I liked Anderson, but he never gave Turge a chance to recruit him. Going to UVA is not a very good decision for a bball player.

It's ok though, both Moto and Jefferson are better than Anderson so we will be fine.

UVA basketball? Tough call.

Sometime in March 2012: Terps 78, Hoos 61.

Joe Miller-Kano:

Score: more like Terps 60, UVa 42 lmao

offense non-existent for UVa

Ultimately, Maryland will be fine because I think that the new coaching staff will be a nice combination of recruiters and coaches.

Although Jefferson and Moto may be better, a player in hand is worth more than 2 prospects in the bush. With Williams, we had Anderson in the hand.

Wish the best for Anderson as he has the right to choose a coaching staff, school and community that he feels is the best fit for him.

Not so fast.

Maybe UVA will be yesterday's UM, and UM the yesterday's UVA. Be careful of what you wish for.

Now, we are just weaker and weaker in getting players. If the new coach can not quickly haul in good players for couple of years, watch out - those fan - Ryan, Scott, FireGary... will be come out very soon. Then we will be a laughing stock like Wizards and Redskins for a very long time.

Why would anyone want to waste their career at UVA? This kid must love being the only star on the roster. Good Luck!

Disappointing, certainly more so than Breunig and Gibbs. I can't understand why he wouldn't even speak with Turgeon and the new team; how can it hurt to have more information before making a decision rather than less.

I was going to check out the UVA basketball homepage to get some stats on their recent records and post-season performances, but it appears that they stopped updating records as of the 2008-2009 seasons. That's right, 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 don't even exist on UVA's official homepage for men's basketball. I guess that's all you have to know about UVA bball.

I wonder if Anderson has some kind of "big fish in small pond" psychological anxiety. He was also being recruited by UNC and Duke and he chose a MD program that was constantly out of the top 25 and struggling to make it to the post-season? Now, when Maryland upgrades its entire staff and stands to finally start landing some top talent, he decides to jump to Virginia?! The kid just keeps going downhill, pretty soon he's going to withdraw his UVA commitment so he can go to community college instead.

In the end I hope this is Anderson's loss more than the University of Maryland's. With Faust already on board, the Terps in the lead for Cleare next year, and among the front-runners for the top-10 Harrison twins in 2013, Justin had the potential of being on an "all 5-star" starting line-up by his sophomore year. I guess this level of talent would have been too much competition for him...

Let's hope Turgeon and team double-down on next year, and lock down a lot of these recruits we keep hearing about. The following lineups would certainly be nothing to complain about:

2012
Stoglin
Howard
Faust
Jefferson
Cleare

2013
Stoglin/Harrison
Howard/Harrison
Faust
Jefferson
Cleare

another teenager with an over-inflated view of themselves....no one in the generations coming up understands what it means to keep ones word...

If Eshan meant so much why isn't he going to Tech? Because he's full of it, that's why...good riddance

Anderson has the right to go where he wants. I don't think it's the right decision but it is his decision. I trust in our staff that we will get the difference makers in here sooner than later.

Further proof that there is no such thing as a player committing to a school. They commit to a coach. He will probably flip flop again before signing day... I would surprised if we see him in a Cav's jersey.

Seems as though the recent rumors of Anderson's decommittment , were correct.
I wish the young man well, and before everyone starts bashing a teenager....I do believe it was his father who had set the UVA visit up....right after Williams retired. In the beginning Justin wanted to play for Gary Williams and was apparently fond of Coach Ehsan. Well, neither is here now and there are alot of adults out there, who don't keep "their word" , as well.
Perhaps this will open up some more avenues for talented PFs and Centers who would love to commandeer a lot of playing time. And there are some very talented members of the 2012 Class who have shown interest in coming here. And one never knows who else that could possibly show up with hardships, family matters , etc: You just move on.....and we'll watch how the current players perform. Maybe the kids who were counted on, will step up after healing injuries and growing up a bit more.

This was posted on the Orioles Hangout Terps basektball forum from a guy who has inside knowledge. Take it for what it's worth but it makes sense.

"This is about Anderson's dad not being a fan of Delonte Hill. He also has a connection with an assistant coach at Virginia. Anderson not going to Maryland is a hit for them but having Hill as an assistant will bring more good recruits then they have lost. This is an unfortunate consequence of hiring Hill. I say this as a neutral observer because the person I would have wanted didn't get this job, but Turgeon has done EVERYTHING correct so far with this job. Transistions can sometimes be difficult but that is what happens. "

I'll tell you who is P*SSED right now- Seth Greenberg. He hires Ehsan this week amid all these reports that Anderson had a personal relationship with Ehsan and was considering UVA and VA Tech. Then as soon as he brings Ehsan onboard at Tech Anderson commits... to UVA. Not only did Ehsan not bring in the big recruit Greenberg thought would come with him, but Anderson actually signs with their biggest in-state rival!

