Apr 2, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Alex Len (25) puts up a shot against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half of the NIT Tournament Semi-Final at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

When it comes to Alex Len, you either love him or you’re very meh about him. It’s not so much anything that he’s done that makes him such a polarizing figure; rather, it’s what he hasn’t become or done yet that gets everyone up in arms. Especially when a recent rumor has Len being pegged as the first round, first overall selection in this year’s upcoming NBA draft.

Throughout the year at this site I’ve openly stated that I’m an Alex Len apologist and that I think he can be a very solid pro, so let’s just get that out of the way right now. I respect how much the kid improved, and how he took so many adjustments being placed on him at once in stride. I think that’s a commendable effort in and of itself that speaks highly about his character, to say nothing about his on court play.

That is where the polarity on the subject begins to accrue, when debating his consistency, his inconsistency, his abilities, and his upside. For some, he’s the next Zydrunas Illgauskas; to others, Len is Darko Milicic reincarnate. NBA scouts aren’t completely set on him and neither are many front offices, which is why he’s jumped from first overall (at the start of the season) to late lottery (midway through the season) to mid lottery (after his injury) and back to first round again (recently). No one really knows what they’re going to get should they draft Alex Len. His college career was one of those unique stories where he showed tremendous potential one second and at the same time left a lot of food on the table that went uneaten. Because of that career, even I’d have my own reservations about taking Len first overall (and as I said before, I love the kid).

I can understand why the Cavaliers (who have this year’s top selection) would be enamored with the idea of taking Len. They have his comparative upside on staff in Big Z, and historically have been able to develop big men into solid contributors. Anderson Varejao, Big Z himself to an extent, J.J. Hickson, and even Tristan Thompson are all players who came to the Cavs with an uncertain future, and each one has become a valuable commodity in the NBA.

Plus, Cleveland has the one thing Len hasn’t had his entire career: an elite point guard running the show. Kyrie Irving is the type of player who would both benefit from Len’s presence on the floor and open things up drastically for the kid in the paint. Irving is a ridiculously good shooter and an underrated passer (mostly because his assists are an offshoot of his offense). He makes the players around him better, and can truly take some pressure off Len having to contribute offensively immediately. In many instances, it is a no brainer to take Len.

Still, you have to give pause to a rumor like this. At this time last year, a lot of scouts had Harrison Barnes pegged as a Cleveland Cavalier because of his relationship with Kyrie Irving. Even though there were questions abound about him, Cleveland threw a pretty impressive smokescreen out and confused the heck out of everyone when they selected Dion Waiters with their pick. During this time of year, a lot of misinformation gets spread around by teams so they can have the best chips to bargain with at the table, so you have to take this kind of chatter with a grain of salt.

Len hasn’t worked out, so why he would start to shoot up draft boards all of the sudden is a bit of a mystery, but one with a few explanations. For one, Len not working out is, in a way, being productive while staying put. Other players have to run through a battery of tests which are designed to highligh their flaws, whereas Len just has to answer some hard/soft questions that he has been well coached in. Since scouts tend to look for the worst in a prospect, Len not having to show any of that to them directly has to help.

The other explanation is that other people with a vested interest in seeing Len shoot up might be leaking some info. By that I mean, his agent and Alex Len. A little whisper can turn into a loud roar coming from the right person, and that could easily be the case here. Len makes more money by being considered with the first pick or being taken higher, and teams who truly want him might be more willing to part with certain pieces to move up and grab him. Either scenario is a pro for Len.

Is he a number one pick? Well, with big men it’s quite the crapshoot nowadays. There are very few Olajuwan’s or Ewing’s coming out nowadays, and you sort of just have to guess and hope for the best. Anthony Davis was a lock, but people thought Andre Drummond would bust out big time and he was a meast last year. Same deal for Roy Hibbert when he came out, and likely with Alex Len and Nerlens Noel. There is a chance you could get a superstar, or you could get a downright disaster.

