Last weekend Miller School (Va.) center Hippolyte Tsafack made an official visit to Maryland.
This weekend, it’s St. Anthony (N.J.) power forward Ashton Pankey’s turn to see College Park.
“He and his mom took the train down today and it wouldn’t surprise me if he really liked the visit, he might just take one more to compare apples to oranges,” [St. Anthony coach Bob] Hurley said.
Kicking off a slow week in Maryland recruiting news with a few football items ...
• The recruitment of Norcross, Ga., offensive lineman Max Garcia is winding down, according to Phil Kornblut.
Offensive lineman Max Garcia of Norcross, Ga., is scheduled for his official visit to Clemson on Nov. 6. A week or two later, he plans to have a decision between the Tigers, Maryland and Vanderbilt. Maryland is his favorite going into the final visit.
Tobias Harris has already visited Syracuse, Tennessee and Kentucky this fall.
Now the five-star forward from New York has scheduled trips to his four other finalists -- West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Maryland.
Then the weekend of November 7 they will travel to West Virginia. The following weekend they will visit Maryland with a final visit to Georgia Tech scheduled for November 16 and 17 following the Maryland visit.
• MemphisRoar.com caught up with Albany (N.Y.) City Rocks coach Jim Hart this week for an update on Hippolyte Tsafack, a Cameroon native and Miller School (Va.) big man.
“He loves Maryland,” replied Hart. ”He’s pretty high on Maryland. I think he still has his scheduled visit (next weekend) to Maryland. Maryland has recruited him longer than anybody, probably. Nothing else is scheduled right now, but Auburn, Alabama, Miami, and UCLA are all showing interest. ”
Two of Maryland's top remaining targets for the class of 2010 will be in Lexington, Ky., tonight.
Holly Springs, N.C., power forward C.J. Leslie and Dix Hills, N.Y., forward Tobias Harris are two of many highly touted prospects scheduled to attend Kentucky’s version of Midnight Madness.
“I’m excited, it should be good,” said Dix Hills (N.Y.) Half Hollow Hills West forward Tobias Harris, who leaves Friday for Kentucky’s “Big Blue Madness.”
“I heard it’s a really great atmosphere at the Midnight Madness so it should be fun.”
Harris, who still plans on visiting Maryland this fall, has been spending a decent amount of time with several Syracuse commitments, according to The Daily Orange.
The sales pitches are getting easier by the game. Waiters, Harris and fellow Orange commit C.J. Fair are all part of the Unique All-Stars, a top-flight team in the elite Nike iS8 fall classic. The team is attempting to recruit another SU commit, center Fab Melo, for the playoffs, which begin Oct. 23 in New York.
The Unique All-Stars allow the current Orange commits to play with Harris, a coveted recruit who has narrowed his college selection to seven schools - including Syracuse. Coached by Harris' father, the team gives Harris a unique preview into a future with the Orange, something that he won't get with any of the other six Division I programs knocking at his door.
Leslie, meanwhile, still has a lengthy list of schools he’s considering. One notable contender, however, has dropped out of the race for his services.
This fall, Leslie had in-home visits with the coaches from Kentucky, Florida, Maryland, Oregon, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, N.C. State and Florida International, which is now coached by Isiah Thomas, one of Leslie's favorites when he was growing up.
But, he said, the University of North Carolina is no longer recruiting him.
Six ACC basketball programs have top 20 recruiting classes thus far for 2010.
So where does Maryland stack up against its in-conference rivals? According to Rivals.com’s recently updated class rankings, the Terps are 10th nationally and fifth in the ACC, behind North Carolina (4), Wake Forest (5), N.C. State (7) and Virginia (8), and ahead of Florida State (19).
Maryland is experiencing a recruiting resurgence with its 2010 class. Gary Williams locked up a couple regional four-star prospects in Ross and Parker. Ross is an athletic wing who can shoot with range. Parker is a skilled and versatile combo forward. Williams looked westward to land Stoglin, a Rivals150 scoring guard out of Arizona.
St. Anthony (N.J.) forwards Ashton Pankey and Devon Collier both piqued the interest of the Maryland staff this summer.
Now Collier is apparently mulling a visit to College Park while Pankey has already scheduled an official trip for Maryland Madness on Oct. 16.
[New Heights AAU coach Jeff] Rivera said Pankey’s list included Maryland, Drexel, Houston, Rice, Hofstra and Oregon State.
Continue reading "Weekly recruiting roundup" »
Any day now, five-star prospect Tobias Harris is expected to narrow his 11-team list to five.
Maryland remains one of the 11 in contention for the Dix Hills, N.Y., power forward’s services. Adam Zagoria this week gave his take on Harris’ recruitment.
In the coming days, Tobias will cut his list down and then take his official visits. Look for UConn, Kentucky and Syracuse to be three of the schools in the mix down the stretch.
The Terps are also waiting to see where they stand with Holly Springs, N.C., power forward C.J. Leslie, another five-star prospect. Rivals.com’s Jerry Meyer thinks Kentucky -- which picked up a commitment from four-star forward Stacey Poole this week -- and North Carolina are Leslie’s favorites.
There were questions about whether North Carolina has officially offered him, and those questions haven't necessarily been answered. Leslie and UNC coach Roy Williams, however, have been communicating. Leslie claims that Williams gave him the "we would love to have him when you are ready to commit" line. And North Carolina canceled an in-home visit with five-star power forward Terrence Jones, producing speculation that the Tar Heels are focusing on Leslie.
Check out Testudo Times for further discussion of Maryland’s pursuit of Harris, Leslie and Terrence Jones.
The grand finale of in-home visits for Tobias Harris took place Thursday, with Maryland coach Gary Williams as the guest of honor.
The Terps are joined on Harris’ 11-team list by Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, St. John’s, Syracuse, Tennessee, UConn and West Virginia.
With the in-home visits complete, scheduling five official trips is next on the agenda for the five-star power forward.
Prior to his visit with Maryland, Harris told Rivals.com that all of his visits have been productive and that he will spend a couple of days thinking it over and then cut his list to five schools.
Continue reading "Weekly recruiting roundup" »
Ian Evans committed to Maryland last spring with little fanfare.
But for the Hammonton, N.J., defensive end -- whose stock has risen since making the commitment -- picking a college was a monumental event. The Press of Atlantic City profiled Evans earlier this week.
"I never thought I'd go to college," he said.
His mother Doreen Lynch is determined not to let him squander the opportunity.
"I'm a single parent," she said. "I would never be able to do this for him. Maryland is really great school. It's a great opportunity. I feel like I hit the lottery."
Meanwhile, The Star-Ledger ranked Evans the No. 2 defensive lineman in New Jersey.
The end utilizes both his strong upper body and his advanced technique to shed blockers and get to the football in a hurry when it is coming his way. He is quick and aggressive to the ball when it is moving on the opposite side of the field, which is often. Evans helped Hammonton to a 9-3 record and a trip to the South Jersey, Group 3 final last year, where it fell to Shawnee of Medford. Committed to Maryland.
Terrence Jones will host representatives from eight college programs at his Portland, Ore., home this month.
Maryland earned one of those eight invites. The Terps’ in-home visit will take place on Sept. 23, according to Adam Zagoria.
He plans to cut his list to five and then take visits.
“It doesn’t really matter [East or West Coast],” he said. “It’s just what’s the best situation for me.”
• Maryland’s staff will also get a chance to make an in-home visit with Holly Springs, N.C., power forward C.J. Leslie.
Leslie and his mother plan to invite Kentucky, North Carolina, Maryland, Connecticut, Oregon and probably Florida in for visits.
• Oak Hill (Va.) forward Roscoe Smith will make an unofficial visit to an ACC school this weekend.
Roscoe Smith, a 6-7 small forward out of Oak Hill (Va.) Academy, will visit Duke unofficially Sept. 6, according to his father, Brian Thompson
Thompson said the following schools are recruiting his son and would have in-home visits: UConn, Duke, UCLA, Maryland, Georgetown, Florida and Kentucky.
Continue reading "Weekly recruiting roundup" »
Maryland's 2010 recruiting class of Mychal Parker, Terrence Ross and Terrell Stoglin has caught the attention of national talent evaluators.
According to Rivals.com, the Terps currently have the No. 7 class in the country.
Maryland is experiencing a recruiting resurgence with its 2010 class. Gary Williams locked up a couple of regional four-star prospects in Ross and Parker. Ross is an athletic wing who can shoot with range. Parker is a skilled and versatile combo forward. Williams looked west to land Stoglin, a Rivals150 scoring guard out of Arizona.
In his weekly mailbag, Rivals.com’s Jerry Meyer discusses what Maryland needs to do to remain in the top 10.
Maryland will likely need to land a quality big man to hold onto a top-10 national ranking. If Maryland were to land four-star Damontre Harris, who will officially visit next month, they will hold their ground in the top 10. Land a ringer like elite power forward Tobias Harris, and the Terps would rise as high as No. 2 nationally and No. 1 in the ACC.
The biggest news of the week in Maryland recruiting came late Wednesday when Mychal Parker, a four-star small forward, committed to the Terps.
InsideMDSports.com caught up with Parker to discuss his decision. The 6-foot-6, 185-pounder said Terrence Ross was a major influence on his choice.
Earlier this year, Mychal Parker became friends with eventual Maryland commitment Terrence Ross of Montrose Christian (Md.), another top-50 prospect and like Parker, an extremely athletic wing player. Parker considers himself a shooting guard but said he's unsure -- and unconcerned -- about who will be considered the shooting guard and who will be the small forward.
"I don't know, I just know that me and T-Ross are going to be tearing it up," he said, in a rare moment of bravado from a normally understated, quiet high school senior. "Him committing to Maryland really put an edge on me committing."
Parker told his hometown newspaper, the Washington (N.C.) Daily News, that Maryland’s coaching staff played an important role in the decision.
“It feels great to sign with them; it’s a blessing,” Parker said. “They have such a great tradition, and Gary Williams is just a great coach. He lets you play your game and relax, but he also takes no stuff from you either.”
The Maryland football team has suffered its first decommitment of the 2010 recruiting class.
Pittsford (N.Y.) Mendon tight end Sean Fitzpatrick, who committed to the Terps in February, switched his pledge to North Carolina last night.
“I committed to North Carolina tonight,” Fitzpatrick confirmed late Thursday evening in an interview with Rivals.com. “I’ve kind of had it in my mind that UNC is the right place for me for about two weeks or so. I talked with my coach and my family about it and I prayed about it a lot. It was a tough decision so I factored all that in.
Continue reading "Weekly recruiting roundup" »
Maryland's search for a big man in the 2010 class has apparently led to a legacy recruit.
The Roanoke (Va.) Times reports that Cave Spring center Josh Henderson, who averaged almost 16 points and 10 rebounds per game as a junior, has been offered a scholarship by the Terps.
Last week, Henderson received scholarship offers from Penn State, Vanderbilt and Cincinnati. On Monday, he got an offer from Maryland, where his father, David, played from 1976-80.
"That was exciting," said Henderson's mother, Carol, who is from College Park, Md., and went to the same church as then-Terps coach Lefty Driesell and his family.
Continue reading "Weekly recruiting roundup" »
After Tony Mitchell backed out of his commitment to Kansas State last month, Maryland was one of many schools to offer a scholarship to the three-star forward from Grand Prairie, Texas.
The Terps hope to receive a visit from Mitchell, whose stock is on the rise, according to Rivals.com’s Jerry Meyer.
There are similarities between Mitchell and Perry Jones. Both are elite athletes with size and talented but raw skill games. They both have helped their stocks tremendously in Vegas. Jones has gone from borderline elite prospect to potential No. 1 prospect. Mitchell has established himself as a five-star prospect and bona fide NBA prospect.
At 6-foot-7 and with a live body, Mitchell is a legitimate small forward with an explosive first step. He is a developing three-point shooter who also has a post up game. And on the glass, he can rebound with the best of them.
Terrell Stoglin was somewhat of an unknown commodity when he committed to Maryland last spring.
Those days of national anonymity are officially over thanks to the Tucson (Ariz.) Santa Rita point guard’s play at the adidas Super 64 AAU tournament in Las Vegas this week. During the first day of play, Stoglin earned rave reviews from MaxPreps.com.
Maryland is getting a good one in Stoglin. The Santa Rita High School (Tucson, Ariz.) guard kept Pump-N-Run in the game against Canada Grassroots Elite when it looked like things could get ugly. Stoglin drilled four big 3-pointers, teamed up for the play of the day on an alley-oop to teammate Erik Swoope and never let the defensive pressure of the Canadians take him out of his game.
The Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy singled out Stoglin as a name to remember.
Committed to Maryland, Stoglin insists he's a point guard. He doesn't have the same elusiveness as the best at that position, but Gary Williams' flex offense makes it less necessary.
"I felt like that would be the best place for me to go," Stoglin said. "I like the way they play. I like the enthusiasm Coach Williams brings to the team. I like how they run, how they play hard."
Very few class of 2010 recruits have had a better July on the AAU circuit than Tobias Harris.
The Long Island, N.Y., power forward and Maryland target was a clear standout at the Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C., this week.
Speaking of forwards who are difficult to guard, no four man in the class scores like Harris. Composed and efficient with the ball in his hands, Harris puts up points that will easily translate to the next level. His stock is rapidly rising.
One Big East assistant told Adam Zagoria that Harris is "the story of the summer."
“He’s the best offensive forward in the country,” the coach said. “He can face up, he can post up, he can drive. He can do everything. If they took a picture of his body from last year and compared it to this year, he can make millions of dollars doing body sculpting or weight loss ads. He looks thin, quick and bouncy.
Harris told USA Today this week that he models his game after a Baltimore native.
Harris would like to pattern his game after Carmelo Anthony, another big player who made a name for himself in New York state and can play every position on the court.
"I just like the way how he's 6-8 and he can shoot and do everything," Harris says.
Maryland remains on Harris’ lengthy list of schools, which he plans to trim to five next month. Harris’ father, Torrel, mentioned one piece of criteria to Zagoria that will be used in narrowing the list.
The family values loyalty and thus the coaches who have attended most of Tobias’ summer games will have the edge.
“If the head coach ain’t recruiting Tobias, they don’t have a chance,” Torrel said.
Maryland's chances of landing an elite small forward to pair with point guard Terrell Stoglin and shooting guard Terrence Ross in the 2010 class could be rising.
At the It Takes 5ive adidas Classic in Cincinnati this week, The Miller School’s Mychal Parker told Rivals.com that the Terps are out front in his recruitment.
Four-star forward Mychal Parker said Maryland is at the top of his list with Virginia, Miami and Kentucky following in that order. All but Kentucky has offered. Arkansas and USC have offered and Alabama and Georgia Tech are showing interest.
While the Maryland staff continues to focus its attention on the 2010 recruiting class, there could be a last-minute addition to the 2009-10 UM roster.
InsideMDSports.com reported that Matt Pilgrim, a junior power forward from Kentucky, was planning an official visit to College Park this week.
Pilgrim, 6 feet 8, spent his first two years of college at Hampton before transferring to Kentucky last year. After sitting out the 2008-09 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Pilgrim would have been eligible to suit up for the Wildcats this coming season.
When John Calipari was hired to replace Billy Gillispie in Lexington, Pilgrim -- according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal -- was told there wouldn’t be a scholarship available for him at UK.
According to a source close to the situation, Calipari and Josh Pastner are working together to bring Pilgrim to Memphis. Calipari, the source said, will support Pilgrim's case to the NCAA.
Though Pilgrim said he probably wouldn't make a commitment until he sits down with his family, he acknowledged the urgency of picking a new school so that he can start the appeal process. Pilgrim has also visited Oklahoma State.
Last weekend's National Basketball Players Association Top 100 camp served as an introduction of Richmond, Va., shooting guard Justin Coleman to the college basketball recruiting world.
NBE Basketball Report’s Ron Bailey checked in with Coleman, who explained his under-the-radar status.
“I just recently got on the map about a month ago” confided Coleman. “I sat out my whole tenth grade year and half my 11th grade year”. That respite from hoops was due to friction with the coach at his previous high school, Louisa. This year, after moving, he transferred to Henrico.
• CharlottesvilleNewsPlex.tv conducted a video interview with Maryland small forward target Mychal Parker during last weekend’s NBPA camp.
When asked about his interest in the University of Virginia, Parker confirmed that they are on his list of schools that include Maryland, Miami, Virginia Tech, Virginia, and Clemson and that everything, "Is still up in the air." Parker will visit other schools as the summer goes along.
• Christchurch, Va., shooting guard Michael Gbinije -- a rising junior who was named Most Promising Player at the NBPA camp -- took a recent trip to College Park.
Frank Gbinije, Mike’s dad, shared his son is being recruited by “Georgetown, Texas, UVA, Virginia Tech, and Florida”, most if not all of which called him June 15th, the first day college coaches can call the homes of perspective Class of 2011 recruits, per NCAA guidelines. Mike also unofficially visited Maryland several weeks ago. Other colleges will be evaluated.
Justin Coleman entered Wednesday’s National Basketball Players Association Top 100 camp as one of the lesser-known prospects in attendance.
Unlike [Wake Forest-bound Travis] McKie, Coleman is still waiting for a scholarship offer. Coleman, who said he's not sure which high school he'll attend in 2009-10, sees the camp as an opportunity to raise his stock.
After the first day of play in Charlottesville, Va., the Maryland target and three-star prospect from Richmond did just that. Rivals.com’s Jerry Meyer gave Coleman rave reviews for his play at the camp.
Whether he was dunking, finishing difficult layups or nailing jumpers from well behind the arc, Coleman was constantly on the attack offensively. He is a high-level athlete with a impressive motor who has a skill game that will continue to develop. Mark him down as a four-star when the rankings are reshuffled before the July evaluation period.
• Holly Springs, N.C., power forward C.J. Leslie, another NBPA Top 100 camp participant, still has the Terps under consideration.
Leslie, who said he admires the game of Boston's Kevin Garnett, is still deciding what other schools he will visit this year. Florida, Maryland, Kentucky and Wake Forest are on his short list.
When Lance Stephenson was scheduled to announce his college choice in March, Kansas, St. John’s and Maryland were the three schools on his list.
Nearly three months later, only the Terps remain from that trio. Meanwhile, other schools that got in the mix after Stephenson’s non-announcement at the McDonald’s All-American game have also fallen by the wayside.
This week CBSSports.com’s Gary Parrish quoted a Florida source who said there’s a “zero [percent] chance” the Gators take the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln shooting guard.
And when you consider that Arizona's Sean Miller also seems skeptical, that leaves Maryland and Memphis as the lone schools still believed to be genuinely open to taking Stephenson, although sources close to the Memphis progam have long insisted Josh Pastner and his staff do not have a good feeling for where they stand, don't really know what's happening with Stephenson or what he's thinking.
In a story on basketball one-and-dones this week, YahooSports.com’s Jason Cole touches on the two schools that apparently remain on Stephenson’s list.
One is Memphis, which has continued to court Stephenson while dealing with the NCAA investigation into who at the university knew about Rose’s allegedly fraudulent SAT score. The other is Maryland, where for years coach Gary Williams touted his ethical standards in recruiting. But now he’s also trying to right a program that has struggled since winning the 2002 national title and could use a young star.
Adam Zagoria, meanwhile, speculates that almost by process of elimination, Maryland could be Stephenson’s leader.
That leaves Gary Williams at Maryland, assuming Stephenson ends up in college.
I know I have gone on record before saying Maryland was out of it, but Williams has now been in this thing the longest of any of the coaches involved.
Continue reading "Weekly recruiting roundup" »
Months of silence and speculation ended Thursday when Lance Stephenson and his father, Lance Sr., spoke to the media after the Frankie Williams Charity Classic in Greenburgh, N.Y.
Adam Zagoria was on the scene and wrote a must-read story on the event, which included the Stephensons’ thoughts on the Terps.
“Maryland is going through their process where they want to pick a player and they’re not putting any rush on us,” Lance Sr. said. “They want Lance to be sure if he does want to go to Maryland, that he really wants to be there. Maryland has been really patient in working with the family.”
• Maryland shooting guard target Will Barton spoke to ESPN affiliate The Shiver.com, giving the Kansas fan site a list of schools he’s considering.
Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Texas, Miami, Georgetown, Arizona, Xavier, Marquette, Providence and Pittsburgh were just some of the schools ESPN.com's No. 12 ranked player listed.
Roland Cox, the godfather and advisor to Will and Antonio Barton, spoke with Rivals.com’s Jerry Meyer about the brothers potentially playing in college together in this premium story.
The Syracuse blog Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician speculates on the Orange’s chances at working the package-deal angle with the Bartons.
As for Antonio, he's no slouch. Rated three-stars by Rivals, he's got offers on the table from five schools, none of whom are SU, though the Orange have shown some interest. There is some overlap on both of their lists and many have wondered if the brothers are indeed a package deal, i.e. if you want Will you gotta take Antonio too.
Continue reading "Weekly recruiting roundup" »
The list of high-major programs involved with Portland, Ore. forward Terrence Jones is lengthy and impressive.
Thanks in part to Maryland’s commitment from Montrose Christian shooting guard Terrence Ross, Jones’ former teammate, the Terps have a spot on the list.
