Maryland Basketball: Terps should make a play for Chase Jeter

Chase Jeter was one of the most sought-after recruits in the 2015 class.

Now the former five-star forward has decided to transfer from Duke and Maryland should be in line for his services.

The frontcourt was certainly an area of concern at times for Maryland throughout the 2016-17 season. Michal Cekovsky missed 16 games due to injury, which forced forward LG Gill to play out of position in the low post.

Cekovsky and center Damonte Dodd were productive at times, but consistency was definitely an issue for Mark Turgeon’s group.

Cekovsky averaged 7.6 points and 2.8 rebounds when he was on the floor. On the other hand, Dodd scored 6.2 points and grabbed 4.4 boards while often getting himself into foul trouble.

The Terps oftentimes found themselves losing the battle on the glass. In addition, they were forced to beat teams from the perimeter and by penetrating the lane.

Maryland lacked that consistent low post threat that you could just toss the ball down to when the offense wasn’t hitting their shots. This is why the Terps need to do their due dillgence and try to lure Jeter to College Park.

Jeter definitely had an underwhelming two seasons in Durham, but there’s no question that the talent is there.

The 6’10 big man is extremely athletic and can make a real impact around the rim. He has a wide array of post moves and can score in a variety of ways.

One of his biggest strength is his ability to rebound the basketball.

He may have only played 14.9 minutes-per-game as a sophomore, but he did average 2.7 boards. Jeter is a very aggressive on the glass and can outwork just about anybody to come up with the 50-50 ball.

Jeter had five games in which he grabbed four of more rebounds.

He did deal with a herniated disc injury throughout the bulk of ACC play and missed the final 18 games of the season. In his final five games, he only combined to score a single point but did manage to secure 12 rebounds.

As long as the injury is completely healed, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Jeter thrive in a different setting.

It’s unclear exactly what schools Jeter will be considering. However, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities for him to land on the West Coast.

Jeter starred at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, so playing closer to home could be a priority.

Schools like Arizona and UNLV would make a lot of sense for the former five-star big man. Jeter would certainly be more comfortable in settings like that, but it could depend on the best situation in terms of playing time.

Maryland graduates Dodd and Gill this spring, so that’ll leave Ivan Bender and Cekovsky as the only two returning frontcourt players that have produced in the past. Bruno Fernando is a highly-touted incoming freshman and Micah Thomas and Joshua Tomiac are forwards that redshirted this past season.

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Obviously, Jeter will have to sit out next season, but adding an established big would be huge for the program going forward.