Len has just as much potential as everyone in this draft, so his selection to the Cavs might be warranted if they’re looking for a big man who could develop into something special down the road. But they are in win-now mode, and Len doesn’t exactly fit that bill as a prospect. People cite his domination of Noel as a factor in Len’s ascension to the top pick, but realistically that was Noel’s first game and he wasn’t that terrible. With the first overall pick comes some major expectations and that’s what I’d be wary of. Sure, it’d be amazing for the Maryland brand and popularity, but it could also be the case of Joe Smith all over again. Len may struggle in his first year and be written off immediately by a hypercritical culture with regards to big name draft picks.

Still, Len being the first pick isn’t that far fetched when you look at the other players in the draft, so maybe he has convinced some teams that he’s worthy. If that’s the case, great for him and great for Maryland recruiting. Just be wary of expectations and rumors like these.

Gilman product and future Terp quarterback Shane Cockerille had quite an impressive evening in the Big 33 Classic. (Photo Credit: Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)

The Big 33 Classic is one of the most heralded high school football all-star games along the East Coast. For the last 12 years, the game pitted two teams that were made up of players from Pennsylvania and Ohio. However in October 2012, it was announced that Maryland would replace Ohio in the annual contest. This was the first time that Maryland had appeared in the game since 1992. Maryland played the Keystone State from 1985 to 1992 before making their way back into the battle on Saturday evening.

The Terrapins had several 2013 commits playing in the contest and most made a remarkable impact. In terms of the final score, the Maryland squad didn’t have a great night as they lost 58-27.

Gilman quarterback Shane Cockerille, one of Maryland’s top recruits, took the majority of the snaps for the Maryland squad. Rhode Island commit Luke Casey also took some snaps for Maryland. Cockerille definitely was the star on this night in Hershey. The future Terps signal caller took a few series to get going, but ended up tossing a late touchdown toss to get Maryland on the board. The Gilman product throws a pretty ball and puts great touch on the ball, putting it right where it needs to be. He really got going in the second quarter as he led Maryland on three scoring drives to cut the deficit to 30-20 before Pennsylvania added a late touchdown courtesy of some trickery.

Cockerille ran the ball a few times and showed his strength and size with his running ability. He was not afraid to run straight up the middle and take on defenders head-on. Cockerille did rush for a touchdown late in the second half. His running ability allowed him to extend plays on several different occasions. As good as Cockerille looked, he does have a tough road ahead of him once he arrives in College Park. The Terps currently have quarterbacks C.J. Brown, Ricardo Young, Perry Hills, Caleb Rowe, and Dustin Dailey on the roster entering this spring. And no I didn’t forget to mention Shawn Petty. In addition to all that depth, St. John’s signal caller Will Ulmer will be a Terp in 2014. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Cockerille redshirt in 2013 or even switch positions at some point in his collegiate career. If the Gilman product does redshirt, it will save him a year of eligibility and allow more time to work with Mike Locksley on perfecting his craft. If he works at it, Cockerille has the ability to be a good college quarterback.

Another Terp that was mighty impressive in the Big 33 Classic was wide receiver DeAndre Lane. Lane was a star running back at Catonsville High School but could line up at running back or receiver for Maryland. Lane lined up as a wide receiver on Saturday and showed that he has some real talent. The two-star local recruit posted some pretty stellar numbers as he had a game-high 122 receiving yards. Lane was able to get open very frequently and showed off some nifty moves after the catch. The Catonsville product seemed to develop a nice repoire with Cockerille and Cockerille looked his way several times. Lane definitely had most of his success with Cockerille tossing the pigskin.

Obviously there is a ton of depth at the wide receiver position at Maryland. Stefon Diggs, Deon Long, Nigel King, and Taivon Jacobs will be lining up at wide receiver for the Terps in 2013. Marcus Leak won’t be on the team this season but will return in 2014. However, Lane can still make a significant impact in his freshman campaign. Lane did a solid job of returning kickoffs (a little bit better job than Jacquille Veii) in the Big 33 Classic and certainly has the speed to get to that next level. In time, Lane can be an effective slot receiver. He isn’t the biggest guy in the world but the speed does help make for that deficiency. He may not see a ton of time at the position but will likely be battling with Jacobs for playing time as a freshman.