Rivals.com’s Jerry Meyer broke down Jones’ game and touched on his recruitment in his weekly mailbag.
As to where Jones will end up is a tossup among a bunch of schools. He has said that he is not anchored to the West Coast; he has family scattered across the country and his former teammate and friend Terrence Ross is a Maryland commitment attending Montrose Christian on the East Coast. Schools such as Arizona, Florida, Georgetown, Indiana, Maryland, Oklahoma and a number of Pac-10 schools have offered, and a couple of traditional powers in North Carolina and Kansas are keeping up with Jones.
• Richmond, Va. shooting guard Justin Coleman has drawn attention from Maryland and several other high-major schools after his impressive start to the AAU season.
It’s amazing how in the matter of three weeks Coleman has gone from a virtual unknown to one of the hottest names on the East Coast. He raised more eyebrows on Saturday when he dropped 25 points in the first half against Nike Team Florida. He had it all working. He hit five three-pointers, threw down a dunk and nailed a hanging jump shot from the free-throw line.
Another week, another twist in the ongoing Lance Stephenson saga.
According to USA Today, Maryland is still in the picture for the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln shooting guard.
Stephenson has narrowed his choices to Maryland and Arizona, his father said. "He's going to continue to work out and take care of his schooling," Lance Sr. said.
Adam Zagoria’s sources say UM is joined by a different school on Stephenson’s list.
Memphis is still trying to remain involved with Stephenson and Latavious Williams told me yesterday that if he ends up at Memphis, he would like Stephenson to join him.
Another source told me the other day that Lance told one coach he would announce between Maryland and Memphis.
The Arizona Daily Star’s Bruce Pascoe wonders if Arizona will wait around for Stephenson.
It will be interesting to see if this case gets settled out of court or dismissed before then, but if it goes the distance, that puts Sean Miller in a tough spot: Does he try to land Stephenson before the case is over, only to possibly have him later found guilty? Or does he keep waiting, since UA could add him in mid-summer without any real harm done except him missing the start of summer classes, which most freshman take.
The Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy thinks the chances of Stephenson landing in Tucson are low.
It's unlikely Arizona will add guard Lance Stephenson, the New York prep star who lists the Wildcats among his finalists. Stephenson is a talent, but [Sean] Miller will concentrate on landing players who have a serious future with the program.
Off the court, Stephenson and teammate Darwin “Buddha” Ellis will have to wait until June 29 to face sexual assault charges stemming from an incident last fall.
Stephenson and Ellis were charged with allegedly groping a 17-year-old female student outside Lincoln High on Oct. 3.
Continue reading "Weekly recruiting roundup" »
Montrose Christian shooting guard Terrence Ross has taken on the role of recruiter since committing to Maryland last month.
According to InsideMDSports.com, Portland, Ore., forward Terrence Jones is being lured by Ross to College Park.
"Right now, I think it's more Terrence Ross recruiting him than Maryland recruiting him, but that's just me speaking for him, so you'd have to talk to him," said Jefferson coach Pat Strickland.
... "He can play all five positions and he can guard all five positions, from point guard to center," Strickland said. "As a sophomore, he played point guard for us 75 percent of the time. He has a great feel for the game. His passing really stands out. And he's a very good shot-blocker and rebounder."
The word on Will Barton's game is officially out.
The Lake Clifton shooting guard and Maryland target is now the No. 10 player in the country according to Scout.com’s class of 2010 rankings, which were released earlier this week.
Speaking of jumps: Will Barton. Maybe everyone should have seen this coming? Either way, his state championship at Lake Clifton was legit and so was his exhilarating performance at the Boo Williams earlier this month.
Other Maryland targets on Scout.com’s top 75 list include: Walbrook small forward Roscoe Smith (17), Long Island, N.Y., power forward Tobias Harris (31) and Miller School (Va.) small forward Mychal Parker (32). Maryland shooting guard commitment Terrence Ross checked in at No. 68 on the list.
Barton, Smith, Ross, Parker and a host of other Maryland targets will take part in Saturday’s I-95 Elite Challenge at St. Frances Academy in East Baltimore. The four all-star games pit Baltimore’s best against D.C.-area players. The class of 2013 game tips off at 3 p.m. The 2010 contest starts at 7 p.m. Click here for rosters and additional info on the event.
Continue reading "Weekly recruiting roundup" »
The college options for Lance Stephenson appear to be dwindling.
On Thursday, Oklahoma City shooting guard Xavier Henry, a former Memphis signee, committed to Kansas. The Jayhawks were long thought to be Stephenson’s favorite, but Henry’s commitment leaves KU without another open roster spot.
Don't expect Lance Stephenson or John Wall to be talking about Kansas anymore.
Bill Self isn't. He said Thursday that he is done recruiting the 2009 class.
"For this year, it looks that way," Self said. "We can really focus in on the young underclassmen."
SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria reported Thursday that the Stephenson family was “still weighing its options.” Zagoria says it’s unclear where Stephenson will turn next.
I have reported all along that Maryland was out and that it would come down to either Kansas or St. John’s. I also hear that the Maryland coaches are not that optimistic about landing Stephenson. That said, head coach Gary Williams made a trip to Coney Island last Friday to meet with the Stephensons.
Update: Zagoria broke down the Stephenson situation further on Friday, adding this tidbit about the Terps and Red Storm.
Word is that Stephenson does not want to stay local at St. John’s and thinks that Gary Williams‘ system at Maryland is too structured. Both of these things make sense, but both St. John’s and Maryland have put the fullcourt press on recently.
• After Columbus, Ohio power forward J.D. Weatherspoon withdrew his commitment from Xavier, Maryland was one of the first schools to offer the 6-foot-6, 200-pound junior a scholarship. According to the Columbus Dispatch, the hometown Buckeyes are now involved as well.
[Cameron] Wright's spot in the 2010 recruiting class could be filled by 6-7 J.D. Weatherspoon of Northland, who rescinded his commitment to Xavier two weeks ago and is again being recruited by Ohio State. Coach Thad Matta was at Northland yesterday to talk to Weatherspoon's counselors and get a copy of his academic transcript, Northland coach Satch Sullinger said -- typically a precursor to a scholarship offer.
• Long Island power forward and Terps target Tobias Harris was named New York Class A Co-Player of the Year earlier this week.
Harris, who transferred back to Hills West last week, averaged 23.5 ppg and 11 rebounds this season.
• Richmond, Va., small forward Travis McKie, a former UM target, committed to Wake Forest on Wednesday.
He said he chose Wake Forest over a list of schools that included Clemson, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth, Maryland and Boston College.
Football recruiting
• Milford Mill wide receiver Tyrek Cheeseboro sports offers from Maryland, Pittsburgh and Rutgers, according to Millers head coach Reggie White.
“He likes Maryland. He went up there and visited Ralph Friedgen and all the guys,” he said. “He’s been to Pittsburgh too and liked Coach Wannstedt. He has also been in touch with Coach Schiano, but right now he likes everybody and is real excited about the process. He likes everybody.”
• City wide receiver and UM target Adrian Coxson picked up recent offers from Michigan and Notre Dame.
Notre Dame is also one of Coxson’s newest offers and he said the Irish are intriguing because of the great history that program has enjoyed. Virginia Tech and Syracuse are also now involved along with Florida, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Boston College, Maryland and Georgia.
• Friendly safety Jordan Haden committed to Florida this week over offers from Maryland and many others.
“I’m real excited to be a Gator now,” said Jordan Haden, who is the brother of Gator starting cornerback Joe Haden. “I’ve been going through a lot with this recruiting process.”
• Pennington (N.J.) Prep safety Dontae Johnson told Rivals.com this week that the Terps are in his top four.
“Yeah, those two are still up there,” he said, referring to Maryland and Michigan State. “Just make sure you’ve got NC State and UConn up there, too.
There's apparently a new player in the Lance Stephenson sweepstakes.
SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria reports that new Memphis coach Josh Pastner has expressed interest in the five-star shooting guard from Lincoln High in Brooklyn.
Pastner is now in the process of trying to reach out to the 6-foot-5 Stephenson, who could make a decision any day now between Kansas or St. John’s.
The Brooklyn Eagle thinks Maryland’s out of the running for Stephenson, while MaxPreps.com gives the Terps a five percent chance.
The forgotten suitor, Maryland would love to land Stephenson. It would be a major coup for Gary Williams, who has come under fire recently for his recruiting. Given Stephenson’s enigmatic nature, the fact that teammate James Padgett will be a Terrapin, and the school’s close connection to Under Armour, Maryland is not totally out of the picture.
NBE Basketball Report believes St. John’s is at the top of Born Ready’s list.
“It’s a done deal,” claims one source who is close to the St. John’s coaching staff.
• FiveBoroSports.com named Stephenson its Brooklyn Player of the Year this week, while Lincoln teammate and Maryland-bound power forward James Padgett earned a spot on the first team.
Quiet and unassuming, he was easy to be overlooked, particularly since the senior struggled the first half of the year with an ankle injury. There was no coincidence that Lincoln started to turn it on just as Padgett got healthy. He followed up a solid regular season with an unforgettable postseason, averaging 16 points and 13 rebounds.
• Maryland power forward target Tobias Harris has switched high schools, according to Newsday.
The multitalented 6-8 junior forward, who led Long Island Lutheran to the Federation basketball championship, has transferred back to his old high school, Half Hollow Hills West, and will begin classes there next week.
Maryland made the cut when Harris narrowed his list of schools to 11 this week. Newsday’s Bob Herzog lists UM as one of Harris' serious contenders.
Harris is being heavily recruited by dozens of major Division I colleges, with Syracuse and Maryland among the favorites. He is expected to announce his college choice in late September.
• Maryland power forward signee Jordan Williams was elevated to four-star status this week when Rivals.com released its final 2009 player rankings. Williams is now rated the No. 85 senior in the country.
• Lake Clifton shooting guard and Terps target Will Barton made Rivals.com’s list of the top nine performers at last weekend’s Boo Williams AAU tournament in Virginia.
Barton is a scoring machine in the mold of something between Rip Hamilton and Michigan's Manny Harris. Despite his thin frame, Barton's length and strength with the ball allow him to make plays against contact. His funky dribble game is sure to create space for his accurate jumper, and his instinct for coming up with loose balls gets him bonus buckets.
• Former UM target Tristan Spurlock decided this week to honor his commitment to Virginia.
“I am going to UVa next year,” wrote the versatile 6-foot-7 Spurlock, who had been recruited for some three years by former Virginia coach Dave Leitao. Spurlock’s decision comes as a sigh of relief to Cavalier fans – not to mention new coach Tony Bennett.
The Lance Stephenson watch could be nearing the end.
SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria reports that Stephenson will make an official visit to St. John’s this weekend.
“They’re getting closer to making a decision,” a third source said of the Stephenson family. “They [the coaches] are all making their last minute pitches and I think this is St John’s last chance to beat the other couple [schools, including Maryland]. This is their best opportunity right now. This is their last chance right now.”
Kansas coach Bill Self will make the trip to Stephenson’s Coney Island home tonight, according to the New York Daily News. Maryland is probably running third to the Jayhawks and Red Storm, according to the Daily News.
Sources still are saying that Stephenson's first choice is Kansas, but the Coney Island product may wind up signing with St. John's by default. That's because Stephenson is still waiting on Xavier Henry - a 6-6 guard from Oklahoma City who is ESPN's No.1-ranked player in the country - to make his official commitment.
A decision from Stephenson could come early next week, according to the Daily News.
• In Thursday night’s Capital Classic at American University, Terps power forward recruit James Padgett scored four points on 1-for-4 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in 21 minutes.
• Maryland point guard commitment Terrell Stoglin told the Arizona Daily Star this week that Arizona’s hiring of Sean Miller won’t change his pledge to the Terps.
"To be honest, man, U of A passed me up for three years," he said Monday. "I'm not really even worried about them. I made my commitment to Maryland. I'm going to stick with it."
• Former Maryland target and Virginia small forward signee Tristan Spurlock will decide by Monday whether he'll honor his commitment to U.Va.
He told NBC29's Lindsay Murphy that right now his chances of coming to UVA is 60 percent. Spurlock said, "Right now, I'm going to take my visit to Virginia. This weekend will determine a lot of things. I'm going to visit the campus, visit the school again, hang out with the players, then Monday, I will make my decision to the public, and let everyone know what I'm doing."
• Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy power forward DeShawn Painter withdrew his commitment to Florida earlier this week.
Painter immediately becomes a very sought after player in the 2009 class. Before committing to Florida, the Virginia native had offers from such schools as Louisville, Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland.
• UM shooting guard target Will Barton’s undefeated Lake Clifton squad was named the No. 21 team in the country by MaxPreps.com.
The Lakers won their second Class 3A state championship. Will Barton, a 6-6 junior, was the leading scorer at 18 points per game and he also averaged 10 rebounds.
• Maryland women’s forward signee Tianna Hawkins had 13 points and 16 rebounds in Riverdale Baptist’s 44-42 loss to Seton Keough on Sunday.
Riverdale's Tianna Hawkins, Tierra Hawkins and Candace Bond were named to the all-tournament team.
"I'm going to miss my teammates," said Tianna Hawkins, on playing in her last game. "I have many great memories."
Football recruiting
• Maryland was the first school to offer Old Mill linebacker Josh Furman, but the 6-foot-3, 194-pounder has said location’s not a factor.
Another thing the Terps have going for them is that his dad, Tyrone Furman, played nose guard there. “Obviously, he likes Maryland and would like me to go there but he isn’t pushing them or anything,” he said.
• Louisville, Ga., athlete Barry Bostic told Rivals.com this week that UM is one of his five favorites.
“It would be Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Maryland, Vanderbilt and UCLA. They are all pretty close right now.
• Leesburg, Va., linebacker Chase Williams updated LoudounExtra.com on where the Terps stand in his recruitment.
Williams said his correspondence from Virginia Tech has slowed well below where it used to be, and that it has been "quite a while" since he has heard from Maryland.
• Pittsburgh cornerback Cullen Christian has named Michigan his heavy favorite, but Maryland is still hanging in there.
“Maryland also said that I could probably play early,” he said. “They have good coaches there too and a good history of winning.”
• UM remains the only school to have offered Forestville wide receiver Antonio Belt, but the 6-foot, 165-pounder told Rivals.com this week that he really likes Pittsburgh.
“I like Pittsburgh a lot right now,” he said. “I fit in well with their program and I just like the way they throw the ball a lot and everything academically, team structure and chemistry.”
• Quince Orchard wide receiver Karim Jones told Rivals.com that he’s receiving interest from Maryland.
“I’m getting interest from Maryland, Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech sent me something,” he said. “There are a few colleges I’d like to attend. At first I was looking at Penn State, I liked the atmosphere, it felt like home. Maryland is definitely interest. I’ve always wanted to go to Virginia Tech and I like Miami, but I’m definitely keeping my options open and am wide open right now.”
The first commitment of Maryland’s 2010 basketball recruiting class is on the board.
Tucson (Ariz.) Santa Rita point guard Terrell Stoglin pledged to the Terps late Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-1, 160-pounder, who averaged 27 points and seven assists as a junior, told Recruiting Report that he chose UM for a variety of reasons.
“I was weighing my options, and as a matter of fact, I was going to wait until the summer [to commit],” Stoglin said. “A couple of days ago my family sat down at the dinner table and discussed it. I like the D.C. area, and I like the climate. I like the way Coach Williams coaches and I like the program overall. Maryland has a great guard history and I just thought I’d pull the trigger.”
Santa Rita head coach Jim Ferguson spoke to the Arizona Daily Star about UM’s recruitment of Stoglin.
"They've been watching him and they like what they see," Ferguson said. "They have a point guard who's graduating and he can move right it."
"I don't know if Tucson's ever sent a player to play in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference)," Ferguson said.
The Tucson Citizen noted that Stoglin has shined when facing top competition.
Two of his best games over the past two seasons came while being guarded by current USC freshman DeMar Derozan (in winter of 2007) and Abdul Gaddy (winter 2008) in prestigious national tournaments in San Diego. Stoglin scored 35 on DeRozan and 30 on Gaddy.
Click here for video of Stoglin. Thanks to Testudo Times for the link.
• Junior shooting guard Taran Buie cheered on his brother, Talor Battle, as Penn State beat Baylor last night for the NIT championship. After the game, Buie made a commitment to PSU.
"He called me (at 11:45 p.m. Thursday) and told me he gave Coach DeChellis his commitment," Bishop Maginn coach Rich Hurley said. "I told him, 'If that is where you want to go, I support you 100 percent.' He is a Nittany Lion."
Buie picked Penn State over offers from Maryland, Georgia Tech, Marquette and Notre Dame.
• SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria reports that John Calipari’s move to Kentucky from Memphis and five-star shooting guard Xavier Henry’s uncertain commitment status with the Tigers caused Terps target Lance Stephenson to delay his announcement this week.
The source said Stephenson held off on announcing for Kansas on Tuesday because of the uncertainty surrounding the Calipari/Henry situation and of similar uncertainty surrounding the futures of Kansas players Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins. Either or both of them could go pro.
Zagoria later reported that Henry is now considering staying with Memphis, which could push Stephenson back towards Kansas.
If Xavier remains at Memphis, it could open things up for Lance Stephenson to go to Kansas, as he had originally planned. Alternatively, Stephenson could still go elsewhere -- Maryland or St. John’s -- and Kansas could wind up empty-handed.
Click here for an extensive profile of Stephenson, courtesy of The New Republic.
• Two Maryland small forward targets are playing in this weekend’s National High School Invitational at Georgetown Prep. Montrose Christian junior Terrence Ross and St. Frances senior Terrell Vinson will both begin tournament play today.
St. Frances forward Terrell Vinson: All-Met as a junior at Montrose Christian, the Baltimore native transferred closer to home. He had committed to play for Loyola Marymount but now is considering other options after a midseason coaching change. He is averaging 25 points and 11 rebounds this season.
On Sunday, Vinson will headline the Baltimore All-Star team against the U.S. All-Stars at the Charm City Challenge at the Towson Center. Maryland power forward commitments Jordan Williams and James Padgett will suit up for the national team. Click here for the rosters and here for more info on the game.
• Two quick links from TerpCenter.com. First, the Maryland recruiting site is co-sponsoring the I-95 Elite Challenge, a Baltimore vs. D.C. all-star event on May 2 that will pit the area's best players from the classes of 2010-2013 against each other. Click here for more information. Second, on this week’s edition of TerpCenter Radio, publisher Jeff Ermann and Adam Zagoria discuss the Lance Stephenson recruitment. Click here to listen.
• Scout.com identified UM women’s point guard signee Dara Taylor as a McDonald’s All-American recruit ready to contribute immediately in college.
Dara Taylor will likely start at the point guard position next season for Maryland in replacing All American Kristi Toliver. Taylor did not have a great game, but was very impressive in practice, defending and shutting down nearly every guard in the game.
• Maryland women’s small forward commitment Alyssa Thomas was named to Pennsylvania’s Class AAAA All-State team.
Thomas has 1,512 career points, easily on pace to become a 2,000-point scorer, and is approaching 1,000 rebounds.
Thomas’ future classmate, UM combo guard commitment Natasha Cloud, was a third-team All-State selection for Pennsylvania.
Football recruiting
St. John’s Catholic Prep defensive end J.R. Ferguson and Thomas Johnson linebacker Nick Forbes were both cited as examples of Frederick’s loaded 2010 football class by FrederickNewsPost.com.
Forbes and Ferguson were both just picked to play in the Army All-American Bowl, which features some of nation's top high school players, next January in San Antonio. Right now, they are the only Maryland players chosen for that prestigious game. Both are also ranked among the nation's top 100 prospects in the Class of 2010, regardless of position, by Rivals.com -- Ferguson is No. 15, and Forbes is No. 97.
• Old Mill linebacker Josh Furman picked up another big offer this week.
Old Mill junior RB/LB Josh Furman received a scholarship offer from Oklahoma today. The Sooners join a list that's sure to keep expanding, but currently includes Duke, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Pitt, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
• St. John’s (D.C.) athlete Charles Johnson added an offer from Kansas State this week.
“I’m hoping to get one from Maryland and I’ve been talking to NC State and North Carolina a lot,” he said. “I’m also hearing from Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Penn State, Rutgers and Notre Dame.”
• DeMatha safety Jeff Knox sports offers from Maryland, Penn State and Pittsburgh, but according to Rivals.com, the Terps are likely running third in his recruitment.
“Penn State and Pittsburgh are my two top schools,” he said. “I’ll probably end up going to one of those two. I’m from Pennsylvania and it’s close to home, I’m from Pittsburgh. I’m looking to get back up north. Plus, all my family is up there.”
The countdown to Lance Stephenson's announcement is at four days, but several reports say all signs point to Kansas.
The five-star shooting guard from Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln will choose between Kansas, St. John’s and Maryland on March 31 -- one day before he plays in the McDonald’s All-American Game in Miami. But NBE Basketball Report quoted “a source close” to Stephenson that said he’ll “definitely” be a Jayhawk.
“They went pretty hard, he had a great visit, and they essentially sent (former NBA player) Danny Manning as the Mariano Rivera in this situation to close the deal.”
