Maryland Terrapins Basketball

The University of Maryland and head men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon announced Friday that they have mutually agreed to part ways.

Maryland athletic director Damon Evans released the following statement regarding the decision:

"After a series of conversations with Coach Turgeon, we agreed that a coaching change was the best move for Coach Turgeon and for the Maryland Men's Basketball program. He has dedicated over a decade of his life to the University of Maryland, and has coached with distinction and honor. ... He's a great coach and a great person, and I wish Mark, his wife Ann and his entire family all the best in the next chapter of their lives."

Turgeon also commented on the move, saying:

"After several in-depth conversations with Damon, I have decided that the best thing for Maryland Basketball, myself and my family is to step down, effective immediately, as the head coach of Maryland Basketball. I have always preached that Maryland Basketball is bigger than any one individual. My departure will enable a new voice to guide the team moving forward.

"Maryland Basketball has been my passion and focus for the last 10 seasons, and I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished. It is through the combined effort and commitment from our coaches and players, both past and present, that we have sustained consistent success in a sport that is ultra-competitive. I am extremely grateful to have worked with each and every one of you. It has truly been an honor to be the men's basketball coach at the University of Maryland."

Turgeon was in the midst of his 11th season with the Terrapins prior to departing. Maryland is 5-3 so far this season, and Turgeon leaves College Park with an overall record of 226-116 with the program.

The 56-year-old Turgeon arrived at Maryland in 2011 after previous head coaching stints at Jacksonville State, Wichita State and Texas A&M.

Maryland missed the NCAA tournament in each of his first three seasons, which were also the Terps' final three seasons in the ACC. Their fortunes started to turn the next season when they made the move to Big Ten.

Over the next seven seasons, the NCAA tournament was held six times, and Maryland reached the tourney on five occasions.

Maryland's best chance to go on a deep run may have been during the 2019-20 season when it went 24-7 and won the Big Ten regular-season title. The NCAA tournament was canceled, however, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Terrapins reached the second round of the NCAA tournament three times under Turgeon and went all the way to the Sweet 16 in 2016.

Maryland never had a losing record under Turgeon and won at least 20 games in a season on six occasions.

In 24 seasons overall as a collegiate head coach, Turgeon is 476-275 and led his teams to the NCAA tournament 10 times.

With Turgeon now out of the picture, Evans announced that Danny Manning will serve as the Terrapins' interim head coach for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

Manning is best known for starring collegiately at Kansas before being the No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft. Since retiring from playing in 2003, Manning has coached at multiple colleges.

He spent two seasons as the head coach at Tulsa and was then Wake Forest's head coach for six seasons from 2014-20. His overall record as a head coach is 116-140, and he has taken teams to the NCAA tourney twice.

Maryland has agreed to a contract extension with men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon, the school announced Wednesday.

The deal adds three more seasons to his current contract, keeping him with the program through the 2025-26 season.

Athletic director Damon Evans provided a statement on the latest news:

"We believe in Coach Turgeon and are excited about what the future holds for Maryland basketball. Coach is fully committed to Maryland and we are in agreement of the expectations for our program as we move forward. Coach and the staff have already been at work recruiting and building on our recent success. We all need to do our part, pulling in the same direction, pursuing a championship-level program."

Patrick Stevens of the Washington Post reported the terms of the deal feature heavy incentives for postseason success:

There was speculation about Maryland potentially moving on from Turgeon, but it would have taken a $6 million buyout to fire the coach this offseason, per Jeff Ermann of 247Sports.

While divisive among fans, Turgeon has seen plenty of success in his 10 years with the program since coming over from Texas A&M in 2011.

The coach has a 221-113 record at Maryland, making five of the last six NCAA tournaments after a slow start to his tenure. The Terrapins would have made the field last year as well but March Madness was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The squad still earned a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.

This past season, Maryland reached the Round of 32 after beginning the year with a 10-10 record, including a 5-9 mark in the Big Ten.

The Terps have even higher expectations in 2021-22 after getting transfers Qudus Wahab from Georgetown and Daron Fatts Russell from Rhode Island.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello listed the team No. 6 in the country in his early rankings for next season.

There are concerns about Turgeon's upside with his current team, going 5-5 in the NCAA tournament with just one Sweet 16 appearance in 10 years. It appears Maryland will still give him more time to get the most out of his squad.

Center Qudus Wahab is reportedly transferring from Georgetown to Maryland. 

Per Stadium's Jeff Goodman, the Terrapins are getting the 6'11" junior, with the addition coming just one week after he entered the transfer portal. 

Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing issued a statement on March 25 after Wahab entered the transfer portal.

“Q was an important piece of our success this year, and he needs to do what he feels is best for him," said Ewing. "I want to wish him luck in his future. After an exciting postseason, we are ready to focus on the 2021-22 season.”