After this spectacular showing in Hershey, it just further substantiates the fact that Maryland’s 2013 class is very talented. With guys like Cockerille and Lane joining the likes of Derwin Gray, Kingsley Opara, and Yannick Ngakoue, the sky is the limit for this group. The talent is spread across the depth chart. Some guys will contribute from day one while others will strictly provide depth at first. Despite harsh criticism throughout his first two years in College Park, Randy Edsall is showing why he belongs and is getting it done on the recruiting front. This just may be the year that Maryland finally gets it done on the field.

Westtown School wing Jared Nickens will be joining Romelo Trimble and Dion Wiley in College Park in the fall of 2014.

After visiting College Park this weekend, Westtown School small forward Jared Nickens saw all he needed to see. The Pennsylvania wing committed to Maryland on Sunday afternoon after his weekend official visit at the school.

Nickens joins a class that already includes local guards Romelo Trimble and Dion Wiley. The class was previously ranked third in the nation according to ESPN. That ranking could get bumped up a tad with the addition of Nickens. The former St. Patrick’s standout is currently rated as a four-star prospect on ESPN and is a three-star on Rivals and 247 Sports. He had scheduled to visit with Wake Forest and Dayton later this month and also had offers from Miami and Oregon State.

The 6-6 small forward brings something that the Terrapins have lacked for many years: a lethal shooter. Nickens is a spot-up shooter that is capable of nailing a jumper from anywhere on the court. In the second half of this past season at the Westtown School, Nickens shot 48 percent from beyond the arc. The Pennsylvania native is a smart basketball player who doesn’t turn the ball over very often. As many know, the Terps were quite a turnover-prone team throughout the 2012-2013 season.

Nickens’ size also is a huge advantage. As much of a strength as his long distance shooting is, he has a strong mid-range game and can bang down low along with post players. Nickens was primarily known as a shooter early in his high school career but has added this very important dimension to his game. The Westtown School wing is not afraid to put his back to the basket and burrow his way inside. Nickens is also a very long athlete, which allows him to play very strong defense. He really is a great all-around prospect.

The addition of Nickens gives Maryland one of the strongest groups of guards around.  Barring any early entries to the NBA Draft or transfer, the 2014 guard/small forward group will consist of Nick Faust, Dez Wells, Seth Allen, Roddy Peters, Wiley, Trimble, Jake Layman, and now Nickens. That is downright scary if you’re an opposing team trying to guard players of this caliber. Now Mark Turgeon will likely turn his attention to adding a post player to round out a phenomenal 2014 class. Trayvon Reed or Goodluck Okonoboh seems to be the most likely targets for the Terps.

We will have more on the addition of Nickens in the next few days.

“I got 5 on it!” – Rangoon
Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The Maryland Terrapins football team picked up their fifth commitment of the 2014 class Saturday evening, as Andrew Gray announced his intentions to play his college ball at the university. Gray will be joining fellow 2014 players Will Ulmer (QB, St. John’s College), Jared Cohen (OG, McDonough HS), Jonathan Thomas (RB, St. John’s Prep), and David Shaw (DE, Spring Grove Senior High).

Gray, the 6’4, 215-pound tight end, hails from Big Ten country in Chardon, Ohio. He is set to become the first player Maryland has recruited from that state since they picked up kicker Travis Baltz in 2007. Gray chose Maryland over a number of other offers, including ones to Louisville, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Ohio, and Toledo.

Last season for Chardon High School, Gray caught 12 passes for about 200 yards; he also recorded four sacks for his team on the opposite side of the football as a defensive end. His on-field performance last season led to calls by top tier D-1 programs, including a personal phone call from Urban Meyer himself.

As for the analysis part of Gray’s game, I watched a few clips of his games (as well as a highlight reel which can be found here) and what I saw was a solid player who wasn’t particularly fast or slow. The kid is definitively a blocking tight end, and looks like he comes from a read-option offense. That’s probably part of the reason why the coaching staff went after him, because he would likely fit in perfectly in the offense Maryland is likely to install. A lot of instances on the highlight film just show him sealing off opposing rusher very effectively, as he seemed a lot stronger than most kids he played against.