The source continued, “Lance understood the magnitude of this decision. He flirted with the idea of revitalizing the St. John’s program and sort of sprouting into a New York City icon by putting SJU and New York City back on the map. But realistically, he wants to win at a big-time program and Kansas is a perfect fit for him.”
The New York Daily News also predicts Stephenson to Kansas, but notes that some UM sources are still holding out hope.
"It appears (Kansas coach) Bill (Self) has one up on (St. John’s coach) Norm (Roberts)," a source said Wednesday. The source would be "shocked" if Stephenson chose Maryland over Kansas and St. John's.
Maryland officials, however, said last week that they believe they are still in the Stephenson sweepstakes.
SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria also believes Stephenson will announce for Kansas next week.
Lance says it was between Kansas, Maryland and St. John’s, but several sources said Maryland is not in the picture and one source very close to the decision-making process said Kansas is a heavy favorite.
• The New Haven Register named Maryland-bound power forward Jordan Williams its Player of the Year in Connecticut.
The 6-foot-10 center averaged 35.7 points per game this season, most of which were against arguably the top league in Connecticut. Williams is now the all-time leading scorer in school and Naugatuck Valley League history.
The Register also produced the video below, highlighting Williams’ senior year.
• Lake Clifton shooting guard Will Barton, a junior UM target, was named All-Metro Player of the Year by The Baltimore Sun.
No player in the area was more consistent or versatile than Barton, who averaged 18points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Along with his multiple skills at both ends of the court, Barton's enthusiasm, energy and confidence made his teammates better.
Barton discussed his recruiting this week on TerpCenter Radio. Scott Van Pelt and ESPN 980’s Kevin Sheehan were also guests on the weekly podcast. Click here to listen.
• Terps small forward target Terrell Vinson was named to The Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro first team.
The Montrose Christian transfer immediately took on the role of the team's go-to player and leader. The 6-foot-7 small forward, who averaged 23 points and eight rebounds, was a constant mismatch for opposing defenses. He was able to score from outside or down low. He led the No.2 Panthers to undefeated seasons and tournament titles in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference and the Baltimore Catholic League, showing a knack for providing whatever it took to close out wins.
• UM point guard target Tyrone Garland was named to the Philadelphia Daily News’ All-City first team.
Tyrone Garland, John Bartram: The lone junior in the group led the city in overall scoring (26 games, 750 points, 28.8 average) while showing a dizzying array of moves, and finishes. His hairstyle and competitive spirit lead some to call him "Braidheart." Paced the Braves (18-7) into the second round of the state playoffs. Averaged 4.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 4.0 steals. Already receiving national recruiting interest. Boasts 1,510 career points.
• Testudo Times’ Ben Broman took a look this week at Maryland’s 2010 recruiting picture, identifying all the major Terp targets at the wing and post positions and at the guard spots.
Jordan Williams will play for a state championship.
The Maryland power forward signee had a double-double in Torrington’s 39-38 win over Lyman Hall in the Connecticut Class L semifinals on Wednesday. The future Terp’s younger brother, Desmond Williams, hit the game-winning shot with 1.34 seconds remaining.
“I was right underneath the basket and I saw it going in the whole way,” said Jordan Williams (17 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks), Desmond’s more storied brother as a 6-foot-10 center heading for Maryland.
Williams will lead Torrington against Bulkeley on Saturday night for the state title.
• Maryland shooting guard target Lance Stephenson has made a decision on where he’ll attend college. But the rest of the world won’t know until his announcement April 1 at the McDonald’s All-American Game.
Stephenson, who, along with teammate Darwin (Buddha) Ellis, would become the first player to win four PSAL city titles, said he has based his pick on the caliber of coach, the kind of players he will be surrounded by and what program gives him the best chance to win an NCAA championship. Kansas is the defending national champions while Maryland is a perennial contender.
St. John’s is Stephenson’s third finalist.
• FiveBoroSports.com profiled Stephenson’s teammate, Terps power forward signee James Padgett, this week, crediting him with much of Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln’s success.
“James looks like the old James from last year,” [Lincoln point guard Darwin] Ellis said. “I’m loving him. ... He’s been playing like a Maryland player.”
As Padgett’s confidence grows, so does his teammates belief in him.
“He’s been keeping it consistent, scoring big points,” Ellis said. “When we need a basket we will feed it to him down low. We are not scared to throw it down there.”
• Terrell Vinson led a well-balanced St. Frances scoring attack in the Panthers’ 58-38 win over Bishop O’Connell in the opening round of the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament in Cumberland last night.
The 6-foot-7 Vinson had 13 points and 12 rebounds, Williams 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals, and Holmes and Lewis 10 points for St. Frances. Lewis, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, also had four blocked shots and four steals.
• UM shooting guard target Victor Oladipo helped DeMatha to a 83-50 rout of Bishop Walsh in another opening-round Alhambra matchup.
Naji Hibbert had 17 points and four steals and Victor Oladipo 13 points for DeMatha (31-3), the Washington Catholic League champion. Four others had eight points, including Mikael Hopkins, who had eight rebounds and five blocked shots. Quinn Cook dished out eight assists and had six rebounds.
• Terps shooting guard target Will Barton was named boys Athlete of the Week by The Baltimore Sun.
On Saturday, Barton set the tone in the Lakers' 75-50 win over Friendly in the title game, scoring 10 of his game-high 20 points in the first quarter, hitting two three pointers and a highlight dunk. He added nine rebounds and three assists.
He averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for the season. Barton, who made the honor roll this year at Lake Clifton, hasn't selected a college.
• Antonio Barton, Will’s younger brother, spoke to NBE Basketball Report this week about his recruitment.
“Miami, Virginia, Maryland, Seton Hall, Temple, LaSalle and a couple of other schools” are recruiting him, shared Antonio.
Could the [Barton brothers] end up a package deal? “It’s some schools that want him that don’t want me, and there are some schools that want me that don’t want him” he said. “If it’s a school that we both like, that we both want to go to, that would happen”.
• Dave Leitao’s departure from Virginia could help the Terps with at least one notable recruit, according to the Charlottesville Daily Progress.
With Leitao’s dismissal, Virginia could also take a hit in its 2010 recruiting efforts. The Miller School’s Mychal Parker and Eric Atkins (Mt. St. Joseph’s, Columbia, Md.) were top targets.
• Foul trouble doomed Maryland women's center recruit Essence Townsend in Paterson Catholic's 72-52 loss to St. John Vianney in the semifinals of the New Jersey Tournament of Champions.
Townsend, who sat for the final 12:51 of the first half after being whistled for three fouls in 43 seconds, started the second half, but was back on the bench after being called for her fourth 40 seconds into the third quarter.
• Cardinal O’Hara will play for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AAAA championship tonight, thanks in part to the play of Terps combo guard recruit Natasha Cloud in her team’s 47-36 win over Downington East on Tuesday.
Junior Natasha Cloud (five points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal) drew the defensive call on East’s 5-11 11th grader Ro Gentry, who carried an 11-point average into the game.
Football recruiting
• Tuscarora offensive tackle Hansen Barrick is hearing from the Terps and a variety of other East Coast schools.
“I’m still getting letters from Maryland, Connecticut, Georgia, Boston College and Virginia Tech,” he said. “Schools haven’t really gotten that personal yet, so I’m not sure who is most interested in me.
“I kind of like Maryland though. It’s close to home and I like the setup of the facilities I’ve been there twice.”
• City wide receiver and Terps target Adrian Coxson was offered a scholarship by Florida this week.
Previously it was believed Penn State may be in the forefront, does the Florida offer change anything?
“This makes my decision a whole lot more complicated,” he said. “This decision determines my life, my future and is really big. I’m not going to rush it. I still plan to announce before the football season or this summer. I’ve got a lot to think about and my coach is a big part of this too.”
• Stamford, Conn., linebacker Khairi Fortt spoke to Scout.com this week about his recruitment, including a tidbit on a recent trip to College Park.
Maryland’s junior day also impressed Fortt. “I like the guys they have there,” he said. “I connected with some of the players there and the whole school and campus is nice.
• Maryland was one of the first schools to offer State College, Pa., offensive tackle Jack Deboef, according to Rivals.com.
“I’ve heard from a lot of people,” State College (Pa.) State College Area offensive tackle Jack Deboef said. “I’ve gotten full rides from Buffalo, Maryland, Temple, NC State and I just got one earlier this week from Purdue.
• The father of Middletown, Del., offensive tackle Gifford Timothy spoke to Rivals.com this week about his son’s recruitment.
“Alabama wants to recruit him and Princeton is engaging him along with Utah. Illinois came to the school and has sent a lot of paperwork. Colleges keep talking, but he has the same four offers, BYU, Maryland, Rutgers and Boise State.”
The past week was a big one for Maryland power forward recruit Jordan Williams.
On Tuesday, Williams scored 36 points, grabbed 24 rebounds and blocked seven shots in Torrington’s 81-76 overtime win over Kennedy in the first round of the Connecticut Class L tournament.
Last night, Williams powered the Red Raiders to a 56-49 win over Pomperaug.
The younger Williams finished the game with 16 points while Maryland-bound Jordan posted another double-double, scoring 24 points and hauling in 14 rebounds.
Torrington (19-6) advances to play second-seeded Stratford (22-1) in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Monday at a site yet to be determined.
Earlier in the week, Torrington coach Tony Turina compared Williams’ game to that of former Providence standout and current Minnesota Timberwolves forward Ryan Gomes.
“Jordan is light-years ahead of where Ryan was at this time in his high school career,” Turina said. “There is no comparison.”
Gomes went on to play college ball at Providence, where he worked hard and made himself a better NBA prospect and eventually a great professional.
“If Jordan puts in the same time and effort that Ryan did at Providence, he could exceed anything we could expect.”
The Hartford Courant profiled Williams on Wednesday, touching on what it’s like to be a part of a legendary Connecticut basketball family.
The No. 20 that Jordan wears follows the family line. His dad, Leron, an assistant at Torrington, wore it for the Raiders, as did Murray. And Murray wore No. 20 at UConn from 1987-91.
"It means a lot to me to follow them," Jordan said. "And I feel real good because I talked to [Maryland coach] Gary Williams and he said I've got No. 20 next season. But before that I'd like to wear my Torrington No. 20 for a few more games."
• Kansas is sending a big name to Brooklyn in its effort to land Lincoln shooting guard Lance Stephenson. According to SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria, KU assistant Danny Manning is the Jayhawks’ point man in Stephenson’s recruitment.
Kansas figures that if Stephenson wants to develop into an NBA player at a high-level program, who better to teach him than Manning, the No. 1 overall pick by the L.A. Clippers in the 1988 NBA Draft?
Stephenson, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2009 according to the Hoop Scoop and No. 9 by Rivals, will likely choose from among Kansas, Maryland and St. John’s and hopes to announce March 21 at Madison Square Garden after the PSAL championship game.
• Terps shooting guard target Will Barton paced Lake Clifton in its 63-54 win over Seneca Valley last night in the Class 3A state semifinals.
"We really did want to take it one game at a time," said junior forward Will Barton, who had 18 points and nine rebounds. "People thought we were playing, but you see how focused we are out there on the court. When teams make a run at us, we don't panic, we don't start fussing - we just stay together, and now we have one more to go to accomplish all our goals."
• Potential Maryland point guard target Tyrone Garland had a big game in Philadelphia Bartram’s 78-53 loss to Penn Wood in the second round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AAAA playoffs.
The Pats advance to the state quarterfinals, where they will meet Pennsbury on Saturday at a site and time to be determined. Penn Wood improved to 25-4, while Bartram's season, despite a stellar, 21-point performance by Tyrone Garland, ended with an 18-9 mark.
• UM small forward target Roscoe Smith had a double-double in Walbrook’s 74-69 loss to Springbrook in the Class 4A state semifinals.
In its return to the state tournament, though, it was Springbrook (26-0) that seemed in control of the game, only to allow Walbrook (23-4) to stay just close enough. Star forward Roscoe Smith, a highly-touted junior, had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors.
• The Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Va., recapped the Miller School’s Virginia Independent Schools Division 2 championship, giving much of the credit to Terps small forward target Mychal Parker.
The 6-foot-6 junior poured in a game-high 26 points, 10 of which came from the free-throw line. Parker made timely baskets throughout and also helped key a pivotal third-quarter run for the Mavericks.
When he wasn’t doing the scoring, he often found open teammates Brice Kofane, Marshawn Powell and Hippolyte Tsafack underneath. Parker also grabbed nine rebounds and snagged a pair of steals in the win.
• UM shooting guard target Taran Buie is in Indianapolis to watch his brother, Talor Battle, play in the Big Ten tournament.
Battle's mother, Denise Murphy, is visiting Indianapolis from Albany along with her next oldest son -- Taran Buie -- a junior at Maginn who is also being heavily recruited to join his big brother at Penn State.
Women’s basketball
• Maryland center signee Essence Townsend powered Paterson (N.J.) Catholic to a 65-52 win over Gill St. Bernard’s for the New Jersey North Non-Public B championship.
Townsend finished with a triple-double: 12 points, 15 rebounds and 13 blocks.
“She played tremendous, tremendous,” said Andre. “We have a lot of weapons, but when she is scoring we are very hard to guard.”
• The high school career of UM point guard recruit Dara Taylor ended Monday with Caravel Academy’s 46-45 loss to Caesar Rodney in the quarterfinals of the Delaware High School Girls Basketball Tournament.
Dara Taylor (20 points) tried to get off a 3-pointer but could not, and with four seconds left she drove in and scored, hoping to draw a foul. The Riders avoided contact and won.
"We let their pressure get the best of us when we shouldn't have," Taylor said. "I take full responsibility for that. We got to a fast run-and-gun game and completely changed what we did in the first half. We got out of hand and played right into their hands."
Later in the week, Taylor was named the Gatorade Delaware Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
The 5-foot-7 senior point guard led the Buccaneers to a 14-11 record and the quarterfinals of the state tournament this season, averaging 17.8 points, 5.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 steals per game.
It was also announced this week that Riverdale Baptist forward and Terps signee Tianna Hawkins was named Gatorade Maryland Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
• Terps combo guard commitment Natasha Cloud hit a crucial bucket in Cardinal O’Hara’s 36-34 win over Wilson in the second round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AAAA tournament.
O'Hara outscored Wilson 15-4 in the second quarter and appeared to be in command when it took a 10-point lead 2:05 into the third. Natasha Cloud hit a 3-pointer to put the Lions up 34-23 with 5:55 left in the fourth.
Football recruiting
• The Washington Post’s Josh Barr reports that Linganore fullback Zach Zwinak recently added a Notre Dame offer to his already lengthy scholarship list.
He previously had been offered by Maryland, West Virginia, Penn State, Stanford, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, California, Pittsburgh and Kansas State.
• Linganore offensive tackle Robby Havenstein claims offers from Maryland, Kansas State, Penn State, Stanford and West Virginia, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Already Havenstein has taken in one junior day to Maryland.
“I just got to know them more. It’s a good place to hang out and I’m getting to know everyone there better.”
• St. John’s (D.C.) defensive tackle Andre Monroe received an early offer from the Terps.
“I have one offer from Maryland,” he said. “I’m in touch with Pittsburgh and Duke. I’m also receiving letters from Michigan State, Northwestern, Boston College, Rutgers and Tennessee. New Mexico is very interested in me.
Lance Stephenson and James Padgett got off to an ideal start in their quest for a second straight New York Public Schools Athletic League championship.
The Terps' shooting guard target and power forward commitment combined for 60 points and 25 rebounds in Lincoln High’s 101-72 win over Thurgood Marshall Academy.
Lance Stephenson had a triple-double of 39 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists and James Padgett followed with 21 points and 13 rebounds for No. 1 Lincoln (18-10), which faces No. 9 Transit Tech in the PSAL Class AA quarterfinals Saturday afternoon at St. John’s University at 5 p.m.
Earlier in the week, SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria took a closer look at Stephenson and the sneaker wars.
Stephenson, the No. 1 senior in the nation according to the Hoop Scoop and No. 9 by Rivals, is one of the few elite seniors who has yet to pick a college and will likely choose from among St. John's (a Nike school), Kansas (adidas) and Maryland (Under Armour).
Yet the young man they call "Born Ready" has repeatedly said that the style of play (he prefers an up-tempo approach), the talent level of his future teammates and his relationship with the coach will be the determining factors. The sneaker affiliation of the school, he said, will have no bearing on his choice.
• Jordan Williams’ monster game last night wasn’t enough in Torrington’s 77-72 loss to Crosby for the Naugatuck Valley League championship.
“It came down to two championship players -- (Torrington center) Jordan Williams and (Crosby point guard) Anthony Ireland -- living up to their billing,” said Torrington coach Tony Turina, whose team took its first lead of the game (68-67) with two minutes left on a pair of Desmond Williams (8 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds) foul shots, then got trades from their leaders as Jordan (52 points, 21 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals) and Ireland (29 points) made athletic layups at opposite ends of the court to wrestle the lead back and forth.
Torrington enters Connecticut’s Class L playoffs this week as heavy favorites in their first-round game.
Kennedy-Waterbury likely will go 0-3 for the season against Torrington Tuesday night. Torrington only has Jordan Williams, who plays at Maryland next season.
• The junior season of Terps shooting guard target Taran Buie ended Tuesday with Bishop Maginn’s 60-59 overtime loss to Albany Academy in the New York state playoffs.
Taran Buie nailed six threes and totaled 30 points for Bishop Maginn, which hadn’t lost to a Section II opponent (CBA) since midway through the 2006-07 season.
Penn State’s student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, profiled Buie this week. Buie’s older brother Talor Battle is a junior guard for the Nittany Lions.
[Bishop Maginn coach Rich] Hurley felt the brothers playing in the same backcourt again would be "neat," but was worried Battle's senior-year priorities might shift if he had Buie's collegiate adjustment to worry about.
Battle said it would be fun recreating the high school days with his brother on the Bryce Jordan Center hardwood, but the point guard won't count on it for the time being.
• Terps targets and Miller School teammates Mychal Parker and Hippolyte Tsafack (10 points, 11 rebounds) contributed to the Mavericks’ 82-68 win over Walsingham (Va.) Academy in the VIS Division II quarterfinals.
Mychal Parker and Brice Kofane rounded out the offensive effort with 14 and 13 points each, and the two were both efficient and effective as shot blockers. Parker had three blocks and a pair of steals and Kofane finished with five rejections.
• TerpCenter.com has a free video highlight package and interview with Seneca Valley sophomore power forward Jordan Goodman.
• UM-bound point guard Dara Taylor (22 points, nine steals) led Caravel Academy to a 68-27 win over St. Georges in the first round of the Delaware high school girls basketball tournament.
"We struggled a little bit this season," said Dara Taylor, the Caravel senior point guard and Maryland signee who terrorized St. Georges offensively and defensively.
"This is to show everybody we're serious about making a championship run, and it's ours to take. It didn't matter who we were playing. We still had to play defense, play with energy, make shots, and come out sharp."
• Maryland power forward recruit Tianna Hawkins and sister Tierra have Riverdale Baptist in position for its third consecutive National Association of Christian Athletes girls' basketball championship..
The Hawkins twins will be playing their final prep games together at the NACA championship; 6-foot-3 Tianna will play for Maryland next year, and 6-0 Tierra has one more year at Riverdale (though she said she'd love to join her sister in College Park in 2010). They said they'll miss playing side by side in the low post, something they've done on common teams since seventh grade.
"I'm going to miss those bullet passes," said Tianna, the team's leading scorer (16.5 ppg). She said one of her best memories was in December at a tournament in Phoenix, where Tierra scored 37 points in four difficult games. "Arizona, that was the best. Every time we got the ball we looked for each other -- and it was her turn to shine."
• Terps women’s center signee Essence Townsend is mentioned as a player to watch in the New Jersey non-public B playoffs.
At 6-6, Essence Townsend of Paterson Catholic is enough of a deterrent to make penetrating point guards think twice about driving the lane. When they determine it's safer to attack off the wing and to gain a better perceived angle to the basket, they discover quickly how fast Townsend covers ground to get in position to challenge any interior shots. She had 10 blocks and cleared a dozen rebounds in a 52-33 victory over Teaneck on Jan. 4.
• Terps junior forward commitment Alyssa Thomas leads Central Dauphin to a first-round matchup with Great Valley tonight in the Pennsylvania Class AAAA girls basketball playoffs.
Great Valley (25-4) vs. Central Dauphin (28-1). The Patriots are pitted against the defending state champions. Alyssa Thomas, a Maryland recruit, averages 19.5 points and 13 rebounds a game.
Pick: Central Dauphin, 62-43.
Football recruiting
• Maryland was the first of 10 schools to offer Thomas Johnson linebacker Nick Forbes, according to Scout.com.
Although it wasn’t for a junior day, Forbes has been to Maryland several times. “I like that they are closest to Baltimore and Washington, DC,” he said. “It’s one of those places where you’ll never get bored.
“Plus they also have good academics,” he said. “I plan to major in mechanical engineering and coach Ralph Friedgen says that Maryland has good connections to get an internship and that he knows people at Clark Construction. Getting an internship at a company like that would definitely help my career.”
• Lynchburg, Va., defensive end Zack McCray, a Rivals 250 member, took a recent trip to College Park.