Wahab was named to the All-Big East tournament team this season for helping the Hoyas secure an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. He averaged 14.3 points on 61.3 percent shooting and 8.3 rebounds in those four games. 

The 2020-21 season was a breakout year for Wahab. He led Georgetown with 8.2 rebounds and ranked second on the team with 12.7 points per game. 

Maryland is coming off a disappointing season with a 17-14 record. The Terps finished eighth in the Big Ten standings but made the NCAA tournament as a No. 10 seed. They beat Connecticut in the Round of 64 before losing to Alabama. 

U.S. District Judge Paul Grimm dismissed a lawsuit filed by former Maryland Terrapins basketball players Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley against Epic Games, the creator of the smash-hit video game Fortnite, related to the alleged copyright infringement of their "Running Man Challenge" dance.

Grimm ruled Monday that Nickens and Brantley, who sought more the $5 million in damages, didn't prove their claim was "qualitatively different" than Epic Games' rights covered by the Copyright Act, per Michael Kunzelman of the Associated Press.

"And here Plaintiffs claim is based on Epic Games allegedly 'capturing and digitally copying' the Running Man dance to create the Fortnite emote that 'allows the player's avatars to execute the Running Man identically to Plaintiffs' version.' This is squarely within the rights protected by the Copyright Act," Grimm wrote.

The players performed the dance, which became a viral video and led to an appearance on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in 2016. It was added to Fortnite in 2018 as part of the Season 6 battle pass.

Nickens and Brantley filed the lawsuit in February 2019.

"Plaintiffs seek to place the same square peg into eight round holes in search of a cause of action against Epic Games for its use of the Running Man dance in its game Fortnite. But Plaintiffs' claims that Epic Games copied the dance do not support any of their theories," Grimm wrote, per Kunzelman.

Other individuals, including actor Alfonso Ribeiro, rapper 2 Milly and the "Orange Shirt Kid," who created the orange justice dance, have attempted to file similar lawsuits against Epic Games for turning dances they popularized into emotes. They all dropped their lawsuits in March 2019.

Fortnite officially introduced its battle royale mode in late 2017, and by the following summer the third-person shooter was dominating the competition in downloads, active players and online viewership via live-stream services like Twitch.

It's a free-to-play game, but cosmetics and other items like emotes, which provide no competitive advantage, are available for sale using in-game currency called V-Bucks ($10 equates to 1,000 V-Bucks).

The seasonal battle pass costs 950 V-Bucks, while other things can be purchased through a daily item shop, with prices typically ranging from 200 to 2,000 V-Bucks.

Fortnite recently created a line called the Icon Series, which has featured officially licensed items such as a character skin of popular streamer Ninja and a "Toosie Slide" emote with in-game lyrics from the Drake song.

Richard Jaklitsch, the former Terps players' lawyer, told the Associated Press his clients may not be able to afford to appeal Monday's ruling.

Maryland forward Jalen Smith will forgo his final two years of eligibility and declare for the 2020 NBA draft. 

Smith announced his decision Tuesday on Twitter:

He can return to school if he decides to withdraw from the draft by June 15.

Smith was listed as the No. 29 overall player in the class by Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.

After a solid first season at Maryland, the former McDonald's All-American took a big step in his sophomore year with averages of 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, also making 36.8 percent of three-point shots.

Per Wasserman, he's one of six players since 1992 to average at least 10 rebounds, two blocks and one made three-pointer per game.

The 6'10" forward showcased the ability to score both inside and out while playing excellent interior defense on the other end of the court. He's also displayed impressive athleticism around the basket in his career:

This skill set should easily be able to translate to the next level, making him an ideal stretch 4 in the current spread NBA.

Smith could still add more strength to his 225-pound frame and can improve his dribbling and passing, but he has a high upside in this class.

His absence could leave Maryland thin for next season with Anthony Cowan Jr. also leaving to graduation. The squad will have to rely on Aaron Wiggins and Eric Ayala among others in 2020-21.

Penn State handed No. 4 Maryland its first loss of the year with a 76-69 upset Tuesday night.

The Terrapins entered the day with a 10-0 record but couldn't overcome a season-high 20 turnovers in a rough showing at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions were much more efficient offensively with a balanced attack that included five players scoring in double figures, led by Mike Watkins with 15 points to go with his 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Lamar Stevens added 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

It's the first time Penn State (8-2) has beaten a Top Five opponent since 2016 but the fourth straight year it has beaten Maryland at home.

Maryland had grown comfortable playing from behind this season, including the last game against Illinois where the team trailed by 15 in the second half before pulling out a last-second win. The squad found itself in a similar position Tuesday, falling behind by as many 13 points, including 10 at halftime.

Anthony Cowan Jr. had been the team's hero at times this year, but he struggled in this one while shooting 5-of-17 on his way to 15 points. He had a team-high four turnovers while the squad failed to hold onto the basketball.

