For any Terps masochists out there, earlier this week The Sun’s Jeff Barker recapped some of Maryland’s notable local recruiting misses for basketball.

The experts said most programs have "down" periods and Williams - like all coaches - is simply better at some tasks than others. The coach is better known for developing moderate talent than attracting marquee high school recruits to College Park. Some supporters have been frustrated that top players in the talent-rich Baltimore-Washington corridor - notably current NBA stars Carmelo Anthony (Towson Catholic) and Rudy Gay (Archbishop Spalding) - have left the region to attend other schools.

Another local star that left the state faced Maryland last night in the NIT. Towson Catholic alumnus and Syracuse freshman Donte Greene scored 16 points in last night’s win for the Orange. According to Syracuse.com, Greene was recruited early on by Maryland, but eventually chose the Orange.

"Maryland recruited me when I was a sophomore, before anybody was recruiting me," Greene said. "I was waiting for them to call and they called. (Maryland assistant) Keith Booth came up to me and was talking to me and I was on my way to Maryland."

Click into the link above for Greene’s explanation on why he ultimately spurned the Terps.

Football recruiting

• Here’s a promising quote from Good Counsel coach Bob Milloy. Milloy told The Washington Post’s Josh Barr that GC linebacker Jelani Jenkins is a national recruit, but could very well stay local for college.

First, Jenkins, who recently picked up offers from USC, UCLA, Ohio State and Michigan, Milloy says. "We all know it doesn't get that much better than USC, whether you want to go that far or not," Milloy said. "But he's a different guy. He's not too impressed with all that stuff. I don't know what he's going to do. Probably he'll go to Maryland or Virginia."

One thing to keep in mind here -- Jenkins’ teammate, running back Caleb Porzel, is a Cavaliers commitment.

• Another instate Terps target whose recruitment is taking off is Quince Orchard cornerback Travis Hawkins. Look no further than this Yahoo! Sports article for evidence.

“I’ve been offered recently from Syracuse, Connecticut, Illinois, Oklahoma, Michigan State and yesterday, Florida,” [Hawkins] said. “Getting an offer from Florida, that shocked me. It was crazy. I was about to go up to football workouts and my coach pulled me aside and said Florida wants to talk to me. I called them up and talked to Coach Gonzales and Meyer on the phone.

“He told me they usually don’t go out of state unless they find a guy that can make a big impact on the team. That stuck out in my head. He also said they want me down there for a visit, hopefully I’ll be able to go soon.”

• Hawkins’ Quince Orchard teammate, defensive tackle Terrence Stephens, has a crowded recruiting picture as well. This profile from The Gazette looks at Stephens’ recruiting, and his success in football and wrestling.

In football, he was a dominant two-way lineman for the Class 4A state champion Cougars, so dominant in fact that he has already earned full-scholarship offers from NCAA Division I programs such as Nebraska, North Carolina State, West Virginia, Connecticut, Stanford and Maryland (where fellow QO lineman Zach Kerr has signed).

• Dunbar running back Tavon Austin told Yahoo! Sports this week that he plans on “going to Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Penn State for spring games.” Austin also told Yahoo! his criteria for choosing a school.

“Really, I’m looking for a good education in case I don’t make it to the next level,” he said. “Then, I’m looking to see what college is telling me the truth. Is it about my athletic ability or do they really care about me? If I get hurt, do they still want me to come to their school? I’d also like a school in the region within three or four hours.”

• Maryland’s 2008 recruiting class had an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver, but that hasn’t stopped the Terps from targeting several highly-regarded wideouts in the class of ’09. One example of this is Gastonia (N.C.) Ashbrook receiver Jheranie Boyd, who, according to Yahoo! Sports, is developing into a big-time recruit.

He’s picked up eight offers thus far – North Carolina State, Maryland, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida and Alabama – and schools like Ohio State, Michigan and many others are starting to take notice. Pete Carroll from USC called his coach the other day. Things are about to blow up for the talented wideout.

• One of Maryland’s long-shot quarterback targets removed himself from the Terps’ wish list last weekend. Hampton (Va.) Phoebus dual-threat quarterback Tahj Boyd committed to West Virginia. According to Boyd, Mountaineers head coach Bill Stewart had a little trouble containing his excitement when Boyd informed him of his decision.

“I just left, but I told Coach Stewart. He was ecstatic. He got up and all the coaches came in. I told them I’m committed and he gave me a kiss on the forehead, he was hyped. It was crazy.”