“Maryland was fun,” he said. “I went up there and got a little visit in. Basically I got a whole tour of the campus and got to see the student center. The whole team was in there bowling. I chilled with them a bit.
“I really like the business school up there and the opportunities when you graduate. I little more than 90% of the kids graduate and get jobs in D.C. or Baltimore.”
• West Springfield, Va., offensive tackle Michael Justice has received some early interest from the Terps.
“I’m getting letters from Maryland and I’ve called one of their coaches,” he said. “I’ve gotten a handwritten letter from UCLA and a few others.
“I plan to go up to Maryland to see some practices once they start up next month.”
Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln shooting guard Lance Stephenson has narrowed his list of schools.
According to Scout.com’s Dave Telep, Kansas, Maryland and St. John’s are in the mix to land Stephenson.
The five-star prospect sat down for a video interview this week with SNY.tv, which also mentioned Wake Forest as a potential destination. Stephenson discussed the programs on his list, and shot down a rumor involving the Terps.
There has been speculation that Stephenson might consider Maryland because Maryland has a deal with Under Armour, which has also given gear to Lincoln. But Stephenson plays in Nikes and said the sneaker affiliation of the school had no bearing on his choice.
“Ah, no,” he said. “I’m just going in there and see what’s best for me and my family and how do I fit in the program. That’s it.”
Stephenson and his father spoke to TerpCenter.com’s Jeff Ermann recently about where UM stands in Stephenson’s recruitment.
When he saw that Maryland had knocked off North Carolina, Stephenson Sr. picked up his phone and called to congratulate the coaching staff.
"That was a big win for them," he said, adding that the Terps remain very much in the hunt.
• UM power forward recruit Jordan Williams closed in on another milestone this week in an easy win for Torrington (Conn.) High.
Jordan Williams scored 16 of his game-high 45 points in the first quarter and now is just 13 points shy of 2,000 points as Torrington beat host Wolcott, 93-61, Tuesday in the NVL.
• Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran forward Tobias Harris wrote about his trip to College Park in his most recent diary for Syracuse.com.
My most recent visit was to Maryland on Sunday, and it looks like a picked good date to go. The Terps upset No. 3 North Carolina 88-85 in overtime. The fans were crazy and the atmosphere at Maryland is great. It was a huge win for them (and no, sorry I did not rush the court haha).
• UM junior shooting guard/small forward target Will Barton led Lake Clifton to a 69-30 win over Digital Harbor for the Baltimore City championship .
It's the second straight City title and third overall for the Lakers, who got 21 points from junior Will Barton and a dominating 19 points from senior Cleveland Melvin.
• WIVB in Buffalo, N.Y., profiled Terps target Will Regan this week. Regan's drawn comparisons to former Nichols School big man Christian Laettner.
• Maryland women's point guard recruit Dara Taylor spoke to DelawareOnline.com about her selection to the McDonald’s All-American game.
"This is a huge honor," the 5-foot-7 Taylor said Monday afternoon. "When you look at it, only 12 girls made the team, and only 24 [will be at the game]. Twenty-four out of every senior in the whole country?
It's a huge honor."
• UM women’s power forward signee Tianna Hawkins teamed with her younger sister to lead Riverdale Baptist over Arundel this week.
Senior Tianna Hawkins, a University of Maryland recruit, and junior Tierra Hawkins teamed to score 36 points, including 10 during a decisive 12-2 spurt in the fourth quarter, as the Crusaders pulled away from the Wildcats in Gambrills, 65-46.
• Maryland junior forward commitment Alyssa Thomas led Central Dauphin East to a 58-33 win over Carlisle in the Pennsylvania District 3-AAAA girls basketball semifinals.
Thomas paced the Rams with 20 points and 10 rebounds in only three quarters. Bassett tacked on seven rebounds to go with her 10 points. CD outrebounded the Herd 39-21.
Football recruiting
• Terps quarterback recruit C.J. Brown had a big game in Seneca Valley’s 58-52 loss to Peters Township in the semifinals of the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League boys basketball tournament.
[Peters Township’s Nick] Wilcox also had 10 rebounds and offset an 18-point, 15-rebound performance from Seneca Valley senior C.J. Brown, who hit two free throws late in regulation, sending the game to overtime.
• Handley, Va., junior cornerback Jeremiah Wilson spoke to NVDaily.com about his recent commitment to Maryland.
"I was really surprised they offered me so soon," said Wilson, who is the third player to commit to Maryland in the Class of 2010. "When they offered it to me I wasn't sure what to say or what to do. I talked it over with my family and decided it would be a good choice for me."
• Manheim, Pa., defensive end Dakota Royer spoke with TerpCenter.com about his recent visit to College Park.
"It was very good ... They are up there right now," said Royer, who has offers from Maryland, Penn State, Colorado, Notre Dame, Illinois, Stanford, UConn, Michigan State, Kentucky and Rutgers.
"Maryland, Pitt, Penn State, Michigan State, Notre Dame -- those are my top [schools]," he said.
• The Washington Post’s Josh Barr reports that Good Counsel cornerback Louis Young is back on the market.
Cornerback Louis Young (6-1, 175), previously committed to Stanford but now exploring all options, is getting the most interest, holding additional scholarship offers from Maryland, Virginia Tech, Boston College, North Carolina, N.C. State, Pittsburgh and Kansas State.
• DeMatha offensive lineman Arie Kouandjio was recently offered a scholarship by the Terps, according to Rivals.com.
“I’m starting to like North Carolina,” he said. “Hopefully I can go somewhere like that or Georgia. I could do well in the cold, but I like it when it’s warm.
“I love those programs too. I always watch them and Maryland.”
• Safety Michael Coley is another DeMatha prospect that recently picked up a Maryland offer.
“I got an offer from Maryland about a week ago on Tuesday,” DeMatha safety Michael Coley said. “My coach came and told me. I like the school, it’s a great school, but I’m not trying to make any decision. I’m continuing to stay humble and see how the season goes and what happens from there.”
• The Detroit News reports that Pittsburgh cornerback Cullen Christian has Michigan as the leader in his recruitment, but he’s mulling a trip to Maryland.
Knocking Michigan off its perch could be a difficult task for the competition, but it's not impossible. Christian plans to visit a number of campuses in the coming weeks to get a better feel for what each program has to offer. A trip to Michigan is scheduled for March 19. Visit dates to Illinois, Maryland and West Virginia are in the planning stages.
Last week Maryland shooting guard target Lance Stephenson was left off the Jordan Brand Classic roster.
This week, the five-star shooting guard from Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln received some retribution by being selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American game.
“I think McDonald’s is more important than anything,” said the 6-5, 200-pound Stephenson, who on Sunday became the all-time leading scorer in New York State history and who will make an official visit this weekend to Kansas. “If I didn’t make the McDonald’s I’d be more mad, but the McDonald’s I’m happy to be in it.”
Earlier this week Stephenson told Rivals.com he was considering visits to UCLA and Wake Forest, but SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria reports that those trips aren’t set in stone.
Stephenson recently told me he had no immediate plans to visit any other schools.
“As of right now, no,” he said. “The list that I gave everybody, I’ll make sure I go to all of them. But right now I’m just worrying about Kansas and my season.”
• The Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Barker profiled Terps power forward recruit Jordan Williams in today’s paper. The Williams family told Barker that Gary Williams’ job security was an initial concern.
So [Jordan Williams’ parents] went to [Maryland athletic director Deborah] Yow to determine what was going on. "The toughest part [of the rumors] is who is telling you the truth and how to sift through all this," Leron Williams said.
He said Yow told them Gary Williams would remain. To further assure them, Yow said she would put her claims in writing.
Williams’ Torrington (Conn.) squad dropped an 87-71 game to Holy Cross on Tuesday.
… Williams (19 points, 23 rebounds, 3 blocks), averaging 36 points a game, showed Holy Cross more mobility in the first half, coming out to the high post and the wing on offense, lunging for every shot on defense.
But Turina’s bigger hope came from the development of other players since that first game. Sure enough, they came through. By the half, Williams had 11 points, but three other players had significant points toward Torrington’s seven-point lead, 40-33.
• Terps fans in the Baltimore area will be able to see Williams and fellow ‘09 power forward commitment James Padgett in this year’s Charm City Challenge. The Baltimore vs. U.S. All-Star game will be played on Sunday, April 5 at the Towson Center.
• The Washington Post’s three-part series on Gary Williams’ recruiting apparently led to a meeting between Williams and D.C. Assault official Curtis Malone.
“Whenever any of my kids are being recruited by Maryland, I can’t say, ‘Oh, Gary is a great guy,’” Malone said. “Because I don’t know Gary. But I would never do anything to push a bad relationship even though I don’t know how it got the way it did. I will show Maryland basketball that Curtis Malone can be a friend of Maryland basketball.”
• TampaBay.com reports that St. Frances forward Terrell Vinson is focused on four schools.
Vinson, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound forward rated as the nation's No. 81 overall prospect by Rivals.com, is still considering Massachusetts, Maryland, Cincinnati and USF, according to Mark Karcher, his coach at St. Frances Academy in Maryland.
• The Barton brothers, Will (24 points) and Antonio (15 points), helped Lake Clifton move to 20-0 with an 88-61 win over Walbrook.
"We look at these big games as heavyweight fights," said Will Barton, who played a big role defensively, limiting Walbrook standout Roscoe Smith to 13 points.
• Terps power forward target Will Regan scored 36 points Wednesday night in the Nichols School’s 92-90 loss to St. Joseph’s (N.Y.). According to The Detroit News, Michigan coach John Beilein has made Regan a top priority.
Keeping in mind that adding more size to the roster is a major focus, Beilein is in heavy pursuit of Will Regan, a 6-8, 235-pound center/power forward from Buffalo. Regan has had interest from many programs, but reportedly has the Wolverines high on his list.
• Miller School (Va.) teammates and UM targets Mychal Parker and Hippolyte Tsafack both reached double figures in the Mavericks’ 69-53 win over Blue Ridge.
Parker finished with 14 points and a couple of assists. ... Hippolyte Tsafack poured in 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to complete his double-double.
• UM shooting guard target Taran Buie scored 14 points in Bishop Maginn’s 81-60 win over Troy (N.Y.) on Tuesday.
• UM women’s recruit Alyssa Thomas led Central Dauphin (Pa.) to a 20-point win over Harrisburg on Tuesday.
Thomas, who pumped in a game-high 20 points, helped the top-seeded Rams piece together a titanic 19-5 second-half run that induced a 54-34 District 3-AAAA first-round victory Tuesday over Lee's Cougars.
With Central Dauphin nursing a 20-18 lead just seconds after the break, Thomas hauled in 10 of CD's 23 third-quarter points, shocking the Cougars.
• Tianna Hawkins’ Riverdale Baptist squad is now the No. 10 girls basketball team in the country, according to MaxPreps.com.
10. Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) 19-2 (2-0) -- Last four of five games the Crusaders have scored between 65-69 including wins of 28 and 21 points last week. Senior post Tianna Hawkins leads the squad with averages of 16.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.
• Terps junior point guard commitment Natasha Cloud led Cardinal O’Hara in scoring in its 50-42 loss to Archbishop Carroll in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals.
The Shields sisters led the way, with junior guard Erin scoring 15 points and Kerri, a senior bound for Boston College, adding 12. Junior guard Natasha Cloud led the Lions (22-2) with 14 points.
Football recruiting
• Maryland quarterback recruit C.J. Brown is taking care of business on the hardwood for Seneca Valley (Pa.) in the playoffs.
Senior forward C.J. Brown leads the Raiders in scoring and had 18 points and 14 rebounds in a first-round win against Fox Chapel Friday.
• H.D. Woodson (D.C.) quarterback Ricardo Young sports an early offer from the Terps, according to The Washington Post’s Josh Barr.
According to Warriors' assistant Larry Williams, Young already has offers from Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Maryland.
Barr also reports that the Terps have already offered scholarships to four DeMatha juniors.
• The State of Columbia, S.C., has a quick update on Terps target and St. John’s C-P defensive end J.R. Ferguson, who is already one of the most heavily recruited prospects in the country.
Defensive lineman Ego Ferguson Jr. (6-3 260) of Frederick, Md., is one of the most heavily recruited prospects on the East Coast with over 30 offers thus far. Those include Clemson, USC, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Penn State, LSU, California, Maryland, N.C. State and Illinois. He went to a junior day at Maryland and might go to one at North Carolina. He also is considering an unofficial visit to Tennessee. He does not claim any favorites.
It was a pretty eventful week for Maryland power forward recruit Jordan Williams.
Williams poured in 47 points for Torrington (Conn.) High School on Tuesday. His last bucket prematurely ended the game with 2:26 remaining. The future Terp shattered the backboard at Naugatuck High.
Torrington resumed its game the following afternoon, with Williams setting a school record for points in a single game.
In a two-handed dunk, putting back a Martin Mitchell shot off the rim with 2:36 left in the game, Williams shattered the Naugatuck backboard. When other options were exhausted, the teams finished the game Wednesday afternoon at Torrington High School in a 92-70 Red Raider win, including five more points by Williams, for a record 52 points.
“When I broke the backboard, I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t go up trying to break it,” said Williams, who came away from the explosion with minor glass slivers in his neck, arms and shoulders, but no serious injuries.
• UM power forward signee James Padgett (17 points, 13 rebounds) and Terps shooting guard target Lance Stephenson led Lincoln High to a big win Tuesday night with a noteworthy visitor in the crowd.
... Lance Stephenson dropped a career-high 50 points as Lincoln routed FDR 113-78 in the first round of the Brooklyn Borough Championships.
And he did it with Maryland Coach Gary Williams looking on.
Also on Tuesday, it was announced that Stephenson was left off the roster for the Jordan Brand Classic. SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria speculates on the reason for Stephenson’s exclusion.
I can’t imagine why these guys aren’t in it, but it’s a bad job by the folks at Jordan. If it has something to do with Lance wear-testing Under Armour gear for Lincoln, then shame on the Jordan folks.
“Yes, that’s terrible,” Lincoln coach Dwayne “Tiny” Morton wrote in a text message. “I don’t believe that, in New York City at the Garden. He played at their [Nike] camps. He loves Jordan shoes. I know he wanted to play in that game.”
• Washington Post reporters Eric Prisbell and Steve Yanda wrote a three-part series on Maryland’s post-national championship recruiting under Gary Williams this week. Part two takes an in-depth look at Williams’ relationship with local AAU coaches.
In recent years, Williams has displayed a "total unwillingness to engage third-party aspects in recruiting, and that eliminates so many kids from consideration," said a recruiting source intimately involved in the AAU scene who considers Williams one of the nation's best coaches. "If the situation looks anything less than high school coach, kid and parent, Gary doesn't even mess with it. It is so commonly known that he doesn't like AAU guys. It is almost impossible to think he can invite one into his office, have a meaningful conversation and repair the relationship."
• UM junior forward target Tobias Harris made the play of the game for Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran on Tuesday.
Tobias Harris blocked a shot with two seconds remaining for Long Island Lutheran to seal a 60-58 win over Jersey City St. Anthony last night in a non-league boys basketball game. Harris sat much of the second half with four fouls but had 11 points and seven rebounds for LIL (12-8).
• Terps shooting guard Taran Buie scored 20 points in Bishop Maginn’s 72-31 win over Amsterdam on Tuesday. According to the Albany (N.Y.) Times Union, Buie and his family are considering a move from upstate New York to Pennsylvania, bringing the family closer to Buie’s half-brother Talor Battle, a standout guard for Penn State.
Buie's mother, Denise Murphy, has roots in Pennsylvania, and said Sunday she's weighing a move back to the state.
"We have been talking about this for six years," [Bishop Maginn coach Rich] Hurley said. "What I have always told Denise is you have to do what you think is best for your family. If you feel it is in your best interest to leave, then you have to go. It is going to be up to Denise. Taran and I have never talked about this. I don't want Taran to go, and it isn't just about basketball."
PennLive.com’s David Jones speculates on what Buie’s potential move could mean for Penn State.
• WGRZ.com posted a video feature of Terps power forward target Will Regan. The report said Regan’s down to five schools, but Michigan might be the leader. On the court, Regan led the Nichols School (N.Y.) to a 75-56 win over St. Mary’s on Tuesday.
Nichols went on a 9-0 run to end the third to take an eight-point lead and led throughout the fourth quarter. Will Regan had 32 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks and Conner Vander Griff added 12 points. St. Mary’s got 19 points from Vince Kazmierczak.
• New Jersey small forward Daryus Quarles, who received some interest from the Terps, made an early commitment to St. Joseph’s.
He will arrive on campus in 2010. According to Life Center coach Wilson Arroyo, Quarles' final list also included Syracuse, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Kansas, Duke and Florida also stopped by for a visit.
• Terps women’s forward commitment Alyssa Thomas helped Central Dauphin (Pa.) to a 39-13 win over Mechanicsburg.
Alyssa Thomas scored a game-high 19 points but worked hard running through screens to try to shed defender Ariel Arnold, who played a tough, physical match-up against the all-state player.
Football recruiting
• The Diamondback spoke with Maryland defensive end signee DeOnte Arnett and Forestville coach Charles Harley late last week.
"When [Arnett] played Boys and Girls Club, he played for my father and he was a fat, crying kid back then, and now look at him," Harley said. "And then, in time, when he came to Forestville in ninth grade, [he was] still tall and kind of uncoordinated but didn't know what to expect. His sophomore year, we were pretty good, and he was pretty dominant for that team. That's when we realized this kid had the goods to be a great football player."
• UM offensive line recruit Bennett Fulper discussed his decision to go to Maryalnd with WPCVA.com.
"I felt most comfortable at Maryland. They stuck with me the longest, and I really liked the coaches and facility," Fulper said. "Getting up there and playing hard is what I am looking forward to. As far as the ACC goes, it will be a big stage, and I know everyone is watching every move you make, and the competition will be tough."
• CollegeFootballNews.com ranked Maryland’s recruiting class No. 4 in the ACC.
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Since taking over the job earlier in the decade, Friedgen has never had much problem bringing top-notch athletes to Maryland. This recruiting cycle is no different. He protected his own backyard, getting a slew of terrific young athletes to work with on offense and defense. Now, he and the staff have to find a way to turn that talent into more wins than the Terps have seen in the last five years.
• The Washington Post’s Josh Barr has updates on three in-state Terps targets for the class of 2010: Forestville wide receiver Antonio Belt, Dunbar (D.C.) linebacker Javarie Jackson and Old Mill running back/linebacker Josh Furman.
Maryland offered its in-state talent first. Josh's dad, Tyrone, was a nose tackle for Bobby Ross. Josh also visited LSU's junior day last weekend. The Terrapins and Mountaineers are first in on the second-team All-State junior.
• St. John’s-CP junior defensive end J.R. Ferguson has already developed into a national recruit, according to TerpCenter.com.
Oklahoma, Tennessee, Clemson, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, North Carolina and Penn State are just a few of the schools vying with Maryland for his commitment. Illinois was first to offer last season, while Maryland was also among the first schools in the mix.
"He gets so much mail, it's hard to keep track of it. He had nine or 10 offers at the end of the season, and it seems like every week three or four more offers have come in," [St. John’s-CP coach Jimmy] Ward said.
• According to the Altoona (Pa.) Mirror, the Penn State staff plans on battling Maryland for several in-state recruits once again.
Ego Ferguson and Robby Havenstein: It looks like Lion assistant Larry Johnson will be spending a lot of time in Frederick, Md. in the next few months. Ferguson is a 6-3, 260-pound defensive end, Haverstein a massive (6-7, 330) offensive tackle.
• College Park, Ga., defensive end Henry Anderson visited Maryland for a junior day event last weekend, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“They have a really nice campus and facilities,” said the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Anderson, who has scholarship offers from Central Florida, Maryland, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Wake Forest.
• NVDaily.com reports that Maryland is taking a look at Handley (Va.) junior athlete Jeremiah Wilson, who visited College Park for junior day last weekend.
One potential Division I signee for next year is Handley's Jeremiah Wilson. The Handley junior running back/defensive back is already being looked at by several FBS teams.
Rayburn said that Wilson recently went to Maryland for a junior day camp, and both Virginia and Virginia Tech have shown interest in the elusive runner. Last year, Wilson ran for 1,400 yards and scored 19 touchdowns to lead the Judges to the Region II, Division 3 final. Wilson was also standout at defensive back and was named first-team All-Northwestern District.
Lance Stephenson is apparently serious about Maryland.
The five-star shooting guard from Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln added the Terps to his top four, and spoke to SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria this week about his recent visit to College Park.
“Maryland, I had fun,” he said. “We talked about Padge [6-8 Maryland-bound forward James Padgett of Lincoln], how we’re going to get him ready for Maryland,” Stephenson said. “That’s a good look for me and him to go to. I’m just looking at different schools and trying to see where the best fit is.”
He added: “They’re kind of high on my list. I didn’t go and visit all the other schools. I just visited that school. It’s the first official visit. I’m just going to see what the other schools look like and pick by that.”
• Stephenson and UM power forward recruit James Padgett helped Lincoln to an 88-81 win over Thomas Jefferson on Tuesday.
