With a likely talent exodus coming for the Maryland men’s basketball team, we take a look at where current commits fit into the picture and 2016 and 2017 recruits that are on the Terps radar.
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First we’ll take a look at the current UMD signees.
PG Anthony Cowan, 5-foot-11, St. John’s
In a perfect world Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon would have Cowan sit and learn behind star point guard Melo Trimble next season, but with Trimble widely considered a first-round prospect, it is unlikely that he sticks around for his junior season. Instead, Cowan and Jaylen Brantley are likely to battle it out for the starting role, but both receive significant time in the rotation. Cowan, who scored 21 points and added 7 assists and three steals in St. John’s win over DeMatha in the WCAC championship on Monday night, is an absolute wizard with the ball, making things happen whenever he touches it. He is an excellent ball-handler, keeping the ball on a string, and he has one of the quickest first steps of any guard in the country. Cowan plays bigger than his size implies and excels at getting to the rim and either finishing through contact or drawing fouls. He has great court vision and always seems to know exactly where on the court his teammates and the defenders are, helping him to deliver pinpoint pases to open teammates for easy buckets. If Trimble does leave for the NBA as expected, Cowan is a pretty good replacement option.
SG Kevin Huerter, 6-foot-5, Shenendehowa Central (NY)
Huerter is a long wing who can be expected to deliver immediate scoring off of the bench and provide a nice backup option to likely starter Dion Wiley. He has a motor that’s always running, and he is more than willing to attack the basket. He has the control and athleticism to compete with guards on the highest level, but like most prospects, he needs to add some muscle. Huerter is a very good shooter who’s not afraid to pull the trigger from deep. Its likely that Huerter will be around for all four years of eligibility, but he will have big shoes to fill and may be expected to contribute right away as Rasheed Sulaimon and Jake Layman are both in their final year of eligibility.
Maryland still has two open scholarship spots for next season, even in the unlikely case that nobody leaves early. Now we’ll take a look at a few 2016 and 2017 players Mark Turgeon is trying to bring to College Park.
SF Josh Jackson, 6-foot-7, Prolific Prep (CA) 2016
Arguably the best overall player in the class of 2016, Jackson would be the biggest recruiting get of Mark Turgeon’s career. He holds offers from just about every major school in the nation and NBA teams are already lining up for a chance to have him on their roster. A long, athletic wing, who handles the ball like a point guard and can score from anywhere on the court, Jackson would start right away on the wing for the Terps. He’s as safe of a bet to be a one and done player as anyone, so the payoff of having him for multiple seasons wouldn’t be there, but his talent level is hard to match. According to a Baltimore Sun report last month, Jackson plans to take an official visit to Maryland, and he previously said that he could see himself playing for the Terps.
SF Micah Thomas, 6-foot-7, Huntington Prep (WV) 2016
Thomas isn’t quite as ready as Jackson is, but he is a tough, athletic wing who could contribute right away. He excels in transition, where he can finish anytime he gets close to the rim, specializing in dunks that leave defenders on posters. He’s a very good defender who uses his length well to get in passing lanes and is a good shot blocker. He still needs to add some bulk and improve his shooting to be a true difference-maker, but THomas could contribute solid minutes off of the bench right now. It looks like this is a two-horse race between Maryland and Louisville, and Thomas plans to make his decision in April after a visit to College Park.
PG Trevon Duval, 6-foot-3, Advanced Prep International (TX) 2017
The top-ranked point guard in the nation, Duval is at his best in transition when he can finish at the rim or find an open teammate for an easy bucket. He is among the best scorers in his class and has excellent court vision and basketball IQ. Last summer Duval told 247Sports that Maryland was “doing a good job of recruiting me.” Currently on the 247Sports crystal ball, where experts predict where prospects go to college, 40 percent have Duval heading to the Terps.
SG D.J. Harvey, 6-foot-6, DeMatha 2017
The top player in Maryland in the class of 2017, Harvey goes to school just a few miles from College Park. Harvey can score at will from anywhere on the floor and is a lockdown defender on the perimeter. He recently included Maryland in his top 16, but it seems that the Terps are on the outside looking in for Harvey. There is a lot of time to pitch staying home, but most reports indicate Harvey is very high on Arizona.
SF Myles Douglas, 6-foot-7, Paul VI (VA) 2017
Another athletic wing, Douglas is a pretty safe bet to be a future Terp. All nine of the predictions on the 247Sports crystal ball point toward him ending up in College Park. He’s a slasher off of the wing and excels at getting to the basket and finishing through contact. He’s very solid defensively and uses his length and athleticism well to stay in front of his man and occupy passing lanes.
Andrew Feather is a multimedia journalist from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. Currently a broadcast journalism major at Elon University in Elon, N.C., Feather serves as the Assistant Sports Director of Elon Local News, the school’s award winning, student-run news broadcast.