Whether he was underutilized or just plain wasn’t good enough at catching, his role in the offense was meager outside of blocking. There were a few instances where he caught the ball in tight space (with his hands, mind you), and didn’t seem so slow that he would never be an option at the next level. In a red-zone/short yardage scenario, one could envision Gray becoming a target for the ball since he’s so strong on his feet. There’s not going to be much of a chance to knock him over given his strength.

Regardless, grabbing a recruit from Ohio means a lot for a Maryland team that will be competing for players with midwestern powerhouses in the near future. The move to the Big Ten suggests that Maryland may be able to start poaching talent from Ohio, and this is a sign of that. Gray may only be a three-star (and even then, only one recruiting service had him listed as such), but bringing him in means one less player for opposing Big Ten schools to look at. If he blows up his senior year, then great for Maryland. If he doesn’t, the Terps get a solid blocker who could work great in a Will Ulmer-led offense, and create an inroad in a state they rarely get players from.

It’s a win-win for Maryland this early in the 2014 recruiting period to grab a guy like Gray, and we’re excited to have him as the latest addition to the Terp Nation family.

As part of our rookie hazing tradition (and by tradition I mean something I just started), here’s an awkward interview Gray gives after a big win last year:

*Note: Gray comes off as the kind of player anyone would want to play with, and seems like an unselfish kid who will lay himself out for the team

May 26, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Maryland Terrapins attacker Alex Aust (10) looks to pass against the Maryland Terrapins during the second half of the 2013 NCAA Division I Women

This article is in response to a hate piece about Maryland on OffTackleEmpire.com, which can be found here. This is all in good fun, mind you, but here’s my attempt to defend Maryland.

First off, I love it when Big Ten members start giving Maryland people crap about, well, anything, because of how pathetic some of their respective states tend to be. They say something like “The only reason we need you guys is for the TV money you’ll bring in!” and act as if it’s an even remotely logical argument as to why we don’t belong in the Big Ten, so they can already hate us as a result.

In fact, they’re right in some cases. The Big Ten, and their respective states, literally can’t grow on their own; deposed idiot of Ohio State Gordon Gee said as much himself before he went on a Christmas table, senile grandpa tirade on how the Catholics were screwing the money up (and not his absurdly high salary for manning a top 50 school or his expansive bowtie collection). You know what a 1% growth rate in your footprint means? Your TV and expansion area is going to max out ricky freaking ticky. So when your network heads hit that negotiation table in 2016 with your non-expandable market and demand $2 billion plus, the big wigs would crap you out as if you were a digestive cleanse of the corn husks you guys pride yourselves on. Although I’m sure everyone is jumping at the bit to hit up that booming Iowa market, where people need sour mash just to get up every morning.

So what does Jim Delany do? He goes and gets the fourth-largest TV market (like any smart person would), to stave off the looming SEC network. Maryland’s the prostitute who sold themselves for money? Then what the hell did you guys just do? Your commissioner just handed traditionalists an econo-sized vat of Astro Glide and told them to bend over and accept change. Again. Because you guys need to make more money. I mean how stupid are you guys to think that this expansion doesn’t make you, at the very least, complicit whores? You’re the sleazy, fat businessman doing a midnight prowl through Backpages to find a nice escort for his soiree next week. You might be rich, but you still probably have herpes.

Jim Delaney: Maryland’s coming in dry

The funniest part about the Big Ten is how blissfully unaware they are that everyone outside of the Big Ten hates them. Seriously, no one likes you guys. When’s the last time anyone I know said, “Man I can’t wait to take my paid vacation and go to Ohio!” Answer: it’s never happened. You think Maryland fans are looking forward to taking a trip to Nebraska next year? Or Ohio so I can go see a Wright Brother’s exhibit? Or Iowa so I can see whatever the hell it is that Iowa brings to the table? No one is, not even our school, and it’s why you subsidized our travel budget as a condition of us coming (yet again you classy traditional schools throw money at a hooker, and now probably have the Clap as a result).

