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Rasheed Sulaimon commits to Maryland

By Chris Bengel

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After an unofficial visit over the weekend, Rasheed Sulaimon made it official.

On Monday afternoon, Sulaimon announced that he has committed to Maryland. He will be eligible for the 2015-16 season.

The former Duke guard averaged 7.5 points-per-game and 2.0 rebounds-per-game in 20 games before being dismissed from the program this past season. Sulaimon played the first three years of his college career with the Blue Devils.

Upon his arrival at Duke, Sulaimon was an immediate starter and impact player. The former five-star recruit averaged 11.6 ppg to go along with 3.4 rpg during his freshman campaign.

Aside from Drexel’s Diamond Lee, Sulaimon was the most highly sought-after player on the transfer market.

Despite not getting Lee, coach Mark Turgeon turned his sights towards Sulaimon. As we’ve seen in the past, when Turgeon identifies a transfer that he covets, he typically needs a commitment from said player. In the past, Turgeon has landed the likes of guard Logan Aronhalt, forward Evan Smotrycz, guard Richaud Pack, and Wells.

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Sulaimon figures to slide right into the starting lineup and replace the departed Dez Wells at the shooting guard position. The move allows guard/forward Jared Nickens to come off the bench for instant offense, much like during the 2014-15 season.

Maryland’s starting lineup will likely consist of guard Melo Trimble, Sulaimon, forward Jake Layman, forward Robert Carter, and center Diamond Stone. The Terps second unit will include Nickens, guard Dion Wiley, center Damonte Dodd, and forward Michal Cekovsky.

As soon as the 2014-15 season concluded, Maryland was tabbed by many as a team that would likely be a preseason top-five squad. However, with the addition of Sulaimon, the Terps definitely have a case to be the top-ranked team in the preseason polls.

With teams like Ohio State and Wisconsin having significant talent leave their programs, Maryland also will likely be the favorite to win the Big Ten next year. This comes just one season after finishing second in the league and being a four-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

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