After bouncing around from high school to prep school to junior college, Tyree Evans was looking for a place where he could start fresh and not be continually reminded of his well-documented past.

Enter Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College head coach Bobby Steinburg, who welcomed Evans to spend his sophomore year of junior college with the Bucks.

“Oh man, he was very important in my life,” Evans said of Steinburg. “He scooped me up like an ice cream cone. I turned down (an opportunity to play at Chipola (Fla.) College) for coach Steinburg. [Motlow] wasn’t a major school and they weren’t that great, so I came in, tried to put stuff together, put the puzzle together and we came up with a great year, 28-5. He was a great guy. ... He just inspired my life. He just showed me what was out there.”

Evans, who signed with Maryland two weeks ago, will enroll at College Park this summer, four years after finishing high school in Richmond, Va. Needless to say, it’s been a long wait for Evans.

“I can’t even wait. I think about it all the time,” Evans said. “I’m a very patient guy, but it’s just like my grandma, my family, everybody in Richmond has just been waiting for this day. You have some people wanting to bring you down and a lot of people wanting to see you do right and roll with your dream.”

Here's an introduction to Evans.

Name: Tyree Evans
Birthdate: 1/18/85
Birthplace: Richmond, Va.
Hometown: Richmond, Va.
Nicknames: Ree
Height: 6’3
Weight: 205
Position: Shooting guard
Junior College: Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College
High School: George Wythe High School in Richmond, Va.
Sophomore statistics: 21.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 2.0 assists
Runner-up: Arizona
Other schools considered: Tennessee, Kansas State, Mississippi State, West Virginia
Favorite NBA player: Gilbert Arenas
Favorite NBA team: Washington Wizards
Favorite all-time Terp: Len Bias, Steve Francis
Favorite music: Gucci Mane, Lil Boosie
Favorite book: Only the Strong Survive: The Odyssey of Allen Iverson by Larry Platt
Favorite movie: Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Favorite TV show: The Wayans Bros, The Boondocks
Favorite food: Soul food
Favorite junior college class: Business
Favorite thing about College Park: “Just the people out there. I went out there and fell in love with all the people. I met some of the fans, the staff at the University of Maryland -- it just felt like a second home.”
Other high school sports: Football (wide receiver, cornerback)
Hobbies: “I like to build stuff ... I made this TV stand. We didn’t have a TV stand in our apartment, so I made one out of a couple of wooden legs from an old table and used the top from a table.”
Intended major: “Business and marketing. I want to get into real estate.”
Something that not many people know about you: “I’m an animal lover. I don’t really like cats though, but like reptiles and stuff like that -- exotic animals.”
Best basketball moment: “When I played my cousin (Boston College guard) Tyrese Rice in the opening game of the districts (in high school). I had 51 points. I went like 25 out of 29 and had 31 points the first half.”
Role model: “I look at Allen Iverson as a role model because he came from my same circumstances. He got in trouble, kept on fighting and following his dreams. He never gave up. A lot of people that have a lot of good talent, they just give up as soon as they get out of high school. He’s a fighter. He kept fighting for it like I kept fighting for mine.”
Why Maryland? “Home away from home. It’s like me and (Terps assistant) Chuck Driesell -- there’s a trust thing. We have a great relationship. I’ve known him for at least two years. He always believed in me. And coach [Gary] Williams, he’s a great guy. He believed in me as well, just as the Maryland family did in offering me a scholarship, and I’m going to make them not regret giving me the scholarship because I’m going to bring them something they’ve been missing for a long time.”

Posted by Matt Bracken at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
                    

The second installment of the Sun series, Recruiting Tavon Austin, ran in today's paper. In this edition, the Dunbar running back recounts a recent visit to Penn State.

The coaching staff talked to me and introduced themselves to my mother. I talked to coach Joe Paterno, and he always shows me love when I go there. He talks about grades and stresses that I keep them up. They also said that no spots on the team are guaranteed, so if I show up to practice and perform well, I could play early.

• Rivals.com updated its 2009 rankings this week, and Good Counsel linebacker Jelani Jenkins saw his ranking rise significantly.

Jenkins, a 6-foot, 203-pound linebacker with offers from nearly every major program in the country, was previously No. 79. Jenkins, who also runs track, has tremendous speed, plays downhill and loves to hit. While he plays running back on offense as well, his future is clearly as a game-changing linebacker. Jenkins recently took an unofficial visit to Penn State, and the Nittany Lions, Boston College, Maryland, Virginia and many others are high on his list.