It was part of a strong defensive effort for Penn State that included 10 blocks and 10 steals, often leading to easy opportunities the other way.

Jalen Smith had his seventh double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but he wasn't active enough to help Maryland inside and the Nittany Lions dominated on both ends of the court.

Penn State was coming off a 32-point loss to Ohio State in its last game, but it regrouped in a big way to secure its biggest win of the season so far.

Maryland failed its first true road test and will now have another one in its next game against No. 22 Seton Hall.

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With his team trailing in its second-round matchup against the third-seeded LSU Tigers, Maryland Terrapins forward Bruno Fernando did what he could do try to provide a spark early in the second half.

Fernando hauled in a rebound despite being surrounded by a trio Tigers and then threw it down with authority with one hand after finding an opening.

The dunk cut the Terrapins' deficit to single digits.

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No. 6 Maryland eked out a 79-77 win over No. 11 Belmont in the first round of the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament Thursday afternoon, and one chaotic sequence illustrated how the day went for the Terrapins.

Up 74-73 with less than two minutes remaining, Maryland sophomore forward Bruno Fernando tried to lay in an easy bucket, but Belmont freshman center Nick Muszynski blocked the shot. Following a scramble for the ball, Maryland sophomore guard Darryl Morsell dished to wide-open freshman forward Jalen Smith for an emphatic jam. 

The dunk gave Maryland breathing room, which became crucial in the eventual win. 

Maryland will face the No. 3 LSU Tigers on Saturday in the second round of the East region.  

The University of Maryland acknowledged Friday that it has been subpoenaed as part of the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball, according to Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports.

Per Jeff Ermann of 247Sports, Maryland released information regarding two subpoenas it received. One is related to former Terrapins center Diamond Stone, and the other concerns Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa, who was recruited by Maryland.

In February, Forde and Pete Thamel released a report based on federal documents related to the investigation.

Several high-profile schools, players and coaches were named in the report.

Maryland released the following statement in reference to the subpoenas, according to Ermann:

"On March 15, 2018 and June 29, 2018, the University received grand jury subpoenas for documents related to the ongoing federal investigation of college basketball. The University complied with the subpoenas by providing responsive records. None of the responsive records shows evidence of any violations of applicable laws or NCAA bylaws by University coaches, staff or players. The University has cooperated and will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing federal investigation."

Forde and Thamel reported that a balance sheet for the ASM Sports agency listed Stone as receiving a $14,303 loan.

Per Ermann, the first subpoena asked for information about contact between Maryland employees and Christian Dawkins. Dawkins was an associate of ASM Sports agent Andy Miller, and he is alleged to have been the middle man in the allocation of impermissible benefits to multiple college basketball players.

While Stone's name was redacted, Ermann noted that sources confirmed he is the player in question in the following passage from the subpoena: "Any documents, including communications, regarding or relating to former Maryland student-athlete [redacted] including but not limited to documents reflecting or regarding any improper payments or benefits provided to [redacted]'s family, or a representative of [redacted]'s family."

Additionally, the first subpoena asked for the personnel file of Maryland assistant coach Orlando Ranson.

Stone spent the 2015-16 season at Maryland, averaging 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game before entering the NBA draft.

He was selected in the second round by the New Orleans Pelicans and immediately traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Stone has bounced around with multiple teams, but he is currently part of the Utah Jazz's summer-league roster.

The second subpoena is related to one of De Sousa's "handlers," who allegedly asked Kansas for money to repay a school he was supposed to attend.

Maryland was among the schools that heavily recruited De Sousa.

That subpoena asked for "any documents, including communications, regarding or relating to the recruitment, eligibility and/or amateur status of prospective student-athlete Silvio De Sousa."

Former Maryland Terrapins basketball player Cliff Tucker died at the age of 29 on Monday morning following a car crash in Texas.

The school announced the news Tuesday:

Tucker played for Maryland from 2007-11, spending all four seasons under Hall of Fame coach Gary Williams. His Terrapins made the NCAA tournament twice during his time at College Park, advancing to the second round in both his sophomore and junior seasons.

"Cliff was a great teammate willing to do whatever it took to make us champions," Williams said about his former player in a statement on the team's website. "One of the great things about coaching is getting to know each player and their passion for their family, life and basketball. That's what makes this so difficult. He touched everyone who was a part of his life."

The 6'6", 200-pound Tucker averaged a career-high 9.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a senior, leading Maryland with 41 three-pointers. He is best remembered for his buzzer-beater that pushed his team past Georgia Tech in February 2010.

Tucker's former teammate and Maryland All-American Greivis Vasquez was among those to pay their respects:

Per Felix F. Chavez of the El Paso Times, Tucker was one of three people who died in the crash, with four others injured. None of the three who died were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident.