Official Maryland Terps Thread 2.0

Post #661 » by **Ruzious** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 1:53 am

Well, MD's definitely playing ball with the AAU teams and seem to be making a helluvalot of progress in a short period of time. Then again, Gary had Anderson before he quit, and Anderson left because of it. I'm guessing MD's style of play is going to change under Turgeon. Anderson is an uber-athlete type who would have fit Gary's running style. Cleare may be a very highly ranked player, but he's a plodder at his... girth. MD might actually become a half court style team. Thanks for the updates, WP.

Wizardspride · Post #662 » by **Wizardspride** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 1:56 am

Episcopal F Arnaud Adala Moto visits Maryland
Arnaud Adala Moto had a busy schedule Friday.

The rising senior at Episcopal started the day with a few hundred of the region’s top athletes at The Washington Post’s All-Met luncheon in Northwest Washington.

Then the 6-foot-6 forward and Coach Jim Fitzpatrick headed up the road to College Park for an unofficial visit to Maryland. After Montrose Christian’s Justin Anderson changed his commitment from Maryland to Virginia, Adala Moto is considered a top candidate to land with Coach Mark Turgeon and the Terrapins.
“We met the guys, had a little tour, walked around and checked things out,” Fitzpatrick said. “It was nothing serious, but a good unofficial visit for Arnaud to check things out a little bit.

“They seemed like very nice guys. I’d never had a lot of interaction with [assistant coach] Dalonte [Hill]. Turgeon seemed like a really nice guy too, as good as you can get to know a guy in an hour. I have no doubt they are going to keep the program going in the right direction. They have a good idea of who they want.

“Arnaud liked it. He enjoyed his time on campus. For us, we’re in a very early stage, going on a bunch of visits and seeing schools.”

“The visit was a good introductory visit, not only for us but also for Turgeon and his staff.

Adala Moto previously took an unofficial visit to UCLA while in Los Angeles for a travel-team tournament two weeks ago.

Fitzpatrick said he has plans to also take unofficial visits to Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and North Carolina State. “All those schools have offered, so it’s worth taking the time to look.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/rec ... _blog.html

7-Day Dray · Post #663 » by **7-Day Dray** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 2:19 am

DAMN, our staff is going after everybody hard! Basically every prospect I hear that's considering us say that Maryland's recruiting them the hardest!

Now that doesn't necessary mean that we're in the lead for them though. I just hope we actually get some of these. Too many times have I been very disappointed. The Stephenson, Selby, and JOB situations come to mind.

Wizardspride · Post #664 » by **Wizardspride** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:51 pm

MIDATLANTICHOOPJide Sodipo
If the #Terps land @MitchMcGary33 Jake Layman Shaquille Cleare Prince Ibeh or Charles Mitchell w/Sam Cassell 2 go along w/Seth Allen in 2012

Wizardspride · Post #665 » by **Wizardspride** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 1:58 am

WR Amba Etta-Tawo commits to Maryland Terrapins over Virginia

One of Georgia’s fastest wide receivers committed to Maryland on Wednesday night.

Amba Etta-Tawo, a 6-foot-3, 178-pounder from McEachern High School, said he picked the Terrapins over Virginia out of around 10 football scholarship offers.

“Maryland’s offense is a great fit for me,” Etta-Towa told the AJC. “The type of scheme they run is perfect for the type of receiver that I am.”

What type of wide receiver is Etta-Towa? A fast one. He was a member of McEachern’s 400-meter relay team that finished runner-up for the Class AAAAA state championship and he has been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.4 seconds.
“All the coaches were fired up about the commitment,” Etta-Tawo said.

Etta-Towa is the fourth Georgia player to commit to Maryland, following Marist OL Nick Brigham, Luella DB Alvin Hill and Chapel Hill WR AJ Liddell.

http://blogs.ajc.com/recruiting/2011/07 ... -virginia/

Chocolate City Jordanaire · Post #666 » by **Chocolate City Jordanaire** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:59 am

I think within a three-year window both the UMCP football and basketball programs are going to become powerhouses. I expect football will turn around quicker. They have more talent relative to the rest of the ACC than the hoops team does.

Turgeon and his staff are already getting things done, but I don't like the plethora of 6'5" and under guys they have with no legit bigs. I am still mad at Jordan Williams for deciding to ruin a perfectly free education to end up not being a first rounder, and doing it during a work stoppage. Hate that he basically got Gary bagged like that. On the flip side, I like change and Turgeon's going to recruit better. The fact he's averaged 25 or so wins the past 4 seasons tells me the guy can coach.

I think it will take recruits a couple years to reestablish the Terps as powerhouses. If Jordan Williams were still there, it would have taken less time. Oh well...

Wizardspride · Post #667 » by **Wizardspride** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:29 am

Chocolate City Jordanaire wrote:I think within a three-year window both the UMCP football and basketball programs are going to become powerhouses. I expect football will turn around quicker. They have more talent relative to the rest of the ACC than the hoops team does.