• This news is a little dated, but Norcross, Ga. athlete D.J. Adams had good things to say about Maryland in an interview with Scout.com last week.

Adams already attended junior days at Maryland and Clemson. "I liked the location of Maryland a lot," he said. "It's close to DC and that's the farthest north I've ever been. I see their program being on the rise and the coaches are great. They have a lot going for them. The weather there is also pretty good and I just had a good experience there."

• According to this update from The [Charleston, S.C.] Post and Courier, Maryland has offered several South Carolina prospects. The above-linked article has updates on offensive lineman Brandon Thomas, defensive end Tariq Edwards and defensive end Sam Montgomery. The article also has tidbits on North Carolina linebacker Hawatha Bell and Delaware wide receiver Justin Brown.

• Ashburn (Va.) Stone Bridge defensive end Zach Thompson claimed early offers from Maryland, Boston College, N.C. State, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest and West Virginia. Earlier this week, Thompson ended his recruitment, committing to the Demon Deacons.

"We kept going back and forth between Virginia and Wake," Mickey Thompson said. "And he just felt a little more comfortable with the smaller campus and all that kind of stuff.

"He was adamant that he liked both places, but he definitely wanted to go to Wake."

• The Washington Post’s latest installment of Recruiting Spotlight takes a look at Roosevelt (D.C.) defensive end/tight end Darin Drakeford. The Post reports that Maryland and Illinois have offered Drakeford. Click here to see the video.

Programming note: I’ll be out of town until Tuesday, so updates until then will either be spotty or non-existent.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 12:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

I’ve received more than a few e-mails and comments recently from readers wondering where former Terps commitment Bobby Maze will end up.

I spoke with a source at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College yesterday, and he said that Maze is scheduled to visit St. John’s this weekend. Kentucky and Wichita State have also shown interest. This link from the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle also mentions Cincinnati and Southern Cal as programs that have expressed interest in Maze. Hutchinson coach Ryan Swanson’s phone has “been ringing off the hook,” so it’s safe to say that Maze will find a home.

As for Maryland’s parting of ways with Maze, the source said Maze was disappointed, but not critical of UM’s handling of the situation. Maze is still expected to qualify academically, but he will have to take a few credit hours this summer before his associate’s degree is complete.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
                    

Bobby Steinburg knew exactly what he was getting when he recruited Tyree Evans to Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College.

Evans, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound shooting guard, had just parted ways with Butler (Kan.) Community College after a season in which he averaged 19 points per game. Thanks to Evans’ well-documented troubled past, more than a few eyebrows were probably raised at Steinburg’s new addition to the Bucks’ roster.

But Steinburg, who had just completed his first season as Motlow’s head coach, was confident that Evans’ troubles were behind him.

“I think that he was confident that all that stuff was behind him and he came in and acted like a grown man,” Steinburg said. “I didn't have any worries about him when I brought him in. ... It wasn't like he was trying to brown-nose to make me believe that he was going to be a good kid.”

Steinburg was also positive that Evans would make a major impact on the court.

“I knew what I was getting and that's exactly what I got -- a guy that can score the ball and lead his team to victory,” Steinburg said. “I knew how good he was so it wasn't like he came in and exceeded expectations.”

Evans, who signed with Maryland last week, averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists for Motlow, which finished 28-5. He also shot 45 percent from the field, and 44 percent from three-point range.

“He could've scored 40 (points per game) if he wanted to,” Steinburg said. “We had other guys on this team. We had a lot of double-digit scorers. ... Tyree was obviously our primary scorer, but it wasn't like he had to score 40 points a night. We had other options.”

According to Steinburg, Maryland initially expressed interest in Evans during his freshman season at Butler. When Evans moved on to Motlow, the Terps already had an in -- when Steinburg was an assistant at UC Davis, UM assistant Robert Ehsan was one of his players. Steinburg also had a good relationship with Terps assistant Chuck Driesell.

Steinburg said choosing Maryland wasn’t a tough decision for Evans. With two years of junior college experience and available playing time, Evans is expected to contribute immediately as a junior in College Park. Steinburg thinks he’s ready to “be a scoring threat in the ACC.”