From Maryland's perspective, this was an acceptable loss. Obviously, we would have liked to have kept Anderson, or at least had a chance to make our pitch, but if the choice was between keeping Ehsan on the staff or losing Anderson, I'd say Turgeon made the right choice. This is no knock on Ehsan, but Hill/Ranson/Spinelli are a staff to get excited about, essentially giving Turgeon an "all-star squad" of the top assistants at three D-1 programs (and all top-notch recruiters). We had to keep Ranson because of Faust, Cleare and his in with the Harrison brothers. Spinelli was obviously coming because of his long and successful history with Turgeon. So between going out and getting a Dalonte Hill- which could help us lock down the DC talent market for years to come- and keeping Ehsan on staff- which would have improved our chances at keeping one top-60 recruit- I think we made the right call.

Additionally. Ehsan didn't help his cause by outright campaigning for the head coaching job from the moment Gary stepped down. Sorry, but Maryland was not going to hire a 28 year-old with no head coaching experience to lead this program. It sounds like the kid was spending a little too much time reading his own UMD bio ("one of the sharpest assistant coaches in the nation," "one of the top young assistants in college basketball"...). Hopefully he has the chance to mature a little under Greenberg, and eventually gets his head coaching job when it is the right time (which will probably mean starting at a mid-major and working his way up, like everyone else does it).

While VERY disappointed, JA should do what he feels is best for him. I am also disappointed as I was hoping some kind of pipeline to Montrose could be established (instead of to Villanova).

Regarding pffft's comment...are you kidding? I agree that "verbals" and even signed deals don't always mean much, but you certainly aren't going to apply it to a new generation, are you? Shall we list all of the coaches who move on after promising to be there for the kid? In fact, wasn't it reported that Gary told Faust he'd be around 2-3 more years? People make decisions that are best for them, as circumstances change. It is very frustrating not to be able to count on somebody when they give their word, but for JA, the situation changed. UVA doesn't seem to fit his style of play, but whatever. Word is his Dad doesn't like Dalonte/DC Assault. JA is a Boo Williams guy. Further proof that the AAU factor is a very large part of today's game.

As far as everybody talking about Cleare and the Harrison twins, I'd say relax. If guys signing committments and giving verbals can't be count on, I certainly wouldn't rely on a kid saying: "they're on top of my list". Go get 'em Turge and I'll believe em when I see em in uniform.

Last week many people thought he decommitted because Ehrsan left. Now that's bogus. I think he left because he realized MD wasn't a good fit. I doubt it was Gary Williams retirement. Gary didn't even recruit this youngster. He gets the opp to switch, someone whispers MVP in his ear and he's gone. Big deal. There are other players out there. He wasn't like Kyrie Irving or John Wall. Geez give Turge a chance. If u want to whine go to a bar a get drunk.

Both programs finished 7-9 last year and split the series while fielding fairly young teams. So I'm not sure why folks feel this is a bad move for Anderson. UMD and UVA are in pretty similar positions as of now in terms of posturing for future success. Both have quality young talent, are positioned to do well with future recruiting classes, and have very respected coaches from out west.

I don't see either program as being a sure thing for Anderson. Past or even fairly recent success has nothing to do with it. UMD and UVA have both learned this lesson the hard way after trying to replace long-time coaches.

hmmm....too bad but certainly not an upgrade by any stretch. wonder if JA took a 2nd look at his competition here and had a change of heart. maybe the big fish in a small pool description fits here. get the harrison twins...move on. wonder what support gary provided during the "transition". dont see his name much and thought we would at least with the players he had in the pipeline.

good luck justine ... whats the knock on delonte? what a sleezy world that aau crap must be. sickening...and same to JA's father

I read somewhere that UVA had a potentially great recruiting class lined up for 2012 even before JA made his verbal commit. At that time they had 2 top 50 players lined up as do UNC and Wake. So we really need Hill and Ranson to bring in some top talent if we expect to be in the top half of the ACC. No big news as this was always going to be the case. This may also explain the Bruenig situation. UVA played the best they could with the players they had last season and managed to beat us at Comcast when we really needed a win. The Cavs or Hoos or whatevers did manage to improve at the end of last season which is more than we can say. Unfortunately for Eshan and Keith they were odd men out and Turge definitely has the right to staff his program. Fortunately we have a really good HC who has already shown that he knows what he's doing. Only thing left is to perform on the court.