Stephenson led Lincoln (13-8, 11-2 Brooklyn AA) with 21 points and 20 rebounds, Padgett added 18 points and 12 boards and Davon Walls followed with 15 points off the bench.
• FiveBoroSports.com named Padgett its athlete of the week.
[Lincoln coach Dwayne] Morton has seen improvements in every part of Padgett’s game – from defense to rebounding to his soft touch around the hoop. He is averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds in 13 Brooklyn AA league games – one of the reasons the Railsplitters recently won the regular-season division crown – but Morton has been more impressed with the strides he has made as a leader.
“He’s been more vocal,” the coach said, stressing that when Padgett talks, others listen.
• UM power forward signee Jordan Williams recorded his fifth straight 40-point game earlier this week.
The Torrington boys basketball team (10-4) beat Ansonia (4-10) at home Monday evening by the same 20-point margin, 86-66, as last Thursday’s over Woodland.
But Monday’s effort brought a smile to coach Tony Turina’s face versus Thursday’s frown.
“This was a good team win tonight,” Turina said, who saw just two constants between the games. Jordan Williams had 42 points Monday versus 41 last Thursday. Justin Duksis (12 points Monday versus 9 Thursday) had his second career game in a row.
• UM coach Gary Williams is counting on Padgett and Williams to play a part on what should be an improved Terps team next season.
"Yeah, I we lose Dave Neal off this year's team. We've signed Jordan Williams and James Padgett, and I think we're in a pretty good position. I really believe we can be a top 25 team preseason next year."
• Gary Williams was on hand to watch DeMatha and shooting guard Victor Oladipo take on Good Counsel one week ago, according to The Washington Post’s Josh Barr.
Oladipo, a 6-5 high flyer, has a terrific upside and seems to have good court awareness. Grant, who is 6-4, is another son of former NBAer Harvey Grant.
• UM junior shooting guard target Taran Buie reached double figures in Bishop Maginn’s win Tuesday night.
Taran Buie's 23 points helped Bishop Maginn remain undefeated in the Big 10 Conference following a 79-68 win at Bishop Gibbons.
• Maryland junior power forward target Will Regan had a double-double in the Nichols School’s 72-47 win over Canisius (N.Y.) this week.
The pair took advantage of open looks as the Canisius defense concentrated on Will Regan (14 points, 14 rebounds) and guard Ron Canestro (15 points, five assists).
• Terps junior power forward target Tobias Harris filed another entry in his online diary for Syracuse.com.
I have to say the rehab for my ankle went really well. My physical therapist really helped me get through this injury and have me back playing as soon as he thought the time was right. Needless to say, physical therapy was NOT easy, I would leave there with my t-shirt drenched with sweat the therapist wouldn't take it easy on me. Those people are brutal! But I would have to say the worst part about the therapy was the ice bath that I had to put my ankle in afterward. It was just way to COLD for me.
Football recruiting
• The State of Columbia, S.C., spoke to Terps defensive end recruit Justin Anderson about the late interest he received from other teams.
Preparing for Wednesday wasn’t easy for Anderson even though his mind was set on Maryland. Other colleges kept calling despite his oral commitment.
“But I brushed them aside because I knew where I wanted to go,” he said.
In another story by The State, Anderson discussed how distance wasn’t really a factor in his decision.
Moving away was not an issue for Anderson, who considered schools in areas where he has family. His stepfather’s family is not far from the Maryland campus.
“When I need to get away from football, I’ll have someone to talk to. I’ll have a life outside of football when I go up there,” Anderson said.
• The State ranked UM’s class No. 5 in the ACC.
5. MARYLAND TERRAPINS: Maryland signed five four-star recruits among its 24 signees: DL De'Onte Arnett (Capitol Heights, Md.) DB Travis Hawkins (Gaithersburg, Md.), RB Caleb Porzel (Olney, Md.) and OL Pete White (Washington, D.C.). Scout.com ranked White the No. 5 offensive guard in the nation. Defensive lineman Justin Anderson of Blythewood High signed with Maryland.
• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also pegged Maryland as having the fifth-best class in the ACC.
> 5. Maryland: Twenty-two of the 26 signings were either three- or four-star recruits, according to Rivals. The pick of the bunch is defensive end DeOnte Arnett.
• The Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens took a look at UM quarterback recruits C.J. Brown and Danny O’Brien and broke down their impending battle
With the struggles of [Josh] Portis and [Jeremy] Ricker in particular, Maryland probably needs one of this year's signees to develop into something more than just a competent option.
"I think C.J. Brown has that potential," rivals.com recruiting analyst Mike Farrell said. "He's improved every year under center in high school, but most importantly he's very smart and can learn the offense at Maryland. Guys like Jordan Steffy, Josh Portis and Jeremy Ricker all had great athletic ability and live arms, but none of them had the football smarts of Brown, and in Ralph's system, brains are the most important thing."
• Before Pennsylvania offensive lineman Ryan Schlieper switched his commitment from Maryland to Pittsburgh this week, the 6-foot-5, 270-pounder had to make several difficult phone calls.
"It's a long process," he said. "A lot of (Maryland) coaches wanted to talk to me. I got an earful a couple of times."
Another call went to Seneca Valley quarterback C.J. Brown, a rival of North Allegheny in the Quad North, who committed to Maryland last year and plans to sign with the Terrapins.
"I felt like I let C.J. down, but being the quality type of kid he is, he said, 'No hard feelings.' "
• UM offensive line signee Bennett Fulper received some late interest from an in-state school, according to GoDanRiver.com.
Despite Virginia making a late run, Fulper had already decided on Maryland over James Madison and a handful of other Division I-A and I-AA schools. While playing left tackle this past season, the 6-foot-5, 291-pound lineman also played center in his first three seasons with Gretna, which could be where he winds up at Maryland.
• Scout.com’s John Wallpher conducted a Q&A with Terps defensive end recruit David Mackall just days before Signing Day.
Scout.com: You had many offers, why Maryland?
Mackall: Going into the summer of my senior season, Maryland, East Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Clemson and Syracuse offered me first. I committed to Maryland right away. A few other schools showed a lot of interested like like Georgia, Kansas State and Florida, but I committed to Maryland before they could offer.
• Note: I spoke to the guys at TerpCenter.com about UM's football recruiting class for the Web site's weekly Maryland podcast. Other guests include Danny O'Brien, C.J. Brown, Dexter McDougle and Adam Zagoria. Click here to listen to the podcast.
While his future coach bemoaned past recruiting losses and battled athletic department staff members, Maryland power forward recruit Jordan Williams made history.
On Tuesday night, Williams’ Torrington (Conn.) team fell to Crosby, 73-70. But the UM commitment scored 50 points, grabbed 23 rebounds and blocked four shots while breaking a long-standing school record.
For 22 years, Murray Williams was the all-time scoring leader for Torrington High, but those 22 years came to an end Tuesday night when his nephew, Little Jordan -- all 6 feet, 10 inches of him -- passed him.
With 5 minutes, 44 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Jordan Williams scored on a put-back, and officially the torch was passed from one Williams to another.
• St. Frances forward Terrell Vinson was named boys Athlete of the Week by The Baltimore Sun.
The 6-foot-7 senior forward led No. 2 St. Frances to three victories last week, including two over ranked teams. Vinson, a transfer from Montrose Christian, scored 34 points and had 14 rebounds in the Panthers' 83-76 double-overtime win against No. 5 Mount St. Joseph; 23 points and 12 rebounds in a 68-49 victory over No. 14 John Carroll; and 22 points and eight rebounds in a 96-38 win against St. Maria Goretti. Vinson has a 3.0 grade-point average and averages 27 points, eight rebounds and 3.3 blocks.
• The Gazette profiled Montrose Christian shooting guard Terrence Ross this week. The 6-foot-5 Oregon native has heard from Maryland and several other schools.
Ross, who lives just off campus with other out-of-county players, has drawn local attention from Maryland and Georgetown. According to Rivals.com, he has offers from Washington, Arizona State, California and Oregon State. Ross mentioned Kentucky, Louisville, Villanova, Oklahoma, Memphis, Tennessee and 2008 National Champion Kansas as other programs that interest him.
A report last May by ESPNU said "Ross may be considered the No. 1 two-guard prospect out West in the Class of 2010," referred to his frame as "Jordan-esque" and called his athleticism "off the charts."
• UM junior power forward target Tobias Harris came off the injury list Saturday and had a double-double (22 points, 14 rebounds) in Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran’s 63-61 win over All Hallows. On Tuesday, Harris helped Lutheran to a 70-55 win over Bishop Ford.
While highly touted junior Tobias Harris (18 points) made his second appearance since missing 12 games because of torn ligaments in his ankle, [Achraf] Yacoubou was the hero for LuHi for a second straight day against a New York City team.
• Terps junior shooting guard prospect Taran Buie led Bishop Maginn with 21 points in its 61-56 loss to Boys and Girls (N.Y.). Albany (N.Y.) television and radio personality Rodger Wyland penned a recruiting-related message to Buie on TimesUnion.com.
Memo to Taran Buie: After spending Saturday night in State College watching your brother, Talor Battle, help Penn State beat Iowa before 10,000, I couldn't help but envision you and Talor in the backcourt together. Penn State's program is on the rise, and I can see the headlines now: Buie and Battle lead the Nittany Lions to another win, and a spot in the Final Four.
• Maryland women’s power forward commitment Tianna Hawkins played a huge role in Riverdale Baptist’s 81-48 win over Harrisburg (Pa.) this week.
Tianna Hawkins led the Crusaders with 31 points and 13 rebounds. Tierra Hawkins also had a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds, as Riverdale Baptist improved to 16-2.
• Terps women’s combo guard recruit Natasha Cloud was held in check offensively during Cardinal O’Hara’s 47-37 win over Villa Maria Sunday.
Kayla McBride, a 5-foot 11-inch junior guard, led Villa Maria (14-3) with 18 points. McBride place tough defense on 5-foot 10-inch junior guard Natasha Cloud, who was scoreless. Cloud has verbally committed to Maryland.
Football recruiting
• Marietta, Ga., offensive tackle Nick Klemm, a Boston College commitment, is now considering Maryland thanks to a change on the Eagles’ coaching staff.
Klemm - a 6-foot-6, 280-pound tackle - was 100 percent committed to BC but that was before offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. took a job with the Giants. The Wheeler standout went on an official visit to Boston College on Dec. 12.
After just returning from an official to Maryland this past weekend, Klemm’s recruitment status now comes down to a two-team race between Boston College and the Terrapins.
“It’s pretty tough to deal with something like this,” Klemm said. “It’s very hard to build relationships in a short amount of time. Boston College hasn’t named an offensive line coach yet, and that’s someone you want to know. You’ll be with that person throughout your college career.
• Forestville defensive end DeOnte Arnett, Roosevelt D.C., linebacker Darin Drakeford, West Florence, S.C., linebacker Avery Murray, and Fork Union, Va., linemen Zach Kerr and Cody Blue got a jump on their classmates this week by enrolling early at College Park. The Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens expects this to especially benefit linebackers Drakeford and Murray.
Getting into school early is far from a guarantee of playing time. But regardless of where Drakeford and Murray fit in, they are going to get a ton of work during spring practice.
Consider that Maryland loses five of its top eight linebackers from last year's two deep --- Chase Bullock, Rick Costa, Trey Covington, Moise Fokou and Dave Philistin. Then, consider that Alex Wujciak and Ben Pooler will both sit out after undergoing knee surgeries.
• The State of Columbia, S.C., named Terps defensive line commitment Justin Anderson its 4A all-area defensive player of the year.
WHAT HE DID: Shrine Bowl player made 51 total tackles, 13 for losses, two sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick.
HIS FIRST TOUCH: “I started playing football in the fifth grade and I just got hooked into it.”
HIS COLLEGE CHOICE: “I committed to Maryland and I’m just really excited about having the opportunity to play Division 1 football.”
• John Wallpher conducted a brief Q&A with UM offensive tackle recruit Pete deSouza for Scout.com this week.
Scout.com: How was the recruiting experience?
DeSouza: It all started last year. It was real cool. My mom really helped me out. And then in June I went to Maryland and loved it so I committed there.
• Newark, Del., offensive tackle Malcolm Bunche committed to Miami this week.
Bunche (6-foot-6, 322) had made a non-binding verbal commitment in August to Rutgers, but in November decided to re-open his college search, which came down to Miami, Rutgers and Maryland.
"It just felt right," Bunche said of committing to Miami.
• Stafford, Va., defensive end Lanford Collins, a former UM target, was going to wait until Signing Day announce his choice , but decided today to publically declare for Virginia Tech.
He received scholarship offers from a dozen schools. He initially narrowed his choices down to Virginia Tech, Virginia and Penn State. He then eliminated Penn State and was down to the state rivals.
• Good Counsel linebacker Jelani Jenkins will most likely choose between Florida and Penn State on Signing Day.
Under Armour All-American linebacker Jelani Jenkins (Wheaton, Md./Good Counsel) is considering Penn State, Florida, USC, Notre Dame and Stanford. Speculation centers around the Nittany Lions and Gators having the inside track with perhaps Urban Meyer's team being the top choice. Jenkins will announce his decision on Wednesday on ESPNU.
The Terps have landed four of the top 10 football recruits in Maryland, according to Rivals.com’s newly updated state rankings.
UM defensive line commitments DeOnte Arnett (Forestville) and David Mackall (Edmondson) were among the notable in-state prospects who moved up in the rankings.
There was some movement in the Rivals.com postseason Maryland Top 20. Of course Wheaton outside linebacker prospect Jelani Jenkins still resides at the top spot. But now at No. 2 is Forestville strong side defensive end DeOnte Arnett. Another strong side defensive end recruit who made his way up the rankings is Gaithersburg's Jason Ankrah, who now sits at No. 4. He moved past cornerback Travis Hawkins and defensive tackle Terrence Stephens, two of his teammates, in the state rankings. Speaking of cornerbacks, four of the top seven play this position. Baltimore strong side defensive end David Mackall moved into the No. 10 position.
• Maryland running back commitment D.J. Adams checked in at No. 114 on the Press-Register’s Super Southeast 120.
114. RB D.J. Adams, Norcross, Ga., 5-10, 210. Powerful runner has surprising open-field moves. Rushed for 1,462 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior in 2007. Committed to Maryland.
• The Washington Post’s Josh Barr reports that Good Counsel linebacker Jelani Jenkins made an official visit to Penn State last weekend, and the Nittany Lions occupy one spot on Jenkins’ list of five schools.
Jenkins' only other official visit was to Florida last month. He also is considering Notre Dame, Southern Cal and Stanford.
• Jenkins’ Good Counsel teammate, two-star cornerback Mike Wallace, pledged to Penn State this week. Scranton (Pa.) Times-Tribune reporter Donnie Collins analyzes the commitment.
1.) He goes to Good Counsel High School in Maryland.
2.) Wallace's best friend is Jelani Jenkins, who coincidentally, also goes to Good Counsel.
Hmmmmm.…
• Atco, N.J., linebacker Ka'Lial Glaud spoke to Scout.com’s Allen Wallace this week about his “confusing” recruiting picture, including his thoughts on the Terps.
While the Mountaineers visit proved to be a lot of fun, he says the campus itself that stood out was at Maryland. “It’s a great campus,” he said. “It’s all in a big circle and not all spread out or anything.”
Another thing going for the Terps is that he’s friends with sophomore defensive back Antwine Perez. “He played at Wilson High School so we knew each other,” Glaud said. “He first signed with USC but transferred back because he says he really wanted to be close to his family. He told me that’s the most important thing…to have that support around you.”
Scout.com’s Bob Lichtenfels thinks Glaud is mainly focused on three other schools.
Atco (N.J.) Winslow Township High School middle linebacker Ka’Lial Glaud who seems to be down to West Virginia and Rutgers right now with Iowa on the outside looking in. Glaud has said for a long time now that WVU was the favorite, but Rutgers has made up some ground.
• Hoboken, N.J., defensive lineman Bernardo Nunez ended his recruitment on Tuesday when he committed to Pittsburgh.
Nunez (6-3, 234 pounds), who is from Hoboken, NJ, chose the Panthers over scholarship offers from a number of other schools, including Michigan State, Rutgers, Oklahoma and Maryland.
He is ranked as the 19th best overall prospect from New Jersey and one of the top 40 defensive ends nationally by Rivals.com. He is also rated as a three-star prospect by the web-site. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.76 seconds, bench presses 300 pounds and squats 450.
• Rock Hill, S.C., tight end Asa Watson picked up a late offer from Maryland, but the two-star prospect pledged to NC State on Sunday.
His father, Ken Watson, who is now the pastor of Rock Hill Bible Fellowship, played at Maryland in the mid-1970s. Asa's older brother is Ben Watson, a tight end for the New England Patriots who played at Duke one season before transferring to Georgia.
According to his father, Asa Watson chose State over Duke and Maryland and had about 10 major scholarship offers.
• Windsor, N.C., offensive tackle Travis Bond, a three-star recruit, committed to North Carolina last weekend.
Bond entertained offers from Duke, East Carolina, Maryland, Michigan, N.C. State, South Carolina, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech before settling on UNC.
“He liked what Carolina had to offer,” Bertie coach Tony Hoggard said. “The atmosphere was good for him. It was like home to him. He didn’t want to go too far from home. He wanted to be somewhere his mom could easily get to his games without it being a burden.”
• Stafford, Va., defensive end Lanford Collins has narrowed his list of schools to three, according to The Daily Press.
He's the top uncommitted defensive prospect in [Virginia], but at least he's not the only top-notch recruit in the state without specific college plans yet. Collins is torn between the three final schools on his list of considerations: Virginia, Virginia Tech and Penn State.
"Last year at this time, I never thought it would take this long," said Collins, a 6-foot-4, 240-pounder considered by many recruiting analysts to be one of the nation's top 40 defensive end prospects. "I was hoping it'd be all over with by now."
Basketball recruiting
• Terps power forward signee Jordan Williams turned in a dominant performance last week, leading Torrington (Conn.) High to an 88-56 win over Seymour.
“The big guy is nearly unstoppable,” said Seymour coach Joe Carrafiello.
That translates into Friday’s numbers for Williams: 43 points on 19-for-23 shooting from the field; 15 rebounds; 7 blocks; and 6 steals.
Williams is closing in on the all-time scoring record at Torrington.
Jordan Williams is on the verge of breaking the all-time basketball scoring record at Torrington High set by his uncle, Murray Williams.
After the 6-foot-10 center scored 43 points on Friday, he has 1,569 points, just 68 points shy of tying Murray Williams’ career mark of 1,637, set from 1983-87.
Jordan Williams is averaging 31.5 points per game through the first 10 games of the regular season.
• Maryland power forward recruit James Padgett had a double-double in Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln’s 67-54 loss to Leflore (Ala.) High School.
James Padgett, who is a Maryland Terrapin-to be, added 17 points and 12 rebounds for Lincoln.
• St. Frances forward Terrell Vinson led the Panthers with 34 points and 11 rebounds in an 83-76 win over Mount St. Joseph on Tuesday. Scout.com’s Evan Daniels thinks it’s only a matter of time before Vinson’s recruitment picks up again.
Although Terrell Vinson still doesn’t hold his release from Loyola Marymount, when he does receive it he’ll become one of the more highly recruited prospects in the 2009 class.
A quick glance at Scout.com’s top ranked power forward explains exactly why Vinson should get plenty of attention from college coaches when he gets his release from LMU. Of the top 35 power forwards, only Renardo Sidney and Vinson are available.
Sidney’s recruitment has a bit of a mystery and only a handful of schools are involved. With Vinson there’s a chance to get involved with a Top 100 prospect, that will likely start the recruiting process all over.
• The Barton brothers, Will and Antonio, helped Lake Clifton to a 68-29 win over Dunbar on Wednesday.
Forward Will Barton scored 21 points; his brother Antonio added 19; and center Cleveland Melvin had 17 as the Lakers took a 42-17 halftime lead and never looked back.
• UM shooting guard target Taran Buie scored 25 points last Friday in Bishop Maginn’s 87-26 win over Catholic Central. On Tuesday, Buie was part of a balanced Maginn scoring attack in its 86-68 win over Albany (N.Y.) High.
Taran Buie added 17 points to the Maginn cause as five Griffins scored in double figures.
• Maryland power forward target Will Regan had a big second half in the Nichols (N.Y.) School’s 55-41 win over Buffalo East last weekend.
Will Regan, a 6-9 junior, scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half as Nichols downed Buffalo East at the fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Challenge at Erie CC, 55-41.
• Maryland women’s point guard recruit Dara Taylor squared off against a future ACC rival in Caravel (Del.) Academy’s 65-50 loss to Middletown last weekend.
The game showcased two of the state's top prospects -- [Chelsea] Davis and Taylor. One, Davis, is a 6-foot-3 forward-center headed for Florida State University and she had 27 points, 20 rebounds, four blocks, four assists and three steals.
The 5-foot-7 Taylor is a point guard headed to Maryland and she also had 27 points.
• Terps junior forward recruit Alyssa Thomas led Central Dauphin (Pa.) to a win over Central Dauphin East on Tuesday.
Alyssa Thomas produced 25 points and point guard Gabby Singer added 18 as the unbeaten Rams unleashed a pair of spirited runs to register a 63-45 victory, their 22nd in a row.