“He’s just a scorer, a big-time shooter with unlimited range,” Steinburg said. “He’s strong, understands the game. He understands how to get to the basket. He’s got a good first step. He just has a unique ability to put the ball in the basket. He’s a good on ball defender as well.”

While Steinburg was confident that Evans’ off-the-court problems were behind him once he enrolled at Motlow, he’s aware that some Maryland fans might have some reservations. Steinburg said he thinks Evans will quickly alleviate those concerns.

“You can't believe everything you read and he's a good kid,” Steinburg said. “He’s got a big heart and I think that the people in the community and administration will enjoy having him there. I know they will.”

Posted by Matt Bracken at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
                    

Maryland quarterback commitment C.J. Brown grew up in a college football-loving household. The Saturday routine in the fall for Brown and his father Clark, a former Michigan State quarterback, would be to park in front of the television at their Cranberry Township, Pa. home and watch the Spartans and other college football action around the country.

Brown hoped that one day he’d be a starting quarterback in high school. Later on, he’d possibly follow his father’s footsteps and take his game to the Division I level.

But when his number was called on the varsity near the end of his sophomore season, things didn’t go quite as smoothly as planned for Brown.

“It was a big change going into my first varsity game as sophomore at age 15,” Brown said. “There were guys flying around ... it was crazy. I just got hit and landed on [my collarbone] wrong. I wasn’t in any pain, but I couldn’t move the arm. The doctor put his hands under my pads, he just pushed down on the collarbone, and it moved, which was a bad sign.”

The diagnosis was a broken collarbone. The injury ended Brown’s varsity football stint that year, and claimed a small chunk of his basketball season as well.

“I was disappointed, but it was the end of the season -- I think we only had one more game left and we weren’t going to the playoffs,” Brown said. “It was kind of a sigh of relief in a bad way, but it was definitely something to boost my confidence to getting bigger and stronger.”

Brown quickly nursed himself back to full strength, even making it back to return in time for the latter parts of his basketball season. When that season was complete, Brown hit the weight room. Before two-a-days started that summer, Brown had added 15 pounds to his 6-foot-3 frame.

With Brown under center for the entirety of the 2007 season, Seneca Valley went 6-4 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2003. Brown threw for 1,567 yards and 11 touchdowns, and rushed for 586 yards and five touchdowns.

During that junior season, the first stages of Brown’s recruitment began. He didn’t give it much thought during the year, but after Seneca Valley bowed out of the playoffs, he began to pay recruiting more attention.

Maryland extended an invitation to one of its Junior Day events last month, so Brown and his parents made the three-and-a-half hour drive from Western Pennsylvania to College Park.

“It was my first time down at College Park,” Brown said. “They wanted me to come down, see the campus, take a tour. I came down a day early -- I wanted to get a grasp of the campus. They offered me that night.”

Beyond enjoying the campus atmosphere, Brown said he liked the looks of Maryland's quarterback depth chart. Chris Turner and Josh Portis will be the veterans on the UM roster during Brown’s freshman season. In 2010, Brown would potentially compete with Jamarr Robinson and Tyler Bass for the starting job. Brown said he looks forward to learning from Turner and Portis before getting serious playing time.

“Since these guys are older, I will be able to learn from them and take their experience in becoming a better college quarterback.”

As for style of play, Brown says his 4.65 speed allows him to be versatile. That versatility could lend itself to Brown playing in a number of different offensive schemes.

“I can be a pocket quarterback,” Brown said. “I can sit back there and take hits, and when I need to, I can scramble and run. I guess I’m a typical dual-threat quarterback. I’m not a Vince Young -- I look to pass first -- but if I need to take off and run, then I can do that.”

With his commitment made, there’s little incentive for Brown to embark on the typical summer combine/camp circuit that many uncommitted prospects tend to go through. Brown said that while he hasn’t entirely decided what his summer plans are, they’ll primarily focus on getting prepared for his senior season and working out with his teammates.

While his last season of varsity football is at the forefront of his mind, Brown said it’s good to know that his plans for everything after high school are all set.

“I feel great,” Brown said. “I’m really excited about my commitment and going to Maryland.”

• Click here for Seneca Valley coach Ron Butschle's take on Brown.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

River Hill running back Michael Campanaro ended his recruitment over the weekend. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder verbally committed to Wake Forest on Saturday, choosing the Demon Deacons over offers from Akron, North Carolina and Northwestern.