You want to know why Ohio State loves their football so much? Because every other sport sucks there, and there’s nothing else to do. The Cleveland Browns created a generation of alcoholics, and is the festering wound of the NFL. LeBron James jumped dodge the second he got the chance because the best NBA star he could convince to come to Cleveland was Larry Hughes (a Wizards defector). The Indians suck, the Blue Jackets traded Rick Nash and still haven’t done anything, and Drew Carey is a douche bag. By the way, we hate you for making the Drew Carey Show. This is the image we get when we think of Ohio:

Our state and the surrounding area, on the other hand, has the perennially good Baltimore Ravens. We have Washington D.C. with its countless museums full of historical significance (and, you know, the White House), we have the Inner Harbor, we have the Orioles (who have sucked and still have more history than the Indians), we have the Redskins (again, more championships than you can dream of, and RGIII), we have the Naval Academy in an absolutely gorgeous city, we have casinos, we have the ocean. In other words, we have much better things to do with our time than obsess over a team that sucks. And Maryland has sucked in recent years, we admit.

Undeniably so, we’ve been bad. For the last five years, the Terps haven’t done anything on the hardwood, and we haven’t done anything on the gridiron. That hurts us, because we know college sports is important and we want to be good. A bad athletic director and an economic recession can hurt a state school. But you act as if the Big Ten is that much better than the competition we’ve been facing in the freaking ACC, when it’s not. You have four schools that are really good at football in Ohio State, Michigan (recently), Penn State, and Nebraska, and the rest consists of leftover chum, as evidenced by your putrid bowl record. Not to mention that you guys are bereft of much NFL talent, unlike the ACC in last year’s draft and numerous others before that. The rest is just as much a crapshoot as the ACC.

Right, hang your hat on the big four schools (two of which couldn’t play in bowls last year) who have one BCS championship collectively since it’s inception, and haven’t appeared in one since 2007. That’s about the time the voters told Jim Tressel he wasn’t invited anymore because his teams kept getting their stuff pushed in prison-style by the SEC. Your lone championship in 2003 during that run by Ohio State came controversially (though I agree with the call) against a Big East school. In basketball? Same story. The ACC has done much of the same, so just stop with the big boy talk.

Stop, also, with the whole “we don’t have a rivalry” talk, too. We don’t have a true rival and we don’t mind not having one. We like hating everyone just the same; it gives us flexibility in our ability to hate without bias. Obviously, beating Duke means a lot to us (and everyone in the nation know it’s a rivalry BUT Duke), and we show general disdain for anything from Virginia or West Virginia. But we also take pride in leaving a steamy log on anyone’s porch.  So when Ohio State fans fill our paltry stadium, we’re going to look forward to the day when we upset you and your asshole fanbase has to get back into your mobile home and look forward to nothing back at home. Then we’ll get hyped about it for a couple days and move on to more important things, like our government/military contracting jobs that affect your national security, or having our alumni build Google or Under Armor. Not that Kroger and Walmart (your two biggest employers) aren’t important; just, you know, look big picture guys.

Even if we don’t have a rival, and the ACC says they don’t want us, we don’t care. We’ll look forward to playing all these new teams, underdog mentality in tow. So when we upset one of your hodunk schools, we can relish in the fact that all you guys have done since we arrived is serve us up a bowl of F.U. It doesn’t matter, because Maryland fans know we’re going to get better. We have a rich tradition in athletic success, and it’s why we leave the ACC, which disrespected us outright all the time, with the second-most overall championships (in some sports you may not care about, but we do) in their conference, second only to UNC. The ACC has no idea what they’re losing, and apparently nor do you guys understand what you’re gaining. But when you start losing a bunch in basketball, in soccer, in lacrosse (which your commish is pumped to add), in field hockey, in swimming, and in track and field, you’ll realize that Maryland has arrived in your conference.

Let’s just look at what you’re getting with Maryland, and why we scoff when you guys think we’re not a great addition. Here’s a list of schools with the most total NCAA championships. Pegged on that list among a few Big Ten powerhouses? Maryland. So screw you guys, in that regard. We’ve always been good at a lot of sports, and the Big Ten trying to convince us that we’re worthless won’t work. The numbers don’t lie. For sure, we’re looking forward to the money you’ll be giving us in the millions just so we can be members and balance our budget, but watch out for what that Maryland will become. We’re in a talent-rich area that is constantly being poached by other schools (except now it’s being kept in-house), we’ve got some major recruits starting the Stay Home Movement here, and we’re on the come-up. So while you guys may hate us for the new few years, we’re going to get respect from you, whether you like it or not. And in turn? We’ll respect you too, but we’re still going to hate you. Because we’re Maryland.

Fear the Turtle.

July 26, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany speaks during the Big Ten media day at the McCormick Place Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Reid Compton-USA TODAY Sports

• I’m not entirely sure why the Orlando Sentinel has the Maryland Terrapins on their radar, but then I’m not complaining about the exposure. Considering Randy Edsall’s tenure to this point, I shouldn’t be surprised that the Terps are ranked 77th overall this year by Ms. Romero of the Sentinel. She does have a realistic take on the Terps, and what their outlook looks like given the amount of players lost. But this guy’s Maryland Pride tinted shades this we can do better.
• Matt Bracken of the Baltimore Sun gives us an article that should be shown at every single meeting with a new recruit (looking at you, Jalen Tabor and Damien Prince). It’s a picture gallery of the 31 Maryland Terrapins that are currently in the NFL. I know that there are plenty of other schools that might have more than Maryland, but I’m damn proud of every player on this list. Not to get emotional or anything, but I love how well these guys represent the school. None of them are slapping lawyer’s butts in the court room.
• And so it begins: OffTackleEmpire.com on the SBNation network of sites decided to choose Maryland for their Friday hate piece, and it’s a doozie of an article. They hate that we don’t have a rival, think we’re the unwanted stepchild of the ACC, and more or less plow us sideways for our existence. I’ve got some choice words for this guy, and they’ll be going up today, so in the meantime just read it and enjoy it with a little laugh. With such passionate fans, the B1G will recognize us in no time.
• Despite their webpage looking like a Geocities template, theOzone actually pumps out some decent content, and they recently did some long-term B1G predictions. In those, they praise Maryland and hate on new B1G addition Rutgers, which makes it A-OK with me. Give it a looksie here.

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]]> http://terrapinstationmd.com/2013/06/14/last-chance-to-win-a-lg-electronics-42-inch-led-tv-from-fansided-and-terrapin-station/feed/ 0 http://terrapinstationmd.com/2013/06/13/an-updated-look-at-maryland-basketball-scholarships/ http://terrapinstationmd.com/2013/06/13/an-updated-look-at-maryland-basketball-scholarships/#comments Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:30:55 +0000 Michael Willis http://terrapinstationmd.com/?p=6719   2013-14 Scholarships Freshmen: PG: Roddy Peters PF/C: Damonte Dodd Sophomores: PG: Seth Allen SF: Jake Layman PF: Charles Mitchell PF: Shaquille Cleare Juniors: SG: Nick Faust SG: Dez Wells PF: Evan Smotrycz Seniors: N/A Non-Scholarship Players Varun Ram, Conner Lipinski, Jacob Susskind, A.J. Metz, John Auslander, Spencer Barks —————- Total Scholarships: 9 Total Available: [...]