Turgeon and his staff are already getting things done, but I don't like the plethora of 6'5" and under guys they have with no legit bigs. I am still mad at Jordan Williams for deciding to ruin a perfectly free education to end up not being a first rounder, and doing it during a work stoppage. Hate that he basically got Gary bagged like that. On the flip side, I like change and Turgeon's going to recruit better. The fact he's averaged 25 or so wins the past 4 seasons tells me the guy can coach.

MD is in the running for two of the best big men in the country.

Shaquille Cleare and Mitch McGary.

Wizardspride · Post #668 » by **Wizardspride** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 9:51 pm

From a source:

I'm hearing Cleare / Parents and the Twins will be on campus with Harrison Sr. as well. While I think this is the final piece to the cleare commit its quite interesting that the Harrisons are tagging along.. I would think them coming to UMD First after saying "I think I know who it is" is only more good news. I wouldn't expect a twins commit but if we weren't in their top 2 or 3 I don't think this would be transpiring. I'm very eager to see how solid this lady friend of mine is when it comes to inside info. I'll keep you guys posted if I get a date to see just how legit this is.

mzaretsk · Post #669 » by **mzaretsk** » Mon Aug 1, 2011 2:18 am

source?

Chocolate City Jordanaire · Post #670 » by **Chocolate City Jordanaire** » Mon Aug 1, 2011 3:34 am

I don't know a thing, but did a Google search and got this:

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/ ... _list.html

After a weekend trip to Maryland, Shaquille Cleare headed south this week to take part in the NBPA Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, Va.

The second day of camp was going “pretty smooth” for Cleare, who reflected on his visit to College Park in a phone interview Thursday.

“It was nice,” said Cleare, a 6-foot-9, 285-pound center from The Village School in Houston. “I met the coaches, spent time with the players. They showed me around a little bit. … I just liked spending time with some of the players. They’re pretty good guys.”

Cleare said he enjoyed bonding with the Maryland players, and chatting with Mark Turgeon. The first-year Terps coach – who recruited Cleare when he was at Texas A&M – had a clearly stated vision for the four-star prospect.

“He just wants me to come in and play hard,” Cleare said. “He knows I’m going to bring energy and fill in Jordan Williams’ spot. [Turgeon said if I], ‘Come in and work hard, you’ve got a spot playing right away.’”

Cleare said he’s also considering offers from Arizona, Baylor, Florida, Texas and Texas A&M. But after visiting College Park, Maryland stands out to Cleare above the rest.

Chocolate City Jordanaire · Post #671 » by **Chocolate City Jordanaire** » Mon Aug 1, 2011 3:53 am

http://www.testudotimes.com/2011/7/28/2 ... e-wants-to

The Shaquille Cleare Post: Posterizes Nerlens Noel, Says He Wants to Beat Duke

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1idb4cTl760[/youtube]

Wizardspride · Post #672 » by **Wizardspride** » Mon Aug 1, 2011 1:40 pm

mzaretsk wrote:source?

The source is someone on another message board who has dropped good nuggets in the past.

Disregard it if you like.

http://www.testudotimes.com/2011/7/31/2 ... -next-week

Wizardspride · Post #673 » by **Wizardspride** » Tue Aug 2, 2011 9:16 pm

Phew. The second basketball recruiting evaluation is officially over, and with it ends most of the massive series of events that make up AAU basketball. Rankings were made or lost, prospects found or forgotten, and tons and tons of news was made.

Did you miss any? Because I'm here to remind you of everything that happened in the action-packed last ten days.

The Harrisons are very good, and probably Maryland's top priority regardless of class. They showed out at the AAU Super Showcase, taking home the championship and playing better than probably any other prospects at the event. They've been dropping teasing little hints about their future destinations, listing a top 5 - including Maryland - and saying they probably know where they're going to commit. Rumors have been persisting ever since that it'll be a Maryland-Kentucky battle, with Maryland potentially having an upper hand based on their variety of connections to the twins and their father.

That all combines to make them absurdly high-priority targets. Andrew is seen as the best PG in the country regardless of class and a huge name on the circuit; an early commitment could have a massive domino effect in other high-level recruitments like Amile Jefferson and Mitch McGary.

Mitch McGary remains very good. Maryland remains hot on his trail. No duh, and no duh. But McGary continued a string of strong performances, and saw Mark Turgeon lurking ominously close to the SYF Players bench to watch him play. If the Harrisons aren't the biggest priority, it's McGary for sure. Much how the Harrisons' domino effect could be big, McGary - a respected name on the circuit - would signal a more immediate changing of the guard, showing Maryland's re-arrival in recruiting at Lefty-era level.

It's looking like a doozy of a class, both in size and in quality. Without Hawk Palsson on the squad, I'm thinking Maryland takes six players in the class pretty easily. They have the space to do it now without sacrificing flexibility in 2013, so I'm expecting them to go for it. Really, I don't know if there's a reason not to do it.