Campanaro told DigitalSports.com that Wake’s academics, and Jim Grobe’s offense, were two major factors in his decision.

"With their academics, it's a no-brainer. They're up there with some of the Ivy League Schools. When I went down there, the feel was right, the campus, and the coaching staff, definitely," Campanaro said.

"What really attracted me was that Spread Offense, that's big for me. And that slot, you know, running back. I talked to a lot of their coaches, and they have a lot of big plans for me," Campanaro said. "I just feel like this is the right fit for me, and the right school, and I can't wait to start at that school."

Here’s Campanaro’s YouTube highlight reel.

• The final commitment to the UM women’s 2008 class, Jackie Nared, signed her Letter of Intent to attend Maryland late last week. The Oregonian spoke with Nared about her decision.

"I'm hopefully going to go there and try to work hard and maybe get some playing time my freshman year," said Nared, a 6-foot-1 senior. "But I have to fight for it. I have to work really hard because I'm going where a lot of girls are way stronger and just as good and better than me. It'll be a lot different."

• Lackey cornerback Darrell Givens told Scout.com earlier this month that he would like to leave Maryland for college. This weekend, Givens made that official, committing to Ohio State during a visit to the Buckeyes’ spring game. Givens chose OSU over reported offers from Maryland, Florida, Penn State, Illinois, Miami and a host of others.

"I told all the coaches today that I wanted to be a Buckeye," Givens said. "I spoke to Jim Tressel and also to coach [Taver] Johnson, coach [Luke] Fickell and coach [Darrell] Hazell. I'm very happy to be a Buckeye."

Posted by Matt Bracken at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

On Wednesday, The Sun’s Stefen Lovelace began a series chronicling the recruitment of Dunbar running back Tavon Austin, in Austin’s words. For the first installment, Austin updated readers on his recruitment up until this point.

So far, I've taken Junior Day visits to Maryland, Penn State, Rutgers and West Virginia. Dunbar football coach Lawrence Smith said that those schools and Michigan, South Carolina, Nebraska, Illinois, Syracuse, Boston College, Virginia and Wake Forest have all made scholarship offers.

Click here for a selection of YouTube highlights of Austin.

• Hoboken (N.J.) offensive guard/defensive tackle Isaac Holmes spoke glowingly of Maryland earlier this week. Holmes, who claims 10 scholarship offers, told Scout.com that Rutgers and the Terps are his two favorites.

"I love the vibe at Maryland and the coaches really show you lots of love," he said. "They seem very interested in me and I like how down-to-earth they are. Also, the campus is really nice and I like how everything is within walking distance and that the campus isn't too big."

• The Terps got an early jump on DeMatha offensive tackle Pete deSouza. According to this article from Yahoo! Sports, deSouza “kind of grew up an Oregon fan,” but Maryland’s proximity has helped him develop solid relationships with the UM staff.

“I’ve got offers from Maryland, Syracuse and Delaware,” he said. “Actually I like all of the coaches at those schools, but I’ve only visited one of them. I am planning to go to the other two. I’ve been to Maryland and their coaches treated me very well.”

• Maryland is one of eight programs to offer Verona (N.J.) linebacker Carlo Calabrese, but according to this article from Scout.com, the Terps might have some catching up to do.

Although he denies a leader, he said he favors Notre Dame, Penn State, Rutgers, Florida and Boston College. All of his favorites have offered except the Nittany Lions. He attended junior days at Notre Dame and Penn State already.

• Good Counsel running back Caleb Porzel, a one-time Virginia commitment, is back on the market, and Maryland is involved. Porzel is featured in the latest edition of The Washington Post’s Recruiting Spotlight. Click here to watch the video..

Basketball links

• In the wake of Motlow (Tenn.) Community College shooting guard Tyree Evans’ signing this week, Patrick Stevens of The Washington Times wrote an interesting take on Maryland’s history with junior college players. According to Stevens’ research, the Terps have now signed six JUCO players since 2001-02, the most of any ACC school other than Florida State, which has also signed six.

Make no mistake: The Terps have done about as well as could be expected with their JUCOs, especially their big men.

But it certainly makes you wonder why a program like Maryland --- which did, as coach Gary Williams will point out, win a national championship this decade --- needs to go this route and find quick fixes rather than reel in an extra guy each year from high school.

• Parade recently released its All-American teams for girls basketball, and one future Terp and one UM target made appearances on the list.

This season’s Parade teams include five players from Virginia. T.C. Williams’ Tierra Ruffin-Pratt was named to the first team, Potomac’s Lynetta Kizer to the second team and Notre Dame Academy’s Azania Stewart and Brooke Point’s Chay Shegog joined White on the third team.

• The aforementioned UM target, Alexandria (Va.) T.C. Williams guard
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, was featured by the [Newport News, Va.] Daily Press earlier this week. Ruffin-Pratt had this to say about her recruitment.

Maryland, North Carolina, Duke, Rutgers, Tennessee, Connecticut and Texas are just a few of the schools that have offered Ruffin-Pratt a scholarship.

"I've heard that before," she said. "I'm open. I'll probably narrow it down by the end of July."

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                    

Ending up at Gulf Coast (Fla.) Community College instead of Maryland as a freshman in college became the ultimate blessing in disguise for Dee Liles.

The Terps signee led Gulf Coast to the National Junior College Athletic Association championship, she earned MVP honors at the NJCAA tournament and she was named Junior College Player of the Year.

In addition to the individual and team honors, Liles said her junior college stint will help make her transition to College Park much easier than it would have been two years ago.

"I just feel like I’m way more mature than if I had come [to Maryland] out of high school," Liles said. "I really don’t think I would’ve been ready to step in and fill in the spot as a freshman like I will as a junior."

Here's an introduction to Liles.

Name: Demauria Liles
Birthdate: 1/13/88
Birthplace: Woodbury, N.J.
Hometown: Suitland
Nickname: Dee
Height: 6’1
Weight: 165
Position: Power forward or center
High School: Riverdale Baptist
Sophomore statistics: 11.1 points and 7.8 rebounds
Runner-up: LSU
Other schools considered: Louisville, South Florida, Georgetown
Favorite pro basketball player: Tamika Catchings
Favorite pro basketball teams: Indiana Fever, Washington Mystics
Favorite music: Cassidy, Jim Jones, Santana
Favorite book: Anything by Zane
Favorite movie: Love and Basketball, The Wood
Favorite TV show: "CSI and all those investigating shows. BET."
Favorite food: “All food ... I like to eat.”
Favorite junior college class: All computer classes
Favorite thing about College Park: “Just the environment. They make me feel very welcome.”
Other high school sports: Volleyball
Hobbies: “I just like to chill with my friends and family and have fun.”
Intended major: Computer programming
Something that not many people know about you: “I’m very, very shy. Once I get to know you then I open up, but when I first meet someone, I tense up.”
Best basketball moment: “I’d have to say summer going into my junior year at AAU nationals (with the Maryland Mystics). That’s when I can say I really started focusing on basketball and I really started to understand that I could really play the sport.”
Role model: “My mother. She’s a single parent and she doesn’t ask nobody for anything. She’s just a strong lady and I want to be just like her when I grow up.”
Why Maryland? “Me and my sister – she runs track -- ever since I was in 8th grade, we’ve been talking about going to Maryland. We’re momma’s girls, so we wanted to stay home."

Bonus quotes

On how difficult it's been being away from home: "Yeah it has been tough. I call my mother every day. Probably every five minutes if I could."

On completing a 36-1 season at Gulf Coast: "It would’ve been a perfect season if we didn’t lose that one game. We know we could’ve been undefeated, but we just had a little down period and lost the game. We knew we could win a national championship and that’s all that matters."

On whether she's bothered by the loss: "No, I’m not bothered. Maybe that game was a learning process, because we were thinking we were unstoppable. But once we lost that game, we bounced back and refused to lose anymore."

Posted by Matt Bracken at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

1.) A signed National Letter of Intent from Motlow (Tenn.) State Community College shooting guard Tyree Evans found its way to the Maryland men's basketball offices today. Click here to read the school's official news release on Evans' signing, and here to read Sun reporter Don Markus' story on Evans' commitment to the Terps.

