas and came away impressed, but that’s big for recruiting. Since we didn’t take any RBs in the 2013 class, this should bolster the group in the future. (Alex Prewitt of Washington Post)
• If you want a little more on Jonathan Thomas and why the Terps think he can be a program changer, check out ESPNBoston’s interview here. Excuse me while I go fist pump for joy.
• Speaking of recruiting, the Terrapins now have the #42 class in the nation and #9 class in the ACC for 2014. I would take that with a grain of salt, however, because we’re nine months from National Signing Day, and a lot can change between now and then. Still, Maryland is off to a pretty strong start already with Will Ulmer and Jared Cohen already in the fold. (Rivals)
• The local recruiting rivalry is starting to heat up between Georgetown and College Park. But chalk one up in the win column for the Hoyas, as Terps target and St. John’s point guard Tre Campbell quickly committed to Georgetown Wednesday night. Considering he was offered under a week ago, that was mighty quick. If we’re being honest, Tre Campbell was never coming to College Park. And we don’t have to worry about him convincing Dion Wiley to go to Georgetown, because their scholarship numbers won’t really allow it. Still, big Team Takeover talent off the board. (Casual Hoya)
• The injury bug hit Alex Len at the worst time, but he’s optimistic about his chances of recovery and still being drafted highly. Len is currently scheduled to go visit Chicago, which would be an awesome fit for him if he ended up falling that much. The Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau is one of the best in the biz, and he’d groom Len well just like he did with Omer Asik. Anyway, the Baltimore Sun got to speak with his agent, and it provides some good insight on the Ukrainian.
• Earlier today I threw up a post about predicting the Terrapins record for the upcoming football season. While it may feel like a stretch when I have them pegged at 5-3 or 6-2 after eight weeks, at least Andre Ware agrees with me that we’re due for a bounce back. It’s all contingent on that second half of the season, where we’re 0-12 over two years. That comes back to the injury bug, and Randy Edsall. It’d be nice to end the ACC run being bowl eligible so we don’t get laughed out upon entrance into the Big Ten…

As always, enjoy finals and Roll Terps