And, strangely enough, it's a possibility - admittedly a slim one - that Maryland could land a class consisting of a group like Seth Allen, Shaquille Cleare, Mitch McGary, Elijah Macon, Jake Layman, and Amile Jefferson. Okay, more like a very slim chance, but Maryland legitimately has as good a chance at landing every single one of those prospects as any other school, and that's a rare occurrence. And yes, in case you were wondering - that class is tops in the country, regardless of what happens with Kentucky.

http://www.testudotimes.com/2011/8/2/23 ... #storyjump

Wizardspride · Post #674 » by **Wizardspride** » Sat Aug 6, 2011 3:43 pm

Nice article about area recruiting in general with a focus on Nate Britt

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports...NxI_story.html

Wizardspride · Post #675 » by **Wizardspride** » Sun Aug 7, 2011 4:15 pm

Maryland Targets Harrisons, Britt Fill It Up (on the Same Team) at Adidas Nations

Alternative title: "It can be done." Adidas Nations has been going over the weekend, and if you're active in the FanPosts, you've already heard the biggest piece of news: Maryland targets Andrew and Aaron Harrison have been playing with Nate Britt, also a Terps recruit, and Britt seems to like it.

That's important, because as I've said earlier, I would expect Mark Turgeon to at least make a run at convincing the three they could all play in the same system. There was talk earlier that the Twins and Britt may have an icy relationship - mostly driven by the "Of course I [think I'm better]" quote and the fight they almost got in on the AAU circuit - and that almost certainly would've been a non-starter in a potential combination. Perhaps that isn't the case here.

Of course, all parties involved still have to be able to think the combo is going to work; namely, that there'll be enough playing time and points to go around, as well as wins. Mark Turgeon will have to handle the PT pitch, but the latter two seem to be going quite well, if the box scores from the event are any indication. Britt and the Harrisons' USA Red 2013 won both of their games from day one, with pretty impressive statistical hauls. Aaron Harrison has been the best of the three this time around, scoring 23 points in the first game to go along with Britt's 14 and Andrew's 7. Then, in their next contest, the Harrisons combined for 40(!) in a close win over the African team. (Though, admittedly, Britt did only score 2 points in that one.)

(Robert Upshaw and Amile Jefferson were also at the event. Upshaw had 4 points and 7 boards in his only contest, while Jefferson dropped 19 in his only game of the day.)

So, it would appear that the pipe dream scenario of landing both the Harrisons and Britt may actually be attainable. Lots of guards on that roster, assuming no attrition - in fact, I'm starting to wonder if we just shouldn't start assuming more attrition. There's obviously a long way to go here, but the important take-away: it isn't impossible.

http://www.testudotimes.com/

Post #676 » by **Rafael122** » Mon Aug 8, 2011 2:06 pm

Nate Britt is from my HS alma mater! I have to see this kid in person before he goes to college.

BTW, I'm glad UMD is trying to recruit these players but there's a huge difference between recruiting and actually getting them into your program. It's nice that Maryland's name is being dropped everywhere, but they have to get these guys.

MF23 · Post #677 » by **MF23** » Tue Aug 9, 2011 1:52 pm

You can thank Delonte Hill for getting those pros down there.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pDmNi6oQew[/youtube]

Wizardspride · Post #678 » by **Wizardspride** » Tue Aug 9, 2011 5:34 pm

After staying quiet in July, Mitch McGary (Chesterton, Ind./Brewster Academy) emerged from the silence and he's constructed a final list of six schools. Making the cut, in no specific order are Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Michigan, Duke and Kentucky

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/re...ry-narrows-six

Post #679 » by **Ruzious** » Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:13 pm

Rafael122 wrote:Nate Britt is from my HS alma mater! I have to see this kid in person before he goes to college.

BTW, I'm glad UMD is trying to recruit these players but there's a huge difference between recruiting and actually getting them into your program. It's nice that Maryland's name is being dropped everywhere, but they have to get these guys.

Agreed - there's been a helluvalotof talk for very little action. And frankly, I'm not impressed with what little I've seen of Shaq Clear. He seems vastly overrated for a 6'8ish fat kid who's not that good of an athlete - despite that video posted in this thread - he wasn't even covered - his defender switched and couldn't cover 2 guys at once - shocker! Ooh, ahh - yawn. And no - he's not the next Zach Randolph.

7-Day Dray · Post #680 » by **7-Day Dray** » Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:21 pm

Ruzious wrote:
Rafael122 wrote:Nate Britt is from my HS alma mater! I have to see this kid in person before he goes to college.

BTW, I'm glad UMD is trying to recruit these players but there's a huge difference between recruiting and actually getting them into your program. It's nice that Maryland's name is being dropped everywhere, but they have to get these guys.

Agreed - there's been a helluvalotof talk for very little action. And frankly, I'm not impressed with what little I've seen of Shaq Clear. He seems vastly overrated for a 6'8ish fat kid who's not that good of an athlete - despite that video posted in this thread - he wasn't even covered - his defender switched and couldn't cover 2 guys at once - shocker! Ooh, ahh - yawn. And no - he's not the next Zach Randolph.

I agree with Shaq Cleare being overrated. I would much rather have Robert Carter, even though he's a longshot.