2.) Jeff Ermann of TurtleSportsReport.com passes along this little nugget -- Gus Gilchrist's appeal to become eligible for the first semester next season instead of sitting out until the second semester was denied by the ACC schools in an 11-1 vote.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                    

Maryland’s search for a quarterback in the 2009 class took the Terps to Western Pennsylvania, where earlier this week they received a commitment from Seneca Valley dual-threat C.J. Brown.

Brown, 6 feet 3, 180 pounds, threw for 1,567 yards and 11 touchdowns, and rushed for 586 yards and five touchdowns during his junior season at Seneca Valley. He runs somewhere in the neighborhood of a 4.6 40.

Seneca Valley head coach Ron Butschle said Brown’s arm strength and speed allow him to fit in almost any offensive system.

“Well he’s extremely athletic -- he’s a quarterback who’s athletic,” Butschle said. “He’s not like some of these athletes that are quarterbacks. He kind of fits in any style of offense. We run the spread offense where we run a lot of quick passes. He’s involved in the running game. He’s probably one of the fastest, if not the fastest, guy on the team. Plus, he’s a very athletic, strong player who’s got a great arm and has tremendous football sense. He does a lot of things that you can’t coach.”

Butschle said one of those uncoachable traits that’s a strength of Brown’s game is his decision-making. Brown has developed a heightened awareness of when the time is right to tuck and run.

“He just has a knack for escaping at the right time,” Butschle said. “Timing-wise he’s very smooth. He’s got great lateral movement and he’s also got a great burst. He’s definitely got football game speed.”

Butschle has had Brown on the varsity for two seasons, but the first was kind of a wash. The Raiders had a senior quarterback, but Brown was brought up to compete and play in spots. In his first start during that sophomore season, Brown broke his collarbone, sidelining him for the rest of the year. But Butschle said Brown rebounded from the injury as well as you could expect.

“He was fine,” Butschle said. “He missed, I think, three weeks of our season and a few weeks of basketball. He’s also the point guard on the basketball team. He’s a very good basketball player. If he played baseball, he’d probably be the shortstop. He could probably pick up a tennis racket and be good at that, too. He worked really hard [to get back from the injury], and he’s really working hard now. He’s a tough kid.”

Programming note: I’ll have more from Brown this week or next.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

It’s been a busy few months for Arundel wide receiver Alec Lemon.

After a season in which the 6-foot-2, 175-pound junior reeled in 70 passes for 969 yards and 13 touchdowns for the 4A runner-up Wildcats, Lemon has been sending highlight film to colleges, sorting through mail, chatting with coaches and taking visits to several interested schools -- including Connecticut, Louisville, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

While it’s been crazy and at times stressful, Lemon’s had the help of two teammates that just recently finished the recruiting process themselves -- quarterback Nick Elko, who signed with Delaware State, and wide receiver Brandon Johnson-Farrell, who inked with Rhode Island.

“When they see me walking around with all these letters ... they’ll tell me, ‘Oh, this is a good one,’ or ‘Oh, this is the one they send to everyone,’” Lemon said.

Lemon, who’s waiting on his first DI scholarship offer, spoke with Recruiting Report recently about his recruitment.

What were your impressions of UConn?

Their program is on the rise, and they’ve been good the past couple of years. All of the athletic facilities are brand new. Their weight room is 18,000 square feet. Everything there is brand new and real nice. ... The coaches are real nice. When I first went to UConn, they let me sit in the position meeting with the wide receivers to see what they do.

What did you like best about Louisville?

Well I liked their offense, the spread offense, which is what we run at my school. It’s a high-powered offense. Every play looks like they can score at will. Their facilities are big, their weight room is big, too. They have an indoor practice facility and two outdoor facilities. The stadium is really big.

Do you have any favorites at this point?

Right now I’m open to anyone, but UConn, I feel like they’re high on my list. That’s who I like right now, but I’m still open to all colleges.

What do you have planned for the summer?

I’ll be going to some camps in the summer, hitting up some combines. I’m going to the Nike combine (at M&T Bank Stadium) this Saturday. I’ll hopefully take some more visits, go to some spring games and practices.

What camps do you plan on attending?

I’m signed up for Clemson, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Maryland and UConn. Those are all day camps.

How do you feel about having such a busy summer?

My whole summer is pretty much gone with all the football camps I’m going to. ... At some times I feel like I’m missing a lot with my summer, but I also see it’ll benefit me in going to college with all these camps. It seems like [colleges] want to see me at camp first and see what I can do. Then hopefully the scholarships will come ... But it should be fun this summer.

Click on the video player below for Lemon’s junior highlights.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

St. Frances guard and Maryland signee Sean Mosley teamed with Mount St. Joseph center and Georgetown commitment Henry Sims last night to lead the U.S. All-Stars to a 123-85 win over the Capital All-Stars at the Capital Classic at Comcast Center.

Sims scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Mosley scored 16 points and dished out six assists. Mosley told The Sun that last night was his first game at Comcast Center.

"I just came out and tried to put on a show," Mosley said. "I want to play at the college level and play in front of big crowds. It was a wonderful experience to finally get on the court here."

Click here for the U.S. vs. Capital box score and here for the Suburban vs. District box score.

• A new name for Maryland’s 2008 class emerged late last week. According to TerrapinTimes.com, Motlow (Tenn.) State Community College shooting guard Tyree Evans took an official visit to College Park over the weekend.

The Arizona Daily Star reports that Arizona is also interested in Evans.

Arizona is trying to arrange a recruiting visit for Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College guard Tyree Evans, who is the third-highest scoring guard in Virginia prep history, according to his coach.

Evans' coach, Bobby Steinburg, said Friday that Evans is visiting Maryland this weekend and is being pursued by Arizona, Kansas State, Florida State and others. Steinburg said Evans has interest in Arizona.

The Star's story also touches a little on Evans' past, so you'll want to click on the above link.

• The Boo Williams Invitational AAU tournament took place this weekend in Hampton, Va., and plenty of Terps targets and Maryland players were on hand.

In the 16-and-under division, the Baltimore Stars fell just short of the title, dropping the title game to Florida-based Team STAT.

The Baltimore Stars were led by Antonio Barton's 16 points. Tobias Harris scored 14 while C.J. Fair pitched in with 10 points in the defeat.

TurtleSportsReport.com’s Seth Hoffman ranked the top 10 UM targets at Boo Williams. The whole report is definitely worth the read, but here’s some of what Hoffman had to say about National Christian Academy junior power forward Dante Taylor, who suited up for Team Melo this weekend.

... He did most of his damage at the free throw line, where he went 16 of 23 in the three pool-play games. Maryland and Pitt appear to be the frontrunners at this point, with the Terps having a solid shot provided the staff makes a concerted effort to show him he's the top priority. ...

Posted by Matt Bracken at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
                    

Believe it or not, Terps running back signee Gary Douglas wasn’t the only athlete drawing recruiters to Durham (N.C.) Hillside football games last fall. Meet fellow running back Desmond Scott, who sports offers from Alabama, Clemson, East Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, N.C. State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, according to The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer.

Despite the presence of Douglas, Scott still “managed’’ to log 140 carries for 905 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also contributed 38 receptions for 625 yards and three scores.

[Hillside coach Ray] Harrison said Scott runs with better power and is more elusive than Douglas, but may not be quite as fast. Scott has been timed at 4.47 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

• The Gazette took a look this week at Maryland’s first verbal commitment for the 2009 class, Clarksburg defensive back Avery Graham. In the article, Graham touches on, among other things, growing up in Baltimore.

Graham knows exactly where his drive comes from: Baltimore. His freakish athletic talent was a way out of the inner city, where he grew up impoverished and fatherless. When he could so easily have used that as an excuse to do wrong, he did everything right.

‘‘I was fortunate; my mom [Janice] is a special lady,” Graham said. ‘‘But I never had a father there. I didn’t really know how to be a man. I wanted to explore more. I didn’t know what to expect; I didn’t know what happened if you did good in school. I was kind of just experimenting.”

• The Diamondback was on hand for a recent Maryland football spring practice. So was Woodbridge (Va.) Thomas Edison linebacker Stephon Robertson, who spoke to Maryland’s student newspaper.

"I'm basically just observing, watching the different various types of styles for defense," Robertson said. "I really do like the practice. I want to see some hits, but I like what I see."

In the same article, The Diamondback caught up with ’08 Terps wide receiver signee Kenny Tate.

"I'm just seeing what I'm in store for coming into the summer, just ready to see what I can help bring to the team," Tate said. "I'm looking at tendencies and their coaching style … so I know what to do when I get here. I wish I could practice right now. It looks like it's going to be real fun next year."