Good luck Anderson. Our loss is UVA's gain. Who knows... might be the start of a little MD/UVA rivalry. Bittersweet, at least he didn't choose Duke or UNC. That would have been a tough one to take.

The second five star recruit in two weeks says see ya. Those down playing this are crazy. Right, he's scared of all the talent at Maryland. Please. Whatever helps you sleep at night.

UVA 74
Terps 60

March 2011. Better get your facts straight.

MD fans. Have class. Not teenage boys again. The beauty queen promised to go with you to the prom changed her mind, now she is the ugly bitch you are spreading the rumor around. We know it is the coaches that attract the players, not the Comcast center, basketball rich area, fans base, as some of you preached. By the way, Gary never got good players and if he did, they always turned out bad, so why these angry. Ha Ha.

Second 5 star in two weeks? Please Bill, I would love to know the other 5 star that left!!!

"This kid must love being the only star on the roster."

ESPN 2012 Top 100 Recruits
6 of 12 ACC schools with commits (10)

UVA 3
UNC 2
NCST 2
WAKE 1
DUKE 1
VT 1
UMD 0

ESPN 2011 Top 100 Recruits
8 of 12 ACC schools with commits (17)

DUKE 5
FSU 3
VT 3
UNC 2
UVA 2
GT 1
BC 1
UMD 1

The only two schools with ZERO top recruits is Clemson and Miami.

Turgeon was a great hire, but the program is currently in the crapper. A former winning tradition doesn't hold as much weight as a current winning tradition. Think about it, if you were a current recruit from Indiana, would you rather be a Hoosier or a Bulldog?

Man some sore losers on here. How quickly you forget that UVA split with UMD this year. Neither team went to postseason play, so how are Terp fans still acting like they run the conference? Bennett is building a machine in Charlottesville. We have an NCAA roster next year and will absolutely abuse Maryland in the post. You had Jordan Williams and we didn't even have Mike Scott, and we still won at the Comcast Center! Next year, Mike is back, along with Sene, Mitchell, Johnson, and more all over 6'8. Have fun with that.

And Moto is nowhere near JA and MD ain't getting Jefferson. You only have 1 Top 100 guy in the 2011 AND 2012 classes. We have 5 and counting. Stop being ignorant and realize we are swiftly passing you.

Go Hoos.

Certainly a disappointment. I hold no grudge against Anderson. This is a big recruiting win for UVA. Great point above about Seth Greenberg hating this -- hiring Ehsan, then losing JA to UVA.

Turgeon still has time to pull together a great class for 2012, so no need to get too upset.

has keith booth settled into a coaching job.
barry

ongreystreet,

News Flash!! Hoosier are loading up.

Virginia Justin?...Seriously?..really....Virginia?

hilarious....you guys crack me up..Yea, MD is SOOOOOO much better than UVA in bball...they are WAY ahead...just miles...lmao....last i checked, MD got handled on their home floor by UVA and had the same post season as UVA...which, of course, was none....only UVA was gettin better, while sorry MD was gettin worse....oops

You guys better do your homework on recruiting classes...

What a jerk. Whats the point of committing these days if you can just change your mind?

At least if he goes to UVA he'll be marginal at best. UVA sports are a laughingstock.

At this point, Maryland fans can just suck it.

Go Hoos!

lol..yea..bet you were laughin at them on 3/5/11 werent ya?
And his word means nothing when the coach the staff he gave his word to bails...so he's free to bail if he so chooses

*coaching staff*

Virginia might have been the only school in the country that could have screwed up a talent like Ralph Sampson. Bill Simmons wrote that the best thing for Sampson's career would have been leaving UVA after his fresmman year, instead of staying there and not improving (if not getting worse). And then there is Chaminade...

Maryland has certainly had a more distinguished past than UVA, and I think it has a more promising future. Perhaps Virginia may have a year or two where it surpasses Maryland, but that won't last long. Maryland is traditionally one of the better basketball schools in the nation. UVA is not even the second best basketball school in its state.

md is hurting...for awhile ... va just stinks, year after year. i put my money on my md coach and asst coach. we are easy pickings now...wait 2 years, we'll see.

dont you va people have your own web site to post to? why clutter up ours with wah ooooooh (whatever that is) junk.

jeeze, what a relief to be a terp vs a wah oooooooh

JA is a talented kid with potential and I'm sorry he didnt give Turge a chance to re-recruit him. He would have been adored by the Maryland fanbase.