St. Frances forward Terrell Vinson is apparently back on the market.
The 6-foot-6, 200-pounder signed a letter of intent to Loyola Marymount in November, but will reportedly ask for his release due to the recent resignation of Lions coach Bill Bayno. According to i95ballerz.com, the Terps are on Vinson's short list.
“Virginia Tech and South Florida” along with Providence are all possible suitors, plus “definitely Maryland” said [Vinson’s father James] Gilyard, with more to surely be evaluated. According to him, Terrell initially “liked the weather (Southern California provides), but now he’s at the point where he wants to go where he’s wanted and playing time will be available”.
• Maryland power forward signee Jordan Williams was stifled by the Holy Cross defense in Torrington (Conn.) High’s 73-66 loss on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-10 Williams, who has averaged 32 points per game this season, had just seven points at halftime and none in the third quarter before finishing with a season-low 13 points.
The reason was three-fold: Holy Cross' Ryan Kolb (game-high 23 points, seven rebounds), Kyle Murphy (20 points, 16 rebounds) and Trevor Platt (10 points, seven rebounds). When they weren't scoring on the offensive end, defensively they swarmed Williams from every angle, preventing the University of Maryland recruit from getting the ball down low.
..."We couldn't let Jordan Williams beat us," Murphy added. "I think this was the first time we kept him under 40 points.”
• Plainfield, N.J., point guard Isaiah Epps spoke with MyCentralJersey.com about his commitment to Pittsburgh early this week.
"I sat down with my family and all my AAU coaches," Epps said. "They were talking about what would be better for me, and said that in the Big East there are better guards. I wanted to try and play in that conference."
Epps chose the Panthers and head coach Jamie Dixon over Maryland, Rutgers and Seton Hall, saying that while he likes both the ACC and the Big East, he felt most at home at Pitt.
• Maryland and Pitt will apparently battle for another 2010 recruit, according to NBE Basketball Report.
The Panthers only had one opening for the 2010 class, but they will continue to pursue top prospects, especially 6′4″ wing Will Barton of Lake Clifton HS in Baltimore, MD.
• UM power forward target Will Regan reached a career milestone last week.
Will Regan scored 37 points to surpass 1,000 in his career as Nichols downed St. Francis, 83-71, in a Monsignor Martin Association basketball game Friday night. The junior center also had 19 rebounds as the Vikings moved to 11-1, 3-0. Nichols led, 47-46, at halftime.
• Maryland shooting guard target Taran Buie led Bishop Maginn to a blowout over Troy (N.Y.) on Tuesday.
Junior Taran Buie pumped in 18 points to lead Big 10 frontrunner Bishop Maginn to an 83-30 victory over Troy.
• Terps forward targets and Miller (Va.) School teammates Mychal Parker and Hippolyte Tsafack had big games for the Mavericks in a 58-54 loss to Blue Ridge this week.
But Miller (9-3, 1-1) got a big-time performance from Mychal Parker, who poured in a game-high 23 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals. Hippolyte Tsafack also had a productive outing, contributing 12 points and pulling down a team-high 12 rebounds.
• Maryland women’s commitment Alyssa Thomas paced Central Dauphin in its 57-34 win over Trinity (Pa.) on Wednesday.
Broken by the talent of Alyssa Thomas, the touch of Karyn Purcell and the leadership of Gabby Singer, Trinity again played victim to girls' basketball rival Central Dauphin Wednesday night.
Thomas poured in a game-high 24 points and Purcell chipped in 13 for the Rams, who needed one memorable period to resolve this Commonwealth tussle.
• UM women’s combo guard recruit Natasha Cloud has played an integral role in helping Cardinal O’Hara (Pa.) to the No. 1 national ranking.
It is a talented, interchangeable group. All five starters are headed to Division I schools. Star senior center Stephanie Holzer, bound for Vanderbilt, once walked through O'Hara with a halo around her right leg, unable to walk up and down a court, let alone run. Natasha Cloud, the lone junior starter who verbally committed to Maryland last month, was once the starting quarterback of her grade-school football team. Danielle Callahan (La Salle) and Alicia Manning (Lafayette) each come from rich basketball bloodlines, and Alysha Womack (Monmouth) somehow manages to find time to breathe in between juggling three varsity sports.
Football recruiting
• According to the Boston Herald, Everett, Mass., cornerback and Boston College recruit Jim Noel is looking at other schools thanks to the coaching change at BC.
One local player who had committed to BC, Everett defensive back Jim Noel, now has scheduled visits to Penn State and Maryland. Everett coach John DiBiaso said yesterday that Noel, who was recruited by Spaziani and defensive line coach Jeff Comissiong, would look positively at a Spaziani hire.
“He’s just waiting to see what happens with the coaching situation,” DiBiaso said. “He’s got a good relationship with the current staff. They’re the ones who recruited him and he’s comfortable with them. I don’t know how he’s going to decide though. Right now it’s up in the air.”
• According to Gainesville.com, Quince Orchard cornerback and Maryland commitment Travis Hawkins is scheduled to visit Florida this weekend.
These next two weeks will be huge for UF, as some of the top talent is expected on campus. The Jan. 16 weekend lineup currently stands at Reid, Gadsden, Ala., Gadsden City cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama running back pledge Trent Richardson, of Pensacola, Tampa Plant tight end Orson Charles, Irvington, N.J., athlete Joshua Evans, Gaithersburg, Md., Quince Orchard defensive back Travis Hawkins, Columbus, Ga., Carver linebacker Jarvis Jones, Miami, Gulliver Prep linebacker/safety Frankie Telfort and Fort Pierce, Westwood defensive tackle Luther Robinson.
• Maryland cornerback commitment Avery Graham had a strong showing at last week’s Montgomery Invitational track meet.
... Clarksburg's two-time 2A shot put state champion, Avery Graham, an All-Gazette first-team linebacker, placed sixth (50-0.25).
... Graham continued his strong performance by taking second in the 55-meter dash, clocking a time of 6.35 seconds. He finished less than one-hundredth of a second behind Damien Thigpin of Stonewall Jackson (Va.).
• Two prospects with Maryland offers committed to Virginia in the past week. Brooklyn, N.Y., offensive lineman Oday Aboushi pledged to the Cavaliers one week ago, while DeMatha defensive end Jeremiah Mathis verbally committed on Sunday.
Mathis said he also had scholarship offers from Maryland, Kansas State, Wake Forest, Clemson, N.C. State, New Mexico, Syracuse and Liberty. He arrived at Virginia with his parents for an official visit Friday and committed before heading home to Bowie, Md., Sunday.
“UVa was the perfect fit,” Mathis said. “It just made sense. UVa’s not just building football players, they’re building young men in their program.”
• Gwynn Park defensive tackle Raynard Randolph committed to N.C. State earlier this week.
Randolph was offered scholarships by 13 schools, among them Penn State, Tennessee, Maryland, West Virginia, Michigan State, Syracuse, Illinois, Louisville and Connecticut. He said that he was glad to have his decision made so he can return to a normal life.
"It was crazy," Randolph said. "When I went to N.C. State I kind of had the pressure relieved off me. It felt like the right choice. I'm glad I can stay close to home."
• Terps defensive linemen targets and Hoboken (N.J.) High teammates Bernardo Nunez and Isaac Holmes both made official visits to Pittsburgh last weekend. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Holmes will choose between Maryland, Pitt and Florida, while Nunez is considering Maryland, Pitt and Michigan State.
• Former Sun reporter and current ESPN.com blogger Heather Dinich took a look this week at Maryland’s recruiting needs.
The Terps' main focus was to stock up on linebackers, especially with the departure of Rick Costa, Moise Fokou and Dave Philistin. Maryland will have to replace three seniors on its offensive line, and that was the staff's second priority. The Terps are still shopping in that department, but have a good start with three commitments in Pete DeSouza (Hyattsville, Md.), Bennett Fulper (Gretna, Va.) and Ryan Schlieper (Wexford, Pa.).
Maryland cornerback recruit Travis Hawkins won't arrive in College Park this month as originally planned.
The Quince Orchard standout intended to graduate high school early and enroll at Maryland this semester. But according to The Washington Post, Hawkins is shy of a qualifying SAT score. He’s still committed to the Terps, but he may visit other schools.
"He's really close, but at this point he can't take it again before you have to enroll," [Quince Orchard coach Dave] Mencarini said. "He is still committed to Maryland, that's what he has always said. He has said in the past to Ralph [Friedgen], 'If I don't graduate early, I still might take some other visits.'"
• Hoboken, N.J., defensive lineman Bernardo Nunez told Scout.com this week that Maryland is the leader in his recruitment.
“Maryland is number one right now,” Nunez says. “I’ve been there a lot and I feet really comfortable with all the coaches and players already. There’s probably about an 80-90 percent chance I’ll go there.”
The Terps still lead solidly over Pittsburgh and Michigan State, who he is visiting on Jan. 9 and 17 respectively.
“If I get that feeling at Pittsburgh or Michigan State it could change things,” he said. “I want to compare them to Maryland and see how the other schools are. I need to see how they stack up and how I feel when I’m there.”
• The Hudson (N.J.) Reporter’s Jim Hague offers a prediction on Nunez and teammate Isaac Holmes that should please Terps fans.
Hoboken grid standouts Isaac Holmes and Bernardo Nunez will both head to the University of Maryland in a package deal.
• Dunbar running back Tavon Austin committed to West Virginia this week, picking the Mountaineers over Maryland, Michigan and North Carolina.
"I went to West Virginia, and I felt like I was part of the family. ... Besides, I thought I would play earlier at West Virginia. I did my homework, and West Virginia leads the Big East in Rhodes scholars. They graduate a lot of their players."
He also watched the Meineke Car Care Bowl between his top two choices, West Virginia and North Carolina. The Mountaineers won, 31-30.
"I did watch the game, but I pretty much had my mind made up by then. I wanted to see the different styles between the Big East and the ACC. I was glad that West Virginia came out on top," he said.
• Maryland and Miami are both in the running for offensive linemen Pete White (St. John’s D.C.) and Malcolm Bunche (Newark, Del.). According to the Miami Herald, the Hurricanes may hold an edge with Bunche.
UM has a good chance to land Plantation American Heritage tackle Jared Wheeler (leans toward Miami over Vanderbilt) and Newark, N.J. (sic)-based Malcolm Bunche. UM also is in contention for Washington-based Peter White (UM, Maryland and Tennessee are finalists), Cleveland-based Marcus Hall and Hargrave's Bobby Massie (the No. 1 prep school player).
• Good Counsel linebacker Jelani Jenkins, who was selected to MaxPreps.com’s All-American team this week, has scheduled an official visit for next weekend.
Good Counsel All-Met linebacker Jelani Jenkins, who played in the UnderArmour All-America game on Sunday night, plans to take his next official visit to Penn State on the weekend of Jan. 16-18. He visited Florida last month and does not have any other official visits scheduled, according to his father, Maurice.
Basketball recruiting
• Maryland power forward commitment Jordan Williams had a monster week for Torrington (Conn.) High School, starting with Saturday’s 65-62 win over Wilby in which he had 43 points, 21 rebounds and eight blocks. Williams followed that performance by leading the Raiders to an 81-68 win over Naugatuck on Tuesday.
Six-foot-10 All-State center Jordan Williams (30 points, 21 rebounds, 6 blocks), who averages well over 30 points a game while dominating the middle on both ends of the court, had two fouls in the first quarter and a third by the half. He started the third period, but picked up a fourth foul with 4:45 left in the third, then sat on the bench until there was just 6:33 left in the game, fourth quarter.
• Terps power forward signee James Padgett, who’s battling an ankle injury, reached double figures in Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln’s 71-61 loss to Boys & Girls High earlier this week.
[Lincoln’s Lance] Stephenson, the nationally known college prospect, got his points – 37 of them and the Railsplitters’ first 12 – but the Kangaroos shut down everyone else. Only senior forward James Padgett finished with Stephenson in double figures, scoring 12.
• Maryland junior power forward target Tobias Harris writes about his ankle injury in a diary for Syracuse.com.
Unfortunately, I have only played 3 of the 8 games this season. In practice after our win versus Holy Trinity, I came down and rolled my ankle really badly (I hope it's not "the curse of Ryan's blog").
The next morning i got MRI results stating that the ligaments in my ankle were torn. It was devestating news for me. But everything happens for a reason and what doesnt kill you makes you stronger. The doctor said I'll probably miss six to eight weeks.
• Terps junior shooting guard prospect Taran Buie scored 23 in a losing effort last Saturday and 17 in Bishop Maginn’s 77-38 win over Amsterdam (N.Y.) on Tuesday.
• Maryland junior power forward target Will Regan led the Nichols (N.Y.) School to a 76-55 win over North Catholic on Tuesday.
Will Regan scored 16 for Nichols (10-1, 2-0), while Connor Vandegriff added 14 points.
• Maryland women’s point guard signee Dara Taylor led Caravel (Del.) Academy in scoring Tuesday in a 51-40 loss to No. 1-ranked St. Mark’s.
Taylor scored a game-high 21 points, but only two came in the fourth quarter as the Spartans used clutch free-throw shooting to pull away from the Buccaneers.
• Terps women’s center recruit Essence Townsend turned in a dominant defensive performance in Paterson (N.J.) Catholic’s 52-33 win over Teaneck on Sunday.
Essence Townsend, a 6-6 center, scored two points and added 12 rebounds and 10 blocks and sophomore guard Starr Breedlove helped with eight points, seven assists and four steals.
• UM women’s power forward signee Tianna Hawkins was instrumental in Riverdale Baptist’s IAABO holiday tournament championship last month, according to The Washington Post.
Top-ranked Riverdale Baptist and No. 12 Wise, along with Northwestern, Largo, C.H. Flowers and DuVal, took part in the three-day event at Flowers. Riverdale (10-2 through Monday) won the tournament, capturing the final by a decisive 24 points over No. 4 Forest Park of Prince William County. Sisters Tierra and Tianna Hawkins each averaged 14 points per game. Tierra, a 6-1 junior, also pulled down 12 rebounds in the finals, and Tianna, a 6-3 senior headed to Maryland, grabbed 16.
On Monday, Forest Park and Riverdale played again (a previously scheduled contest), and the host Crusaders again prevailed, 54-41, behind a powerhouse, 19-point, 16-rebound effort from Tianna Hawkins.
Tonight's Offense-Defense All-American Bowl at Coastal Carolina University will feature Maryland defensive end commitment David Mackall (Edmondson) and Terps running back target Tavon Austin (Dunbar).
According to Scout.com’s Allen Trieu, Mackall has impressed during East team practices.
The two other guys in the front seven who stood out today were a pair of east coast defensive ends in David Mackall and Andre Civil. Civil, at 6’5, 250, is long and athletic and when they went live, he was constantly in the backfield harassing the quarterback and meeting the running back behind the line. Mackall looked like one of the more athletic of the East linemen in drills and then made a couple nice stops during team play.
• One Maryland commitment (Quince Orchard cornerback Travis Hawkins) and two UM targets (Good Counsel linebacker Jelani Jenkins and St. John’s (D.C.) offensive guard Pete White) are scheduled to play in Sunday’s Under Armour All-American game in Orlando, Fla. According to Scout.com, White won’t announce his college choice at the game.
Pete White also expects to make his decision later in the process. White is considered one of the top offensive guards in attendance rating as the fourth best guard in the country.
• Rivals.com reported this week that White has narrowed his list to three schools.
"I am down to three schools -- Maryland, Miami, and Tennessee," White said. "I took an official visit to Maryland about two weeks ago. In about two weeks I am going to Tennessee and then the week after that I am going to Miami."
• Maryland running back commitment D.J. Adams participated in Georgia’s North-South All-Star game earlier this week.
North Gwinnett quarterback Mike Tamburo engineered the North's most promising drive in the second quarter. His 18-yard pass to Norcross running back DJ Adams gave the squad its first first down of the game.
• According to The Washington Post’s Josh Barr, DeMatha defensive end Jeremiah Mathis is now on Maryland’s radar.
Defensive end Jeremiah Mathis, a second-team All-Met, also has picked up more scholarship offers, with Kansas State, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina State all in the mix.
• The Daily Press’ Norm Wood predicts that Stafford, Va., defensive end Lanford Collins will commit to one of Maryland’s ACC rivals.
Lanford Collins: He's a top-50-caliber defensive end, but the 6-4, 240-pound recruit from Brooke Point High in Stafford could end up at linebacker depending on which college he winds up attending. Collins has visited U.Va. and Penn State this month, and he's slated to visit Tech Jan. 23. He's also interested in Maryland.
Prediction: Tech.
Basketball recruiting
• Terps power forward commitment Jordan Williams helped Torrington (Conn.) to a 75-39 win over Woodland this week.
Desmond Williams (29 points, 11 assists) and Jordan Williams (20 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks) recorded double-doubles for the Red Raiders in Beacon Falls.
• Maryland power forward target Will Regan had 18 points and 18 rebounds in the Nichols (N.Y.) School’s 62-57 overtime win over Gwynn Park at the NHSCA High School Basketball Festival in Salisbury.
Near the end of regulation, which featured nine ties and 10 lead changes, Gwynn Park held a 51-43 lead, with 47 seconds showing on the clock, having utilized a spread offense to kill much of the previous three minutes, seemingly sealing the win.
But a Will Regan three-pointer, with 38 seconds showing on the clock, cut the Yellow Jackets' lead to five and started the comeback. Gwynn Park missed its final four free throws, while Nichols' Chris Stegemann hit his two chances, cutting the lead to three, setting up Meyer as the hero.
• UM shooting guard target Taran Buie’s Bishop Maginn team suffered a 78-58 loss to Niagara Falls (N.Y.) on Sunday.
"This is bad. It is definitely not a good feeling," Bishop Maginn junior guard Taran Buie said. "The locker room is totally different. It is definitely a feeling you don't want to have. I haven't felt this way since the sixth grade."
• Maryland point guard target Isaiah Epps struggled in Plainfield (N.J.) High’s 77-59 loss to Bishop Loughlin on Tuesday.
It was evident that the Lions would have the mismatch inside, especially with three players 6-feet-6 and taller -- Plainfield has just one player listed at 6-feet-6. But the Cardinals were supposed to have the edge in the backcourt, led by highly touted junior Isaiah Epps, who has received offers from Pittsburgh, Maryland, Seton Hall and Rutgers and has also drawn interest from Kansas and Marquette.
Well, Loughlin dominated there, too. Led by Anthony Hamer, the Lions pressured all over the court, forcing numerous turnovers. Epps scored just eight points on two field goals. Anthony Baskerville and Tyrone Johnson led Plainfield with 16 points apiece.
• Terps women’s point guard recruit Dara Taylor guided Caravel (Del) to a 42-37 win over Roosevelt (Wash.) on Monday.
Caravel (6-2) nursed a 38-37 lead for more than three minutes in the fourth quarter. Arielle Chard put Caravel ahead 40-37 on an 18-footer with 1:27 left, and then Dara Taylor (20 points) assisted Chard for a 42-37 lead at 0:55.
• Maryland women’s commitment Tianna Hawkins led Riverdale Baptist to the IAABO Christmas Tournament championship.
"It's a big tournament, and everybody was anxious to get this victory," said Crusaders center Tianna Hawkins, a Maryland recruit who had a game-high 15 points and 16 rebounds.
The performance of several Maryland commitments was the main storyline of last Saturday's Maryland Crab Bowl.
Perry Hall tight end Dave Stinebaugh was one future Terrapin that earned rave reviews for his play.
Dave Stinebaugh, who is headed to Maryland when he graduates, showed his athleticism and versatility as he lined up at tight end, split end, slot receiver, and was also the punter. The 6-foot-4, 220 pound Stinebaugh held his own in run blocking, however the stats won’t show it as the team only rushed for a total of 15 yards. The highlight of Stinebaugh’s day was a 2-yard touchdown grab, as he hooked up with quarterback Kevin Fulton to bring his team to within two points at the end of the first half. Dave punted the ball four times, averaging 29.8 yards per punt, with a long of 35-yards.
• UM running back commitment D.J. Adams enjoyed his recent visit to College Park, even though his future teammates shared a few laughs about Adams' Southern accent.
“Up north, they’ve kind of got weird lingo,” Adams said. “And just the little things we say down here, they were cracking on me. ... we’ll get past that part.”
• Atco, N.J., athlete Ka’lial Glaud spoke with Scout.com recently about his official visit to College Park.
Glaud's most recent visit was to Maryland on Dec. 12. "It was cool," he said. "It was different from Iowa and West Virginia because it's in the city. We got to go into DC and hang out in the ESPN Zone and there's a lot to do there.
"I also think that Maryland is still getting better," he said. "They had a pretty nice season but I think they'll be real good next year."
• Rock Hill, S.C., tight end Asa Watson has the Terps in his final three.
Shrine Bowl TE Asa Watson (6-3 216) of Rock Hill has picked up offers from Duke, NC State and Maryland. Watson, the brother of New England Patriots tight end Ben Watson, has taken an official visit to Duke and will visit Maryland January 10th and NC State January 17th. He doesn't have a favorite. This season Watson had 20 catches for 450 yards and one touchdown.