An Updated Look At Maryland Basketball Scholarships - Terrapin Station - Terrapin Station - A Maryland Terrapins Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

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Jake Layman = Court Awareness

2013-14 Scholarships

• Freshmen:

PG: Roddy Peters

PF/C: Damonte Dodd

• Sophomores:

PG: Seth Allen

SF: Jake Layman

PF: Charles Mitchell

PF: Shaquille Cleare

• Juniors:

SG: Nick Faust

SG: Dez Wells

PF: Evan Smotrycz

• Seniors:

N/A

Non-Scholarship Players

Varun Ram, Conner Lipinski, Jacob Susskind, A.J. Metz, John Auslander, Spencer Barks

—————-

Total Scholarships: 9

Total Available: 4

—————-

2014-2015 Scholarships

• Freshmen:

PG: Romelo Trimble

SG: Dion Wiley

• Sophomores:

PG: Roddy Peters

PF/C: Damonte Dodd

• Juniors:

PG: Seth Allen

SF: Jake Layman

PF: Charles Mitchell

PF: Shaquille Cleare

• Seniors:

SG: Dez Wells

SG: Nick Faust

F: Evan Smotrycz

————

Total Scholarships: 11

Total Available: 2

————-

2015-2016 Scholarships

• Freshmen:

N/A

• Sophomores:

PG: Romelo Trimble

SG: Dion Wiley

• Juniors:

PG: Roddy Peters

PF/C: Damonte Dodd

• Seniors:

PG: Seth Allen

SF: Jake Layman

PF: Charles Mitchell

PF: Shaquille Cleare

—————–

Total Scholarships: 8

Total Available: 5

——————

2016 – 2017 Scholarships

• Freshmen:

N/A:

• Sophomores:

N/A:

• Juniors:

PG: Romelo Trimble

SG: Dion Wiley

• Seniors:

PG: Roddy Peters

PF: Damonte Dodd

—————

Total Scholarships: 4

Total Available: 9

—————-

This is just a breakdown of the scholarship situation to A.) make you feel old and decrepit and B.) give perspective about where Maryland is headed. What can we gain from something like this? Outside of a trajectory course for when a lot of your friends will go bald, it shows areas of need.

If it weren’t obvious already, there’s a good chance that the back court is well taken care of for the next few years, this just illustrates that. In terms of real need going forward, it’s at the small forward position (if we’re talking traditional positions). Layman can fill that role until 2016, but no one said that was going to be pretty. He’s not amazing defensively, so bringing in a guy like Larrier might hep, and would give the Terps two long defenders (one of which will have plenty of experience).

There’s also a need to address the center position, where Maryland has a lot of guys who aren’t true centers filling the role. Damonte Dodd (size-wise) is actually as close as it gets. Shaquille Cleare and Charles Mitchell are more power forwards than anything, which is where we get a bit of a logjam minutes wise. But you can never have enough bigs, so this isn’t a bad thing. Still, Maryland is going to really want to hone in on Trayvon Reed/Goodluck/Onuaku/Obi. Landing one of those four would greatly benefit the Terps in that future, and would virtually set a lot of the roster.

This obviously doesn’t take into account players leaving for the NBA or transferring schools, which Maryland is familiar with. They have lost a number of players the past few years due to that; Jordan Williams, Alex Len, and Stoglin to the NBA; Hakur Palsson to the pros; Mychal Parker, Pe’Shon Howard, and Ashton Pankey to transfers. The roster is clearly fluid at this point, but this at least gives us a look at what could happen if everything goes as planned.

Enjoy it folks.

]]> http://terrapinstationmd.com/2013/06/13/an-updated-look-at-maryland-basketball-scholarships/feed/ 0 http://terrapinstationmd.com/2013/06/12/maryland-terrapin-related-links-612-mark-turgeon-killing-recruiting-a-j-francis-apr/ http://terrapinstationmd.com/2013/06/12/maryland-terrapin-related-links-612-mark-turgeon-killing-recruiting-a-j-francis-apr/#comments Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:32:05 +0000 Michael Willis http://terrapinstationmd.com/?p=6716 A.J. Francis has already signed off as a Maryland Terrapin in a blaze of glory with his whole engagement-birthday-Miami Dolphins YouTube viral video. Perhaps one of the most beloved Terps of my generation is gone, and all that’s left now are the formalities and goodbyes. But consider this Baltimore Sun piece an exit interview of [...]

Maryland Terrapin Related Links 6/12: Mark Turgeon Killing Recruiting, A.J. Francis, APR - Terrapin Station - Terrapin Station - A Maryland Terrapins Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

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Et tu, Swofford? – Mark Turgeon
Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports