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When his phone began to blow up with text messages a few days ago, Nate Britt Sr. didn’t know what was going on. He quickly learned the barrage was set off by a Tweet by his son, Gonzaga junior point guard Nate Britt Jr., who’d stated that he may be ready to make a college decision earlier than previously expected.

“I had no idea about it,” Britt Sr. said. “But he’s seen pretty much everybody and I think he put that out there because he’s probably ready to make a decision sooner rather than later.”

Still, there’s no specific timetable for a commitment. It could come this month, or it could be sometime in the spring. Britt, a left-handed floor general ranked the No. 12 prospect in the Class of 2013, visited Maryland this weekend to watch the Terps in their season-opener against UNC-Wilmington.

“Everything went well. He enjoyed the game. We had a good time. We didn’t get to talk to coach [Mark] Turgeon, but I called Dalonte [Hill] this morning because I know they’re getting ready to take this road trip,” Britt Sr. said.

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Editor's note: Each week, InsideMdSports.com provides this blog with a Maryland recruiting feature that previously appeared as premium content on its site.

When he was hired in May to succeed Gary Williams, Maryland basketball coach Mark Turgeon’s first priority was to upgrade the level of talent in the program. He put together a crew of assistants known for their recruiting prowess and he hit the recruiting trail hard, bouncing from one AAU event to the next, eventually securing his No. 1 prospects at three different positions.

All three recruits – Houston big man Shaquille Cleare, Massachusetts forward Jake Layman and Virginia combo guard Seth Allen -- faxed Maryland their signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA's early signing period. Thus, on the six-month anniversary of his hiring at Maryland, Turgeon was able to speak publicly about them for the first time.

“We’re really excited about the three guys we signed,” said Turgeon, whose class ranks 16th-best in the nation according to 247Sports.

“It’s huge. Players help you win games. It’s obvious. Our best teams [at Texas A&M] were when we had our best players.”

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During a decade-plus as the head coach at National Christian Academy, Trevor Brown has had his share of Division I basketball prospects. The small private school in Fort Washington was the original home of Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley, and the place where Dante Taylor (Pitt) went from little-known prospect to McDonald’s all-American.

Maryland’s previous basketball staff, though, didn’t spend much time recruiting there, the lone exception being Taylor, whom the staff didn’t begin to pursue seriously until he’d already received offers from a bevy of high-major programs.

“They never recruited the kids. Until you start to do that, local kids are going to continue to leave the area,” Brown said.

But that appears to be changing; assistant Dalonte Hill has been to the school twice this fall to see sophomore point guard John Davis.

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After a busy stretch that included visits to Maryland, North Carolina and Arizona, the recruitment of Gonzaga (D.C.) junior point guard Nate Britt Jr. has seemingly cooled a bit. Gonzaga coach Steve Turner said Britt, the No. 4 point guard and No. 13 player overall in 247Sports’ 2013 rankings, doesn’t seem to be on the verge on a commitment and is focused on working out and preparing for the season.

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While many of his fellow juniors are still awaiting their first scholarship offers, Kendall Fuller of Good Counsel High in Olney already has a large group of colleges willing to take a commitment – a list that recently grew to a baker’s dozen with California offered the sought-after cornerback.

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The recruitment of prized power forward Robert Carter of Shiloh High in Snellville, Ga. – one of the top prospects on Maryland's recruiting board – is about to hit the homestretch.

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The Maryland basketball staff continues to log frequent flier miles in its efforts to secure a top-flight power forward to pair with committed center Shaquille Cleare. The Terps' tour stopped Monday in Marietta, Ga., where one of their top targets – Wheeler High senior Charles Mitchell – resides.

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The Maryland basketball staff continues to span the country in its efforts to bring in a top 2012 recruiting class, a tour that recently made a pit stop at Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, Fla. – the new home of senior shooting guard Torian Graham.

Graham, a highly touted former N.C. State commitment ranked the No. 52 prospect in the Class of ’12, has been on Maryland’s radar for some time, having known Terps assistant Dalonte Hill from his days playing for the D.C. Assault AAU program. Hill joined head coach Mark Turgeon on the visit to Graham, an ultra-athletic 6-foot-4 scorer who hails from Durham, N.C.

“They think he’s an outstanding player and would be an asset to their program,” said ACD head coach Rex Morgan. “Coach Turgeon makes his kids better, and as a coach, that’s important to me.”

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It's been difficult to gather any new information this fall on Amile Jefferson, the highly touted senior forward from Friends Central School in Wynnewood, Pa. Jefferson, one of the highest-rated prospects remaining on Maryland recruiting board, has been silent about his recruitment, preferring to move through the process without great fanfare and at his own pace.

It remains unclear where Maryland stands with Jefferson, though Friends Central coach Jason Polykoff did give InsideMDSports.com a brief re-cap of his meeting last week with the prized 6-foot-9 forward.

“He still doesn’t have a favorite list, per se,” Polykoff said of Jefferson, who visited Maryland unofficially for the Miami football game. “He wants to visit a lot of the schools before he makes a decision. He doesn’t want to just make a decision based on what their record was last year or where a friend is going.”

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