Interesting take on JA's father and Hill.
I wonder if he's ever met the man or just basing his perceptions on third party opinion.

No heartburn with JAs reconsideration and choice. Its his life. Best wishes.

I do wonder sometimes though how the whole recruitng thing has gotten so out of hand. Handlers. AAU coaches having more influence than HS coaches. Kids posteriors being kissed based solely on potential to play at the next level. Facebook. Twitter. Not thinking before texting. Its a mess.

Sad to see some supposed MD fans act like idiots and being negative.

Annoyed at UVA fans who feel they need to "stick it to us" with juvenile comments.

Will be interesting to see what happens to this junior in HS who - according to very reliable sources - thinks of himself as a one-and-done to the NBA.

Someone has to say it: The closest Justin Anderson and any other UVA player will get to a National Championship is when they travel to College Park and walk the lobby.

"We won a game in March..." Where is your best player going in the draft compared to ours this year?

I think everyone needs to get a life. How many busts have we seen out of 4-5 star recruits? This kid still has another year of HS before you even see him on the bench of a college. He made his decision. Let it go. And yes, im a UMD ticket holder.

UVa fans catching feelings. The only time you fill up that wanna-be-comcast arena is when Terps fans drive down and do it for you.

"Someone has to say it: The closest Justin Anderson and any other UVA player will get to a National Championship is when they travel to College Park and walk the lobby."

Or the 4 at DUKE, 5 at UNC, and the 2 at NC STATE.

I am not sure why people are hating on the player for turning away his commitment, Gary had a contract and he quit in MAY! You'all will slam a guy for leaving a sure thing like Maryland(ha!), but none of all would say the same if a A&M recruit jumped ship to UMD.

the emails i read really dont "hate the player for leaving" ... most i read really hate the entire system...aau etc

what a cluster mess that is and it only seems to get worse. thinking gw was right all along to avoid it as long as he could; seems like the ultimate undoing of his coaching career

disappointed that justin anderson decided to move on to university of virginia but again i still wish him the best. he could legitimately be a one-&-done type player.
it's a blow to the program. and if hill is involved in any way it makes begin to wonder about his character. not to start an issue, but gary williams already had his own serious concerns with hill. i'll definitely be following justin's collegiate career.

Note to hoos fans you can gather all the bb talent in the world and still loose. Example when Buck Williams owned your all time best player Ralph Sampson and we regularly kicked your asses in nationally televised games on Super Bowl Sunday in the early 80's. I know that was a long time ago but UVA has been a sports wasteland forever with the exception of the George Welch football years. UVA fans should forget about Bball and Fball and get behind that lacrosse team cause that's really all you got going.

"And Moto is nowhere near JA and MD ain't getting Jefferson. You only have 1 Top 100 guy in the 2011 AND 2012 classes. We have 5 and counting. Stop being ignorant and realize we are swiftly passing you" - ongreystreet.

Now you say Moto is not better than Anderson, but actually he has quietly been moving up ESPN's Top 100 and Super 60 board and is now considered the #53 recruit in his class, while Anderson has moved down and is now the #54 in 2012. Also Arnaud is considered the #12 SF, while Justin is positioned at #13.

While Justin goes to the basketball school that gets national recognition that opens a lot of doors for him, if you've ever actually seen Moto or Episcopal play, you would know that they aren't chopped liver. #2 team in the D.C Metro area, a very hard working and successful unit is what you would see if you ever watched a game. And if you're truly interested in seeing who is better between the two squads go to the Sleepy Thompson Tournament, because their schools will be playing against each other.

Arnaud's AAU team, Team Takeover is also hands down better than Anderson's team, Boo Williams and beat them at Nike's EYBL in Hampton, VA to win that tournament. That was when people really started to hear about Moto and that is when he started his movement up the rankings board for his class, which was completed when he was put in ESPN's Super 60 after the Nike EYBL's tournament in Dallas.

In conclusion, this guy is a hard worker and someone who comes prepared to played every game. He's the prototypical UMD recruit, a good talent, who works hard while at Maryland and leaves a great prospect by the time he graduates.

Good luck to Justin at UVA, but I'd rather have Moto personally.

UVA fans need to get serious.....lol

You haven't been relevant in BB since the Ralph Samson era and even then you couldn't make it happen when it counted.

You basically suck in the only two sports that count (FB & BB).

Go work on some more of your nerdy little chants and quit wasting your time fantasizing about relevancy in major college sports!

Just watch Maryland beat up this season then he will come back