Maryland message boards are blazing over the loss Plainfield HS (NJ) Junior Guard recruit Isaiah Epps to the Pittsburgh Panthers.
It can not be denied that Epps was number one on Maryland’s recruiting board, and losing him hurts.
The crying about losing him is a bit over the top though. In a way you can understand some of the ‘outrage,’ as MD fans are discouraged that the Terps lost another recruiting battle.
However, the bigger point is that MD was doing everything they could to obtain him, and it just did not work out.
Ohh well, that happens… Pittsburgh is the number 1 rated team in the country right now… there is no shame losing a player to them.
Perhaps there is carry over from MD fans about also losing uber 2009-recruit Dante Taylor to the Panthers.
Of course reactionary Terp fans forget that MD did win the head-to-head recruiting battle to Pittsburgh for James Padgett.
In a previous Terps entry, I posted about what the MD 2009 lineup could be.
Lets take a look at the 2010-11 lineup based on currently known players:
1 Bowie (Senior)
2 Mosley (Junior)
3 Tucker (Senior)
4 Kim (Junior), Padgett (Soph), Gregory (Senior)
5 Williams (Soph), Dupree (Senior), Goins (Junior)
That cabinet is not exactly empty.
You need some guard depth, and clearly losing Epps is discouraging… but it is not the end of the world.
There are still great options on the board, such as:
Victor Oladipo
http://maryland.scout.com/a.z?s=174&p=8&c=1&nid=3851344
Taran Buie (Yes, I know there is talk of him being a package deal to Pitt)
http://maryland.scout.com/a.z?s=174&p=8&c=1&nid=2843921
Roscoe Smith (Yes, I know that UNC leads)
http://maryland.scout.com/a.z?s=174&p=8&c=1&nid=3226332
Will Barton
http://maryland.scout.com/a.z?s=174&p=8&c=1&nid=3566909
If MD strikes out on these four, I will be a bit more concerned.
As a fellow Terp fan, I suggest not living and dying with each recruit, and worry about the wins and losses of the current team.
The Terps are 12-3 overall, and 1-0 in league play. What they do in the next 15 regular season games means much more to the immediate future of this program, vs Isaiah Epps going to Pitt.
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