Matt Norlander and Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports released a podcast yesterday (http://eye-on-college-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/31953090) where they discussed some of the top uncommitted players of the Class of 2012. Among those discussed were Maryland targets Mitch McGary, and Amile Jefferson. Borzello stated that he thought the Terps had made up ground on Villanova for Jefferson, and that McGary coming to College Park remained possible.

If Coach Turgeon and his Staff were to land either of these elite PF’s, would you consider Maryland a National Contender going into next year?

2012-2013 Roster with McGary or Jefferson:
Guards:
Stoglin (Jr), Howard (Jr), Faust (Soph), Allen (Freshman)
SF: Parker (Jr), Layman (Freshman)
Bigs: Padgett (Sr), Pankey (Jr),  Len (Soph), Cleare (Freshman), McGary or Jefferson (Freshman)

8 Reasons why that team would be very capable:

1) With Stoglin, Howard, and Allen the team will have three guards capable handling the ball. Stoglin, and Howard will be entering their Jr. seasons with a lot of game experience.
2) Faust is going to receive a lot of playing time as a Freshman, and should be that much stronger, and prepared as a Sophomore.
3) I expect Parker to emerge this year as a Sophomore, and for his athleticism to be on full display going into ’12-’13 as a Jr. Between him and Layman, Maryland will have two former Top 60 recruits on the wing.
4) Padgett and Pankey are strong athletes who run well, can block shots, and help on the boards. They came from winning programs at Lincoln, and St. Anthony’s; and both came to to College Park with the reputation of doing what was necessary to help their teams win. Pankey has dealt with injuries the past two years, but has stated he is fully health going into ’11-’12. If he plays as expected this year, he should be even better prepared to contribute next. If Padgett never improves at all, he can still help a rotation. Heading to his Sr. year in ’12-’13, it would be not be surprising to see gains in his overall game.
5) My knowledge on Len is contained in YouTube highlights, comments from Scouts, and his Euro game numbers. From those that have him seen him, there seems to be consensus that he is a good athlete, who will have to adjust to the US (physical) style of play. Even if he is not a future Lottery pick, there are enough positive comments to be found on him; to reasonably believe he will help MD this year. Going into next year, you have to expect he will have made some adjustments.
6) Cleare is a consensus Top 40 ish player in his Class, and will obviously aid the Terps in the post. Even if he is ‘raw’, his size and athleticism is not something that can be taught.
7) Every scouting report on McGary and Jefferson refers describes their effort as relentless. Either player would be another athletic big, that will add scoring and rebounding to the front-court.
8) Coach Turgeon will be going into his 2nd year at Maryland. The focus will no longer be about replacing Coach Williams, and all of the new experiences for Turgeon. His system will have already been implemented for a year, and he should have 7 returning players.

If Maryland were to land either McGary or Jefferson, instead of asking if the Terps can be a National contender in ’12-’13, maybe the better question might be, why would they not?

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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