• Rock Hill (S.C.) South Pointe athlete Stephon Gilmore should have his pick of colleges. According to this article from The Herald, Maryland is one of those potential choices.

Others were scattered about the table -- Rutgers, Connecticut, Southern Cal, Miami and Illinois. Those schools are inquiring and have yet to make offers. The list of those who have is impressive -- Alabama, Clemson, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, N.C. State, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina.

• It’s still early in the process, but it looks like Lackey cornerback Darrell Givens might be a long-shot for Maryland, at least according to this article from Scout.com.

Givens also already attended junior days at Penn State, Rutgers, Boston College and local favorite Maryland, but he says he would prefer to leave the state. "I'd like to leave home and get away," he said.

• Quince Orchard cornerback Travis Hawkins continues to see his recruitment take off. According to Yahoo! Sports, Michigan and Tennessee were the latest schools to extend offers, but Hawkins says he’s not counting anyone out.

Currently Hawkins claims no early leaders at this time.

“I grew up watching Maryland, but I’ve really started getting into football the last couple years and I’ve watched everyone.”

• The Washington Post presents another edition of its Recruiting Spotlight video feature. This week, the Post looks at Stone Bridge (Va.) twins, Zach Thompson, a defensive end who claims a UM offer, and Patrick Thompson, a quarterback. Click here to watch the video.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Bobby Maze picked up another nice honor this week. The 2008 Maryland point guard commitment from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College earned first-team NJCAA All-America laurels.

Maze became the first Blue Dragon since “Pooh” Hairston in 1994 to average 20 or more points for a season and is only the 10th HCC player to do so since 1968. Maze averaged 20.7 points per game, shooting 50.5 percent from the field overall and 72.9 percent from the free-throw line.

• Today, The Sun's Don Markus looked at the potential impact of the additions of Maze and Sean Mosley to Maryland's roster next season.

Their anticipated arrival in College Park later this year should help a Maryland team that struggled with scoring and ball-handling down the stretch of what turned into a 19-15 season and ended with a second-round loss to Syracuse in the National Invitation Tournament.

• The Sun’s Milton Kent caught up with former (and perhaps current) ’08 Maryland shooting guard target Chris Turner at Sunday’s Charm City Challenge. Turner recounted to Kent how his recruitment with Maryland played out last summer.

Mosley, this year's Sun Player of the Year, apparently accepted the offer before Turner did, which "really threw off my recruitment because I was really set on Maryland. Now I'm back on the market."

"I lost a lot of interest in [Maryland]," said Turner, who committed to Oregon State in December but changed his mind. "But I still like them because I would like to play in the [Atlantic Coast Conference]."

• Speaking of the Charm City Challenge, I shot a Mosley video, which you can view here. For better video and a more comprehensive package, check out DigitalSports.com’s event recap and video. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a highlight reel, and also a one-on-one interview with Mosley.

• National Christian Academy power forward Dante Taylor looks like Maryland’s top target for 2009, but Norfolk, Va. power forward Deshawn Painter, who’s headed to Hargrave Military next year, could be another to watch, according to this article from the Newport News, Va. Daily Press.

Florida, Clemson, Louisville, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina State, Kentucky, Ohio State and Duke are courting Painter.

That type of attention lends itself to a certain degree of pressure, but perhaps even more pressure-packed is the mere fact that Painter is suiting up for BWSL, a program with a rich history of producing quality big men, like Alonzo Mourning, J.R. Reid, Patrick Patterson, Vernon Macklin and Duke Crews.

• St. Benedict Prep (N.J.) guard Tamir Jackson reportedly expressed some interest in Maryland earlier in the process, but the Terps did not extend an offer. Jackson made a verbal commitment this week to the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Tamir Jackson, a combo guard from one of the best high school programs in the nation, said on Monday that he would sign with UAB. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound junior from St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, N.J., said a partial list of scholarship offers included Harvard, Miami, Houston and Virginia Tech.

• Maryland women’s signee Lynetta Kizer was limited by the flu in the McDonald’s All-American game last month, but the ’08 center prospect was back to full health at last weekend’s WBCA High School All-America game at South Florida.

Stanford recruit Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Maryland prospect Lynetta Kizer each had 17 for the white squad.

Programming note: I’ll post a football recruiting roundup at some point tomorrow.

Posted by Matt Bracken at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
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