• Quince Orchard defensive end Jason Ankrah announced his commitment to Nebraska on Sunday.
"It was just what I saw when I went there," he said. "It felt like home, like another home."
Ankrah said he picked Nebraska over Maryland, Michigan and about 15 other schools. He is rated as the nation's 26th-best defensive end by Scout.com and the 10th-best by Rivals.com. Both recruiting services tabbed Ankrah a four-star recruit.
Basketball recruiting
• Terps power forward signee Jordan Williams had a big game in Torrington’s 60-44 loss to Sacred Heart (Conn.) on Tuesday night.
Though he says he is trying to play every game the same way, [Sacred Heart’s Josh] Turner admitted that he needed to elevate his game against Torrington and 6-foot-10 center Jordan Williams, who is headed to the University of Maryland.
Williams scored a game-high 30 points with 14 rebounds and five blocked shots. Overall, the Red Raiders had trouble getting the ball inside to their best option, with Corey Andrews defending Williams well in the post.
• UM power forward recruit James Padgett turned in a solid in performance in Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln’s 68-56 loss to Westchester (Calif.) on Tuesday.
Maryland-bound James Padgett, who is nursing a sore ankle, had nine of his 15 points in the first half and he shot 7-of-7 from the field in the game.
“I was happy with everybody in the first half, especially Padgett,” [Lincoln head coach Dwayne] Morton said. “He’s injured, but he’s the only one not giving me no bull. He’s injured; he’s trying to run. I’m happy with Padgett, happy he played the whole tournament.”
• UM point guard target Isaiah Epps guided Plainfield (N.J.) to a 64-61 win over East Side this week.
Junior guard Isaiah Epps' 3-pointer in overtime proved the difference as Plainfield improved to 2-0.
Epps finished with 22 points, seven assists and seven steals, while sophomore Tyrone Johnson added 14 points for the Cardinals.
• Maryland junior shooting guard target Taran Buie helped his Albany, N.Y., school to a win earlier this week.
Taran Buie scored 16 points, and Bishop Maginn remained unbeaten with a 69-63 Big 10 triumph over rival Christian Brothers Academy Tuesday night.
• UM junior forward prospect Tobias Harris will be out of commission for the next several weeks.
“Tobias suffered torn ligaments in his ankle,” his father, Torrel, said. “Tobias will be out 6-8 weeks and in a cast for 2-3 weeks as these ligaments heal.
Harris injured the same ankle during the summer and was not able to play in the Reebok All-American Camp All-Star game as a result.
With Maryland assistant Chuck Driesell on hand, Terps power forward signee Jordan Williams dominated in Torrington’s 81-38 win over Watertown (Conn.).
All-State center and top University of Maryland recruit Jordan Williams (39 points on 14-for-18 shooting, 17 rebounds, 5 steals) is going to leave that sort of impression on lots of teams this year.
“Williams was outstanding. What else can you say?” said Watertown coach Rico Brogna, whose team suffered through a 2-18 season last year, but showed lots of hustle and much more promise, despite the score, on Wednesday.
• Maryland head coach Gary Williams checked out junior point guard Isaiah Epps recently at a Plainfield (N.J.) High School scrimmage.
The team must also deal with the Division I prospects of its guards. University of Maryland head coach Gary Williams made an appearance at the Cardinals' scrimmage at Bridgewater-Raritan, presumably to take a look at Epps, who has also drawn interest from Pittsburgh and Georgetown.
• Albany, N.Y., shooting guard Taran Buie, a junior UM target, had another big game for Bishop Maginn High School this week.
Taran Buie scored 24 points, Shavar Fields had 14 points and nine rebounds and Bishop Maginn clamped down defensively in a 63-60 win over state heavyweight Long Island Lutheran Saturday at the Pioneer Classic in Poughkeepsie.
• UM junior power forward target Will Regan’s Nichols (N.Y.) team suffered a one-point loss to Niagara Falls.
Regan, the 6-foot-9 junior who is being recruited by major Division I schools, led Nichols with 21 points. He picked a great time to show off his outside range by hitting a three-pointer from the left side off an inbounds play to put Nichols up, 56-55, with 1:48 left.
• UM wing prospect Will Barton guided Lake Clifton to a 61-34 win over City on Tuesday.
Lake Clifton got 17 points from forward Will Barton, 15 from forward Cleveland Melvin and a collective shut-down performance on defense to come away with the surprisingly comfortable win. The Lakers improved to 4-0 this season, while City fell to 3-2.
• Maryland target Roscoe Smith led Walbrook to a 64-48 win over Douglass.
Roscoe Smith had 21 points and 14 rebounds as the Warriors (4-1) defeated the visiting Ducks. The junior had 11 points in the fourth quarter after sitting out the third with a minor injury.
• Maryland women’s commitment Alyssa Thomas reached a career milestone this week
Central Dauphin junior standout Alyssa Thomas reached the 1,000-point plateau for her career Wednesday night as the Rams shuffled past Mid-Penn Commonwealth rival CD East 62-43.
Thomas, a 6-1 forward who has a verbal commitment to play collegiately at the University of Maryland, finished with a game-high 27 points. She entered the tussle 10 points shy of 1,000 and reached the mark on a free throw with 4:23 remaining in the opening half.
Football recruiting
• DeMatha offensive tackle Pete deSouza, Good Counsel running back Caleb Porzel, Roosevelt (D.C.) linebacker/tight end Darin Drakeford, Quince Orchard cornerback Travis Hawkins and Eleanor Roosevelt defensive end Isaiah Ross, all Maryland commitments, were named to The Washington Post’s All-Met team earlier this week.
• Porzel has earned rave reviews for his speed this week at Maryland Crab Bowl practices.
Speed, Speed Speed
That is what jumps out immediately with this Washington Team. With a backfield of Devon Smith (PSU) and Caleb Porzel (Maryland) there is no doubt about the big play capability. Smith looks incredible with his vision and cutting ability without losing a step. Porzel adds a little more power and got behind the defense from slot receiver whenever he wanted it seemed.
• Scout.com’s John Wallpher spoke with Gwynn Park defensive tackle Raynard Randolph, who commented on where the Terps stand in his recruitment.
Randolph: Maryland is home so they will always have a chance with me. I’m just starting the process where I will narrow things down and pay attention to the schools and what I want for the next four schools of my life so Maryland has a legitimate chance.
• Brooklyn, N.Y., offensive lineman Oday Aboushi withdrew his commitment to Boston College and is now considering the Terps.
He's considered by many analysts to be one of the nation's top 25 offensive-tackle recruits. He's still looking at BC, but he also is giving offers from U.Va., Maryland, Rutgers and Iowa serious looks, too. He has visits set up for Maryland and Rutgers.
• Woodbridge, Va., running back De’Antwan Williams committed to Rutgers on Sunday, picking the Scarlet Knights over Maryland, West Virginia, Alabama and Pittsburgh, according to The Washington Post.
The 5-foot-9, 208-pounder rushed for 1,950 yards and scored 32 touchdowns this season, leading the Vikings to an unbeaten regular season and the Virginia AAA Cardinal District championship.
Rutgers "really came after him and did everything they could do to get him," Woodbridge Coach Keith King said. "They couldn't have told him any more how much they wanted him. They won him over."
• Terps linebacker-defensive end pledge Isaiah Ross stepped in front of the camera this week for TerpCenter.com. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder conducted an entertaining video interview of other Maryland Crab Bowl participants that have committed to UM.
• The inaugural Maryland Crab Bowl is set to kickoff at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium. The Baltimore vs. D.C. all-star game will feature several Maryland commitments. Click here for more information. Check back on Sunday for notes from the game.
Maryland's big recruiting weekend will reportedly include an official visit from Quince Orchard defensive end Jason Ankrah, who discussed the trip with The Washington Post’s Josh Barr.
"Maryland has always been right there, they've been recruiting me from the start," Ankrah said. "Michigan has tradition and opportunity and a great football atmosphere. Nebraska's Coach [Bo] Pelini is a defensive coordinator-head coach type, plus their D-Line coach went to my high school so we have a great relationship."
• Woodbridge, Va., running back De’Antwan Williams told InsideNoVa.com that Maryland is one of his five favorites, but he’s only scheduled one official visit thus far.
Williams said he is keeping his options open and still lists Alabama, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Maryland and Rutgers as his top five schools.
His trip this coming weekend to Rutgers will be the first of his five officially allowed visits. Williams canceled his trip the weekend of Nov. 29 to Alabama and is looking to reschedule a visit to West Virginia for next month.
As of now, Rutgers is the only school Williams has lined up for a visit.
• Newark, Del., offensive tackle Malcolm Bunche told Rivals.com that he’s mulling a trip to College Park next weekend.
“I’m thinking about going to Maryland on December 19th for an official,” he said. “I will be in Miami in January for a visit. I don’t know if I’ll take any other visits. For now, those are the next two.
“I just want to see what the campuses are all about, the weight rooms and most important I want to get to know the offensive line coach. I want to talk to them since I’ll be with them the next four years. That’s most important.”
• Earlier this week Dunbar running back Tavon Austin was named The Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year for the third straight year.
Austin has narrowed college choices to West Virginia, Maryland, Michigan and North Carolina. He said he will wait to decide until the Feb. 4 signing date.
Basketball recruiting
• UM shooting guard target Taran Buie led Bishop Maginn’s rout of Albany (N.Y.) on Tuesday.
Junior guard Taran Buie, expected to be the leader of this team, was just that, scoring 15 of his game-high 29 points in the first quarter.
"We can't look past anyone, we know that," Buie said. "We have to come out and step up big every night. We played a good first eight minutes. Maybe we thought we had it after that."
• The shooting touch of Maryland junior power forward target Will Regan was the difference in Nichols’ one-point win over Williamsville (N.Y.) South this week.
Will Regan nailed a pair of free throws with 35 seconds left to give the Vikings a 55-54 triumph over Williamsville South in the AdPro Monsignor Martin-ECIC Challenge on Thursday night.
The line proved to be a great place for Regan, who went 10 for 11 from the stripe in scoring a game-high 21 points. He also grabbed 17 rebounds ...
• Terps women’s point guard pledge Dara Taylor guided Caravel (Del.) Academy to a huge nonconference win on Tuesday.
Caravel's Dara Taylor had 23 points as the No. 1-ranked Bucs beat No. 2 and host Delcastle 49-41 in a nonconference girls basketball game Tuesday afternoon. The University of Maryland signee was 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final 49 seconds and scored 14 points in the fourth quarter.
"They are a very good team and they play very aggressive defense," Taylor said. "We were rushing things in the beginning and we figured it out in the second half and we started to settle down."
• Maryland women’s guard/forward commitment Alyssa Thomas is off to a great start to her junior year. Thomas led Central Dauphin (Pa.) to a 73-41 win over Cedar Cliff earlier this week.
Alyssa Thomas produced her third straight double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Gabby Singer recorded 17 points and six steals. Belma Mekic's 13 points paced Cliff.
Bernardo Nunez visited College Park in November and is scheduled for a return trip this month.
The Hoboken, N.J., defensive end visited Maryland unofficially for the Florida State game. Nunez told Scout.com he’ll make his official visit to Maryland next weekend.
"I like Maryland because they keep in contact the most and call whenever they can," Nunez said. "They just show the most love. Plus, they are close so they've been to some games and we go down there whenever we can. I've been to campus a lot and love it.
"The program had a rough season, but are still going to a bowl game, so that's cool," he said.
He says that the Terps now lead slightly over Pittsburgh and Michigan State.
• St. John’s (D.C.) offensive guard Peter White was supposed to make an official visit to Tennessee last weekend, but plans changed and he couldn’t make the trip to Knoxville. According to Rivals.com, the Volunteers are still in the mix along with three other schools.
He plans on taking an official visit to Maryland on December 12, and he is also hoping to set up at least two more official visits.
“I’m going to Maryland then, and I still want to set up trips to Miami and Oregon,” he said.
“I’ve pretty much narrowed it to Maryland, Miami, Oregon and Tennessee. They’re good programs and good schools. I just like them a lot.”
• Williamsburg, Va., defensive end Will Hill committed to Virginia today, picking the Cavaliers over offers from Maryland, Penn State and Tennessee, among others.
"I chose Virginia first and foremost because of academics," Hill said following his announcement at Lafayette on Friday. "I think Virginia is just a couple of pieces from turning the corner in football."
• Penn State and Maryland have a similar wish list for the defensive line, based on this Nittany Lions recruiting update from The Pocono (Pa.) Record.
There are plenty of players, ends Lanford Collins of Stafford, Va., and Williamsburg, Va.'s Will Hill and tackles Isaac Holmes of Hoboken, N.J. and Brandywine, Md.'s Raynard Randolph, left. Hill, who will enroll in January, was at Penn State on Nov. 15 for an official and came away impressed, while Randolph could visit in the near future.
• Woodbridge, Va., running back De’Antwan Williams narrowed his list of schools to five last week, according to InsideNoVa.com.
The Woodbridge High School standout has narrowed his choices down to five schools, Alabama, West Virginia, Maryland, Pittsburgh and Rutgers.
At the moment, though, he only has one official visit lined up and that's to West Virginia the weekend of Dec. 6.
• According to Scout.com, the Terps are one of many schools tracking the progress of Rob Holloman, a 5-foot-8, 160-pound running back from Philadelphia.
Boston College, Maryland, Syracuse, North Carolina State and Connecticut have been in contact with him recently and after the performance he’s been putting on down the stretch this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him come up with a few more offers by signing day.
Basketball recruiting
• Maryland fans could have up to five opportunities to see power forward signee James Padgett and his Lincoln (N.Y.) squad on national TV this season.
The Railsplitters are third in USA Today’s national poll and could play up to as many as five nationally televised games depending on how they fare in non-league tournaments.
“It tells us we’re finally getting recognized,” [Lincoln coach Dwayne] Morton said.
For good reason. [Shooting guard Lance] Stephenson is likely the best perimeter player in the nation, a 6-foot-6 dynamo who can shoot the lights out and dominate under the glass. The 6-foot-8 Padgett, a Maryland commit, has no equal in the paint in the PSAL and Ellis is as accurate a 3-point shooter as they come. Then there is Stokes, who will run the point, and powerful 6-foot-6 forward Davon Walls rounds out the starting lineup.
• Maryland shooting target Taran Buie, a junior, was profiled last week in The Daily Gazette of Schenectady, N.Y..
“This year, my role has definitely increased,” said Buie. “There’s the leadership side of it, and the offensive side. I think I could average 30, but we’ve got a good team, and I want to share.”
Buie has a great knack for doing so, and that, in part, is what makes him so unique, and so desired by major Division I college programs such as Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Syracuse and Penn State.
• DeMatha coach Mike Jones told The Washington Post’s Josh Barr this week that junior shooting guard Victor Oladipo will likely wait awhile before making his decision.
His list includes Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clemson, N.C. State, Oklahoma, Providence and Auburn, among others.
Oladipo "is doing it the way I think a lot of us think it should be done, not making a commitment before he plays a game his junior year," Jones said.
Maryland quarterback recruit Danny O’Brien will lead his East Forsyth (N.C.) squad against Richmond Senior tonight in the North Carolina Class 4AA quarterfinals.
The Eagles return 16 starters, including 10 on offense. East Forsyth has scored an average of a 29.2 points per game and is led by multi-dimensional quarterback Danny O’Brien, who [Richmond coach Paul] Hoggard claimed has made a verbal commitment to play at the University of Maryland. O’Brien has thrown for 1,508 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. He is second on the team in rushing with 737 yards and 11 touchdowns.
• Williamsburg, Va., defensive end Will Hill has narrowed his list of schools to Maryland, Penn State, Tennessee and Virginia, according to Rivals.com. Hill spoke to Rivals about his recent trip to College Park.
Hill had already taken official visits to Tennessee (September 19) and Penn State (November 14). How would he compare the Maryland trip to those two?
“The Maryland trip was good but they were all good. All three of them went well. They all showed me the good things that they have to offer. I wouldn’t say one trip was any better than the others.
• DeMatha coach Bill McGregor told The Washington Post’s Josh Barr this week that Maryland has expressed interest in quarterback and former Eastern Michigan commitment Tom Chroniger. McGregor said the Terps are looking at Chroniger as a defensive back.
"I talked to Ralph [Friedgen] on Thursday about Tommy. Ralph called me. I don't know what his needs are, but Ralph says, 'We're very, very interested.' I don't know what 'very, very' means. ... Maryland wants him as a safety. He will go as a safety. He doesn't care. He just wants to go to a bigger school. His future may be more as that than a 5-11 quarterback."
• Brooklyn, N.Y., offensive tackle Oday Aboushi committed to Boston College this week, picking the Eagles over offers from Maryland, Iowa, Rutgers and Virginia.
ESPN's Bill Conley said of the news, "Boston College picked up a much needed verbal from Oday Aboushi of Brooklyn, New York. He is the third offensive lineman in a class that now numbers nine for 2009. The verbal came as no big surprise since Aboushi has been favoring the Eagles all along."
• Former Maryland offensive guard commitment Ricky Hart pledged to Memphis earlier this week.
Hart originally committed to Maryland, but his scholarship was pulled due to academic concerns. He also drew interest from Purdue, South Florida, Central Florida and Middle Tennessee State.
Hoboken, N.J., defensive end Bernardo Nunez will make an official visit to College Park this weekend for Maryland’s date with Florida State.
Nunez told Scout.com this week that he grew up a Seminoles fan, but he’s now seriously considering the Terps.
The Terps on the other hand are recruiting Nunez very hard. "They are in a tough conference and are on top right now," he said.
"I know some guys who go there and they all love it and it's in a great area too," he said. "I love the location. It's close to D.C. and Virginia and there's a lot to do there."
Another plus for the Terps is that they are only three hours from Nunez's home. "That definitely helps," he admitted. "I think that distance might be a big factor. I'd have to really get a great vibe and feeling from a team to want to go far away."
• Rivals.com’s Mike Farrell spoke to Quince Orchard defensive end Jason Ankrah after his unofficial visit to Maryland for the North Carolina game.
“It was fun. There were a lot of Maryland commitments there and I’m very familiar with those players. I want to go somewhere I’m comfortable with the players. They were laid back.
“Travis Hawkins went up with me and he’s still pressing me to go there too.”
• Maryland has made the final cut for Williamsburg, Va., defensive end Will Hill. Hill told Rivals.com that he’s narrowed his list to Maryland, Penn State, Virginia and Tennessee.
“They all pretty much fit the mold I was looking for,” he said. “All of them have good academics, an opportunity to play early and a coaching staff I’m comfortable with. I like all these schools.
“It’s a hard decision, so many schools have what I want. I can’t go to a school because of the coach. I have to go where I feel best if football wasn’t in the equation.”
• Several Maryland recruits have committed to play in the inaugural Maryland Crab Bowl, an all-star game pitting the top football players from the Baltimore area against those from the Washington D.C. region. The game is scheduled for Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. at Towson’s Johnny Unitas Stadium. Click here for the Baltimore roster and here for the D.C. team.
Basketball recruiting
• Maryland power forward signee James Padgett’s Lincoln (N.Y.) high school team was ranked No. 3 in the country by USA Today.
Returning starters: Three. Outlook: If All-USA G Lance Stephenson (23.3 points 7.2 rebounds a game) can stay healthy, the Railsplitters could three-peat as state Federation 2A champions. C James Padgett (nine points, 9.3 rebounds a game) and G Darwin Ellis (12.4 points, 3.4 assists a game) return. The schedule includes a tough game at No. 2 Duncanville, Texas, the HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Mass., The City of Palms Classic, No. 5 St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.), Prime Time Shootout vs. Paterson Catholic (Paterson, N.Y.) and No. 15 Westchester (Los Angeles) and at No. 6 St. Benedict's Prep (Newark). Opens: Dec. 2 vs. Grady (Brooklyn).
• Power forward prospect Tobias Harris will put recruiting on the backburner this season and focus on his junior year at Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran.
It also appears any campus visits are in the distant future. "He's just focusing on the high school season and school," said Mr. Harris.
Mr. Harris believed that it was unlikely that Tobias would take any unofficial visits during the season.
• North Carolina is heavily recruiting Walbrook swingman and Terps target Roscoe Smith, according to The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer.
Roscoe Smith, a 6-7 forward who can flourish inside and out, could very well be the next high school star to commit to UNC. Smith has received heavy interest from Carolina in recent months and would be a great complement to the two other 2010 prospects already secured — point guard Kendall Marshall and shooting guard Reggie Bullock.
Maryland's 2009 basketball recruiting class won’t appear on any national top 25 lists, but analysts have offered individual praise for both Terps commitments.
Scout.com’s Evan Daniels called power forward Jordan Williams one of 2009’s most improved players.
“Another guy that we watched blossom over the course of his career was Maryland commit Jordan Williams. The 6-foot-8, 245-pounder went from no college interest to scholarship offers from a handful of ACC and Big East schools. He improved his skill set and ability to score on the block. His coming out party was this summer despite playing in a loaded frontcourt on the New England Playaz team.”
In another Scout.com recruiters roundtable, Daniels cited power forward James Padgett as a prospect not in the top 100 who will be a good college player.
“The three guys that came to mind were Chris Colvin, Aaron Dotson and James Padgett. ... With Padgett, it’s all about his ability to play hard and scrap in the paint. He won’t be an All-ACC type of impact player at Maryland, but he’s a guy that will help them win games and will find ways to contribute.”
Click here for more analysis of Maryland’s 2009 recruiting class.
• Zags Blog reports that Albany, N.Y., shooting guard Taran Buie could make his decision this spring.
According to Jim Hart, Buie’s coach with the Albany City Rocks, “Maryland, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech are the leaders.”
• Maryland women’s basketball target Destiny Williams, a 6-foot-3 forward from Benton Harbor, Mich., signed with Illinois this week.
Williams on why she chose Illinois: "It was everything - the environment, the players, the coaches. I believe in what Coach Law wants to do at Illinois and that's win a national championship. I saw how the team came together in her first year and can only imagine what she can do down the road. On my visit, the people and coaches really stood out. It felt like they were being themselves with me and not trying to sell me on coming there."
Football recruiting
• Quince Orchard defensive end Jason Ankrah visited Nebraska last weekend and came away impressed.
“It’s far away, but I feel comfortable enough where I could see myself playing there,” he said. “I would put them up there with Penn State now as my leaders.”
Next up for the Rivals250 end are official visits to Penn State, NC State and Virginia Tech and an unofficial to Maryland.
“I don’t have the dates set yet or anything,” he said. “I’ll do that soon. I plan on taking all five visits and then deciding. It’s between my five officials and Maryland as my finalists.”
• ESPN.com reports that Newark, Del., offensive tackle Malcolm Bunche has withdrawn his commitment to Rutgers, and the Terps are now in the mix.
The 6-foot-6 prospect is now considering the Scarlet Knights, Miami-Florida, West Virginia, Connecticut and Maryland. He does not expect to make a final decision until national signing day.
• Windsor, N.C., offensive tackle Travis Bond sports a Maryland offer, but doesn’t have plans to visit College Park.
Bond, a 6-foot-7, 330-pounder, took an official visit to Michigan on Oct. 25 and is scheduled to head to Raleigh this weekend to see N.C. State play Wake Forest. Virginia Tech (Nov. 22) and North Carolina (Dec. 6) will get his final two visits.
• Maryland defensive end target Will Hill was named Virginia’s Bay Rivers District's Defensive Player of the Year.
Hill, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound senior, led district defensive ends with 92 tackles. His 24 tackles for loss included 14 sacks. He also forced six fumbles and recovered two, including one for a touchdown, in addition to blocking a punt.
• According to The Washington Post’s B.J. Koubaroulis, Maryland is monitoring Alexandria, Va., linebacker Stephon Robertson. Robertson is still waiting for his his first BCS offer.
Robertson, a 6-0, 190-pounder who runs a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, has earned a lot of late interest from some BCS programs, including Maryland, Virginia Tech and Boston College but "none of them have offered yet," Edison Coach Vaughn Lewis said. "I think the problem is that he has to play linebacker for us and he's a fantastic linebacker, but he'll be playing strong safety or free safety in college and they've never seen him play that."
• Chantilly, Va., offensive tackle Andrew Crawford has an invitation to join the Terps as a walk-on, according to Rivals.com.
“I’ve got an offer from Monmouth and a walk-on offer from Maryland,” he said. “I sent tape to a bunch of schools. Most places haven’t look at it yet, hopefully they will soon.
“I’ve kind of been talking to Boston College, Delaware, JMU and BYU. I’m planning to go to James Madison on the 15th.”
Terps linebacker commitment Ryan Donohue and his St. Joseph (N.J.) team will take on Don Bosco Prep at 8 p.m. tonight in a game televised on CBS College Sports. Donohue has led the Green Knights to a 7-0 record.
They are led by a pair of Division I linebackers, headlined by Maryland-bound Ryan Donohue, a 6-1, 220-pound senior who led the team in tackles last year (116) and does so again this season with 68.
“He’s sort of our quarterback out there on defense,” Karcich said. “He’s even bigger and stronger and faster than he’s been the last two years.”
• Ralph Friedgen and James Franklin took a helicopter to Baltimore last week to see the Dunbar-Edmondson game, in part to check out Poets running back Tavon Austin. But despite Maryland’s efforts, the Terps might be on the outside looking in for Austin. According to The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, Austin will visit North Carolina this weekend and could pick a school soon after.
Highly touted running back Tavon Austin from Dunbar High in Baltimore, Md., is scheduled to make an official visit to Chapel Hill for Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech.
Austin, a 5-9, 160-pounder, has narrowed his choices to the Tar Heels and Michigan. He’s expected to announce a decision soon after this weekend’s visit.
West Virginia is also a major contender for Austin’s services.
• Hoboken, N.J., defensive tackle Isaac Holmes told GatorCountry.com this week that he’s considering six schools.
There are quite a few schools out there who hope to land Holmes. The list includes Florida, Penn State, Maryland, Rutgers, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
“I’ve been talking to schools everyday,” he said. “Right now, I am focused on finding a school that has a great coaching staff and players that I want to be around. I need a place where I feel comfortable, because I am going to be there for the next four years.”
• The Gazette spoke with cornerback Travis Hawkins and Quince Orchard head coach Dave Mencarini this week about Hawkins’ commitment to Maryland.
Last Tuesday, Oct. 28, Hawkins woke up and told Mencarini to set up an announcement ceremony.
"It's been weighing on him," Mencarini said. "It's hard for kids, especially kids like him who are highly recruited, being pulled and tugged in every direction. At some point they have to figure out what's important to them, and I think that's what he's been doing the last couple weeks."
Basketball recruiting
• Maryland received good news earlier this week when freshman forward Jin Soo Kim was declared eligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse.
There were questions about some of the online courses Kim took while at home that precipitated a deeper inquiry by the Clearinghouse.
As recently as last week, The Washington Post reported that his eligibility was denied but the decision wasn't final. Maryland had until Thursday to appeal the decision and provide paperwork to verify the courses Kim took were legitimate.
• Former Terps center recruit Gus Gilchrist won his appeal with the NCAA this week, making him eligible to suit up for South Florida in mid-December. The Baltimore Sun’s Don Markus spoke with UM senior associate athletic director Kathy Worthington about the decision.
Worthington said that the explanation she was given for the NCAA's decision was that Gilchrist sat out a year's time between his stint at Maryland and the first semester at South Florida. It marks the first time in 17 cases that the NCAA has waived its transfer penalty for a men's basketball player, dating back to around 2000.
It might open the door for others to do the same, Worthington said.
• Maryland’s top point guard target for the class of 2010, Isiah Epps, visited another primary contender in his recruitment last weekend.
Isiah Epps, a four-star point guard from Plainfield N.J., attended the scrimmage while on a visit to Pitt. Epps (6-2, 170), also is considering Maryland, Rutgers and Seton Hall, is regarded as one of the top 10 point guards in the Class of 2010.
• One of Maryland’s top targets in the 2007 recruiting class, point guard Jai Lucas, has decided to transfer from Florida after a freshman season in which he averaged 8.5 points and 2.3 assists per game. Lucas spoke to KentuckySports.com about his plans for picking a new school.
First, he said, he wanted to play "somewhat close to home." He's from Houston. Does that mean Oklahoma State, his older brother John's alma mater and one of Jai's finalists two years ago, might be in prime position?
Lucas said it was "really difficult" being in Gainesville, Fla., and far from home.
Note: Jeff Ermann of TurtleSportsReport.com passes along the following -- Inside the Shell magazine’s basketball preview issue, which includes an ACC recruiting breakdown, is almost ready to ship. Click here for more info.
Maryland landed its highest-rated recruit of the 2009 class yesterday when Quince Orchard cornerback Travis Hawkins committed to the Terps over offers from Penn State, Michigan and Oregon.
TurtleSportsReport.com’s Seth Hoffman was on hand for the news conference, where Hawkins mentioned his new role as a recruiter for UM.
Hawkins also wants to continue the stream of in-state players going to Maryland. With him and [Caleb Porzel already in the fold, Hawkins immediately turned his attention to teammate and Maryland target Jason Ankrah, who sat with the rest of the football team in the auditorium.
“Jason, you’re my No. 1 recruit right now,” Hawkins said after making his decision.
• Two Maryland defensive linemen signees from the class of 2008 were in College Park this week. Cody Blue and Zach Kerr suited up for Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy in its scrimmage against Maryland’s JV squad. The Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens spoke with Blue and Kerr.
Both Blue and Kerr said the sort of things you would expect to hear from guys who are attending prep schools -- that they would have liked to have made it to Maryland this year, but that they're in better shape academically because of the structure of a military academy.
Both also emphasized they are on track to arrive at Maryland when the spring semester starts -- although they enjoyed the bonus preview they received earlier this week.
• Brooklyn, N.Y., lineman Oday Aboushi -- a classmate of Terps basketball commitment James Padgett -- claims a Maryland offer and says UM and Rutgers are the two schools recruiting him the hardest.
Aboushi admits that Maryland has impressed him the most with their play thus far this season. "They beat Cal and kept Wake Forest from scoring," he said. "They are playing really well. They are a great team and I really like how the coaches stress academics there. I think that's important."
• Woodbridge, Va., running back De’Antwan Williams told Rivals.com this week that the Terps are one of four leaders in his recruitment.
“I would probably say my favorites are Alabama, West Virginia, Pitt and Maryland,” he said. “I’m not sure who would be number five but I like those four a lot.”
• Dunbar running back Tavon Austin is scheduled to take an official visit to North Carolina next week, according to The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer.
Austin has scheduled an official visit to UNC on Nov. 7. He’s already visited Michigan and lists West Virginia as his third school.
The 5-8, 160-pound scatback piled up 2,553 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns as a junior at Dunbar High School.
Basketball recruiting
• In Jerry Meyer’s weekly mailbag, the Rivals.com recruiting analyst gave his take on how power forwards Jordan Williams and James Padgett will fit in with the Terps.
Williams and Padgett are both the type of big men that coach Gary Williams has had success with during his career. Neither prospect has received a lot of hype, but they are more than competent players who have successfully competed against more highly ranked big men in their class. They are hungry, blue-collar players who I expect to succeed at Maryland.
• Patterson (N.C.) School senior Arsalan Kazemi visited Seton Hall recently but didn’t make a commitment. Kazemi’s adviser, Anthony Ibrahim, told Zags Blog that Kazemi still wants to make two additional official visits.
Kazemi, hoping to become the first Iranian to play American college ball, will visit Rice next weekend and Maryland Nov. 8 for an exhibition.
Other schools remain interested, but those are the only official visits yet set.
“We’re going to see what the future Hall of Famer Ben Braun [of Rice] brings to the table,” Ibrahim said. “And we’ve gotta see what Mr. Gary Williams thinks.”
• New Jersey point guard Isaiah Epps, a junior, told Zags Blog this week that his visit to College Park for Maryland Madness was a success.
“It was great,” Epps said. “I loved everything. We went to a football game and I saw their real practice for the first time. It was good. I saw how Gary Williams controlled both teams. I like the way he coaches.”
That same weekend, Albany Bishop Maginn guard Taran Buie attended Maryland. Buie lists Maryland, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame as his leaders. He was slated to visit Georgia Tech this past weekend and Notre Dame this coming weekend.
• West Orange (N.J.) point guard Sterling Gibbs, a sophomore, is already hearing from the Terps, according to NBE Basketball Report.
Playing for a high-profile high school program under long-time head coach Bob Farrell at Seton Hall Prep as well as playing up on the 17-U team of the NY Panthers AAU program has brought a lot of early recruiting attention to the 6-foot-1, 170 pound sophomore. Gibbs rattled off an impressive list of schools showing early interest in his abilities.
“The schools that have shown interest are Maryland, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Florida and Rutgers,” indicated Gibbs. As for favorites, it's too early to call as “at this point all of the schools are even,” says Sterling.
Barring a drastic change of heart, it appears unlikely that Dunbar running back Tavon Austin will stay in Maryland for college.
Austin told Rivals.com's Mike Farrell this week that he’s narrowed his list of schools to three.
“I haven’t taken any official visits lately,” Austin explained. “I went to West Virginia a little while back and that went pretty good. I’m not going to take all five of them.
“I’m taking an official to UNC on November 7, and I think I might make my decision after that. I’m looking at West Virginia, North Carolina and Michigan right now, but I might not make it to Michigan. I’d say West Virginia is leading by a little bit.”
• Maryland remains in good shape with Hoboken, N.J., defensive end Isaac Holmes, who told Scout.com that the Terps are in his top three along with Florida and Pittsburgh
Another team that Holmes said he believes he could play quickly at is Maryland. "They are really getting it together now," he said. "They are playing great and improving every week. They've beat a couple top 25 teams already and it's only getting better."
• Two Maryland commitments will square off this weekend in a battle of unbeatens. C.H. Flowers (7-0) linebacker L.A. Goree and Eleanor Roosevelt (7-0) defensive end Isaiah Ross will meet at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Eleanor Roosevelt.
Flowers has been challenged just once, in a 7-6 victory over Wise on Sept. 27. Otherwise, the Jaguars have had a pretty easy go of it with their wing-T offense led by quarterback Dwayne Powell. Their defense, led by linebackers Lorne Goree (a Maryland recruit) and Brandon Killebrew, has posted four shutouts and allowed just four touchdowns all season. Flowers has yet to trail in a game.
• Quince Orchard cornerback Travis Hawkins suffered a severe ankle injury on Saturday while filling in for the Cougars' injured starting quarterback.
Hawkins then had his left leg rolled up on while plunging into the end zone on a sneak. The bad news was twofold for the red and black; the touchdown was disallowed because of a false start, and Hawkins had to be carted off on a stretcher.
Hawkins had an MRI Monday, and the results were not available at press time. [Quince Orchard head coach Dave] Mencarini said the ankle was not broken, as initially feared, but that Hawkins "will miss the rest of the regular season at least."
• In Mike Farrell’s Weekly Whispers column, the Rivals.com analyst says that Hawkins and his Quince Orchard teammate, defensive end Jason Ankrah, have been impressed with Penn State’s 8-0 start.
Speaking of Penn State, numerous prospects who didn’t have interest in the Nittany Lions suddenly are interested after the team’s awesome start. While Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard defensive end Jason Ankrah has always loved Penn State, teammate Travis Hawkins - a cornerback - once again is showing a lot of interest.
• Raleigh, N.C., linebacker Kendall Moore, a 2010 recruit, picked up an offer recently from the Terps, according to Rivals.com.
Moore has received offers from Maryland, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest, with the latest coming from the Terrapins.
“I think two Tuesdays ago I received an offer from Maryland,” Moore explained. “It was supposed to be a surprise. Their coach called mine and my coach was going to surprise me with it, but I talked to my friend Demetrius Hartsfield. He went to Maryland last year and he didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to tell me.”
Basketball recruiting
• With Torrington, Conn., center Jordan Williams and Brooklyn, N.Y., power forward James Padgett in the fold, the Maryland coaching staff’s attention turns to Patterson (N.C.) School forward Arsalan Kazemi. According to Zags Blog, Kazemi plans to visit Maryland on Nov. 8. He’s also set to visit Seton Hall and Rice, while many other schools are still trying to get in the mix.
“We’ve had talks with Memphis, Colorado, Cincinnati, Western Kentucky and Virginia Tech,” [Anthony Ibrahim, Kazemi’s adviser] said. “They’re really on us now. All these others are fighting for the visits.”
Ibrahim said it was possible Kazemi could take one or two more visits before the end of the early signing period, which runs Nov. 12-19.
• The Register Citizen, Williams’ hometown newspaper, profiled the 6-foot-9, 245-pounder after he made his commitment to Maryland this week. Williams said UM’s criminal justice program was a major factor in his decision to go with the Terps over St. John’s.
"I was leaning back and forth," Williams said. "I was like, what am I doing? I couldn't turn down the criminal justice program and the division I'll be playing in." Maryland's criminal justice program is No. 1 in the country, Williams said.
• TurtleSportsReport.com's Jeff Ermann caught up with 2010 shooting guard prospect Taran Buie after the Albany, N.Y., product visited College Park for Maryland Madness. Buie said he was impressed by the Terps’ fan support.
There were numerous signs in the stands at Maryland Madness this weekend imploring the 6-foot-3 combo guard to become a Terp and to join fellow junior guard prospect Isaiah Epps in Maryland’s future backcourt. The affable Buie, who chatted and took pictures with some of those students, was flattered.
“That was surprising to me. I was a surprise about how many people knew about me. Some of the signs even had my nickname [Ron-Ron],” he said.
• Two post players that Maryland showed interest in, but ultimately chose not to offer, made their commitments this week. Linden, N.J., center David Bruce offered his pledge to St. Joseph’s, while Baltimore native Andrew Fitzgerald, who’s spending his senior year at Brewster (N.H.) Academy, picked Oklahoma.
Fitzgerald chose the Sooners after being recruited by several Big East schools, Louisville and Pittsburgh among them, as well as the likes of Tennessee and Texas A&M.
Fitzgerald told Scout.com he canceled a visit to Louisville after the Cardinals recently secured a commitment from Indiana prep power forward Stephan Van Treese. That opened the door wider for Jeff Capel, and the Oklahoma coach slammed it shut this weekend.
Good Counsel linebacker Jelani Jenkins trimmed his lengthy list of schools to 15 earlier this week.
Maryland made the initial cut for Rivals.com's No. 4 prospect in the class of 2009.
“In no order, my final 15 schools are as follows...Southern Cal, Illinois, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Oregon, Miami, LSU, Maryland, Notre Dame, Penn State, Stanford, Boston College, Florida, Clemson and Tennessee,” said the 6-foot-1, 212-pounder. “It was very hard to get it down this far from more than 40 schools, but my family and I sat down and we looked at a few different categories to get it narrowed down.”
• St. John’s College (D.C.) offensive guard Peter White has narrowed his list of schools to five and scheduled his first official visit.
White has narrowed his list down to Florida, Maryland, Miami, Oregon and Tennessee, and on Sunday he announced that he has set up his first official visit.
“I’ve actually set up my official visit to Tennessee,” White explained. “I’m going to be going down there for their game against Kentucky.
• Rivals.com's Adam Gorney caught up with cornerback Travis Hawkins after the Quince Orchard standout took an official visit to Oregon. Hawkins discussed the visit and his favorites.
“Well, I like Penn State a lot,” he explained. “But I like Oregon, too. I know my mom likes Maryland. The coaches and players are cool there. It’s a real family atmosphere. I’m still looking at Michigan too. I wouldn’t say there’s one sticking out right now.”
• Earlier this week TurtleSportsReport.com profiled Williamsburg, Va., defensive end Will Hill, who had plenty of good things to say about Maryland.
“I like coach Sollazzo, my position coach, and coach Brattan., who is recruiting me. He’s a good guy. I’ve also gotten to speak to coach Friedgen and he’s a good guy too,” he said. “It’s a good program. They’re building toward an ACC championship every year and they consistently produce NFL players. There are lots of great opportunities around the D.C.-Baltimore area in terms of internships and jobs. Everything is right there. You’re also going to be on TV every week, whether it’s Comcast or ESPN.”
• The stock of Maryland quarterback commitment Danny O’Brien has declined, according to Rivals.com's midseason report for the Atlantic East region.
O'Brien has been somewhat effective running the ball this season, averaging more than five yards per carry and scoring four touchdowns. However, he's struggling a bit throwing the ball, completing less than 50 percent of his passes in four of his first six games and throwing two key interceptions in his team's 35-13 loss to West Forsyth.
• Stafford, Va., defensive end Lanford Collins is still considering an offer from the Terps -- along with scholarships from at least nine other schools, according to the Daily Press.
Collins, who has gained 50 pounds in the past two years, has garnered plenty of attention from colleges. He's considering offers from Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Tennessee, Penn State, Illinois, Boston College, Maryland, North Carolina State and North Carolina.
Basketball recruiting
• Adam Zagoria spoke with Jordan Williams' high school head coach, who said he expected Williams to choose between Maryland and St. John's this week.
“I spoke to Jordan and his father on Sunday,” Torrington coach Tony Turina said by phone. “They haven’t made a decision. They’re hoping by the end of the week. They will be sitting down in a day or so to finalize things. He was interested in possibly this week coming to a final decision and making a verbal commitment to one or the other school.”
• Former Terps center Gus Gilchrist is still waiting for an NCAA ruling on his eligibility status for this season.
Gilchrist, awaiting word from the NCAA on a hardship waiver that would allow him to play this season, is a versatile scorer; [USF coach Stan] Heath said he may be the team's best perimeter shooter at 6 feet 10, and [USF senior Jesus] Verdejo compares him to Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki.
• One-time Maryland target and former Riverdale Baptist standout Thomas Robinson ended his recruitment this week. The Brewster (N.H.) Academy senior committed to Kansas.
Robinson, a five-star power forward recruit from Washington, D.C., became the first player to orally commit to Kansas from the class of 2009. He said the togetherness of everyone in the program was the main reason he selected Kansas over Memphis, which he had pegged as his other finalist.
• WashingtonPost.com’s latest Recruiting Spotlight features looks at DeMatha shooting guard Victor Oladipo, a four-star player who has offers from Maryland, Clemson, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Click here to watch the video.