The 2019-20 season is setting up to potentially be a special one for Maryland, as the Terrapins have the talent and depth needed to make a run not only at a Big Ten title but a national title as well. Whether or not Mark Turgeon’s team makes good on that promise remains to be seen, but with the likes of Anthony Cowan Jr. and Jalen Smith leading the way it’s more than fair to expect big things out of this group.
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The excitement for the upcoming season doesn’t mean one can’t take a look at the future, as programs have to constantly recruit in order to account for eventual departures. In the case of Maryland there’s only one scholarship senior on the current roster (Cowan), but that doesn’t mean Turgeon and his staff are assured of having just one vacancy to fill for the 2020-21 season. Obviously Smith’s spot on the roster is worth watching, as many expect the rising sophomore to takes step forward this year. If that happens, the NBA becomes a real possibility next Spring, either with Smith testing the waters or going “all in” with turning pro. To account for that Maryland will likely look to add another big man to the roster in the 2020 class.
It’s also worth noting that Aaron Wiggins is appearing on some 2020 NBA Mocks as well.
The Terps already have one verbal commitment for 2020, so let’s take a quick look at the program’s recruiting situation with the final evaluation period scheduled for this weekend.
Quick note on the final evaluation period: that is only for the USA Basketball Junior National Team Minicamp in Colorado Springs. Coaches are not allowed to attend any other events scheduled for this weekend (July 26-29).
The lone commit: CG Marcus Dockery (Bishop O’Connell HS; Arlington, VA)
Dockery is a three-star point guard out of Bishop O’Connell in Arlington, Virginia, and playing in the highly competitive WCAC will help when it comes to his preparedness for the Division I level. He’s been a Maryland commit since late October, with the left-hander picking the Terps over offers from programs such as Cincinnati, Georgetown and Seton Hall just to name a couple. While his size (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) makes Dockery a logical fit for the lead guard role, he’s more of a combo at this point in his career. He can be played alongside another guard, preferably one who’s more of a distributor and Maryland can offer that up in the form of Eric Ayala.
Running a team and getting his teammates the ball in spots where they can be at their best is where Dockery will need to improve as a senior at Bishop O’Connell, and with him in the fold in 2020 Maryland will have a good perimeter rotation to help account for the graduation of Cowan. In addition to Ayala, Darryl Morsell, Serrel Smith Jr. and Wiggins will all have eligibility remaining, and that goes for sophomore Ricky Lindo and freshmen Hakim Hart and Donta Scott as well.
The Wild Card: PG Carter Whitt (Leesville Road HS; Raleigh, NC)
Whitt is currently a member of the Class of 2021, but he recently had some interesting comments in an interview with 247Sports.com recruiting analyst Brian Snow. While Clemson, NC State and Virginia are all major players in the four-star point guard’s recruitment so is Maryland, and according to Whitt the coaching staff has discussed with him the possibility of moving into the 2020 class. Whitt said that he won’t know about the possibility of reclassifying until the spring, and if he were to make that move it would “have to be the right situation” for him.
Maryland looking at Whitt as a point guard possibility for 2020 shows that the staff still feels that this is a need to fill even with Dockery’s commitment. 6-foot-5 point guard Daishen Nix was on campus last November, and earlier this month the staff offered three other point guards in Karim Mane, Santiago Vescovi and Andre Curbello. While Vescovi, a native of Uruguay, performed well at the NBA Global Academy in Atlanta both Mane (Canada) and Curbello (Puerto Rico) represented their nations at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup. Something to watch regarding Mane is the fact that he’ll be draft eligible next spring, so it’s no given that he’ll step foot on a college campus.
It’s quite clear that Maryland is looking to bring in two guards in the 2020 class, with Dockery already on board.
The Front Court: Will there be a hole to fill?
The big question for Maryland when it comes to big men in the 2020 class is what will happen with Smith. The staff has to account for the possibility of this being his final season on campus, which is why five-star power forward Isaiah Todd is one of the Terps’ top targets in the 2020 class. Listed a 6-foot-10, 195 pounds by 247Sports Todd is more on the slender side, but that doesn’t mean he lacks strength. He’s effective as a face-up four and can score on all three levels, and defensively his length comes in hands when it comes to blocking shots.
And as one would expect with a player of Todd’s caliber Maryland isn’t the only school that has prioritized him, with Kentucky and Oklahoma State in the mix as well. Todd has already taken officials to Maryland and Oklahoma State, and he’s expected to visit Kentucky and Kansas as well. While the five-star power forward plays his high school ball in Virginia, he’s a native of Baltimore. After Todd things get a bit interesting, as Justin Lewis committed to Marquette on Wednesday and getting back into the mix with Cliff Omoruyi could prove difficult at this point.
Todd’s recruitment is the one to watch with regards to Maryland’s front court, regardless of the decision that Smith makes next spring regarding the NBA.
BSL Analyst
Raphielle’s been writing about college sports for more than a decade, making the move to college basketball alone in 2013. Beginning his work with the former website CollegeHoops.net in 2003, Raphielle spent 3 years writing for NBCSports.com beginning 2013, covering CBB and the Olympics. In 2016, Raphielle joined Heavy.com. If there’s a game on, there’s a strong likelihood that he’s watching it.