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Terry Henderson Commits to N.C. State
The Maryland Terrapins basketball team lost out on the Terry Henderson sweepstakes Tuesday night, when Terry Henderson ultimately chose North Carolina State as his transfer destination. While Coach Turgeon has had a lot of success just about every year when it comes to transferring, he was only able to land one of his two desirable targets (Robert Carter Jr. of Georgia Tech).
Despite the fact that he wouldn’t have been able to play straight away, Henderson was looked at as a potential big piece of the 2015 team. At West Virginia, he proved to be a very competent and efficient scorer for the Mountaineers, and would have provided guaranteed production out of the 2 spot for the Terrapins. Henderson averaged 11.7 points and 2.9 rebounds last season.
More importantly, he would have done a lot to alleviate the obvious dearth in scoring that will occur when Evan Smotrycz and Dez Wells depart College Park. Maryland might have youngsters Dion Wiley and Jared Nickens in the backcourt to go along with Carter in the front, but there’s still a lot of ground to make up for once Wells leaves. Henderson was expected to be that piece.
Though there’s certainly truth to the notion that Maryland needs to replicate Wells presence (at the very least), the Terrapins could potentially have won out on this one even if they lost. Henderson wanted to be on a team where he could play a whole lot of minutes right away, and while Maryland could certainly have given him a lot, there’s no 100% guarantee that they would sate his appetite.
Right now, the future for the Terrapins involves fostering a growth-first environment for Dion Wiley, Melo Trimble, and Jared Nickens, their prized recruits from the 2014 class. In particular, Maryland needs to be able to give Wiley and Nickens as many minutes as they’re capable of playing and still maintaining productivity both offensively and defensively. They were brought in to be the future heading into the Big Ten, so you might as well let them.
One of the harshest criticisms delivered to Turgeon during his time at Maryland has been a lack of a set rotation. Rather, some point out that Maryland has tried to be a bit too versatile and it has resulted in a lack of cohesiveness and consistency at each position. Players can’t work through their rough patches and figure out how to get through slumps without fear of being yanked from the lineup. If the Terrapins brought in a guy like Henderson, these young players would see that he would be the heir apparent (perhaps) regardless of what they did. A rough first year from Wiley or Nickens (or Trimble) could mean even fewer minutes once Henderson arrives. That’s not good for their psyches.
From a program standpoint, it makes sense. Bolster your rotation and have multiple failsafes in the event that a specific player doesn’t work out. That’s what good programs do, and good recruiters prepare for this exact kind of failure. But creating a logjam at specific positions doesn’t help anyone. If Dion Wiley emerges next season as a stud freshman and Terry Henderson is on the roster, Maryland has an awkward situation on their hands. The two play the same position, so who gets the minutes? Do you split time and have a good rising sophomore play a backup role even though he should start? Doesn’t that just result in the same problematic “20 different rotations each season” approach that has produced zero results? In 2015, Maryland will probably going to bring in another wing and a point guard, so adding yet another shooting guard will merely complicate matters.
As Coach Turgeon himself admitted, one of the toughest parts about coaching is realizing that you have to change your habits sometimes. Even though Turgeon has shown a tendency to use a ton of different lineups throughout his time in College Park, that strategy has not been bearing fruit dring his tenure here. Maryland can, in 2015, have a lineup of Trimble, Wiley, (presumably) Layman, Carter, and Reed on their hands, with Nickens, Cekovsky and some freshmen guys sopping up minutes alongside (ideally) another transfer. It’s risky because it asks that every player pans out, but at least it’s flexible and isn’t going to have a bunch of disgruntled players on the roster. It also allows for Maryland to continue evaluating players while ensuring that there’s competition at each position.
Is it ideal to go in with a super-thin roster? No, of course not. But Maryland needs to let these young pups know that the coaching staff is committed to seeing them succeed in College Park. These guys want to be here and want to prove to fans that they’re good. So let them try.
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Andrew White Still In The Mix
All that said, the Terrapins are still looking to land small forward Kansas transfer Andrew White, who has still yet to make a decision. White opted to leave the Jayhawks after being buried behind elite wing players his first two seasons in college hoops. Despite being lauded as a borderline five-star coming out of high school, White has unfortunately had to play behind Andrew Wiggins during the time he was expected to start.
White supposedly has Nebraska quite high on his list, but the Terrapins have still been in touch with him constantly and have not given up hope on his services. Part of the reason they should be optimistic is that White has expressed a desire to move closer to his Richmond, Virginia home. College Park is considerably closer than Nebraska, and White would also have a solid opportunity to play minutes at Maryland.
Still, White is taking his time, and a decision might still be a few weeks away for any school. In the meantime, he’s released a workout tape here that you can enjoy here.
D.C. resident. Graduated from Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia (four year letterman in hockey) and University of Maryland, College Park. Played three years of ice hockey at Maryland. Former writer for Washington Wizards blog (TheDCDime.com), current hockey coach at Gonzaga College Preparatory School. Terrapin nut. Editor of Terrapin Station.