Maryland Terrapins Basketball

Maryland's 2019 recruiting class is off to an excellent start after twin brothers Makhi and Makhel Mitchell committed to the school on Friday. 

Per Jeff Ermann of 247Sports, the Mitchell brothers gave their verbal commitment to the Terrapins after regularly attending Maryland home games since they were in eighth grade. 

Getting the Mitchell twins to commit two years out is a huge win for Maryland and head coach Mark Turgeon. Both players earn high recruiting marks and could turn into impact players for the Terrapins. 

Makhi is the better overall prospect. He is a 4-star player ranked as the No. 1 center recruit in the state of Maryland, No. 9 center recruit in the nation and No. 46 overall recruit in the 2019 class.

Makhel is also a 4-star prospect who is the No. 2 power forward from the state of Maryland, No. 25 power foward recruit in the country and No. 93 overall recruit in the 2019 class. 

Maryland assistant coach Kevin Broadus was instrumental in recruiting both players to the program and being able to close the deal so quickly. 

“That's a good dude,” Makhi told Ermann about Broadus. "He's very caring, supportive, he came to like every other game for the WCAC, he was our tour (guide) when we went on a visit (to Georgetown). He's very supportive.” 

Turgeon has done an excellent job of returning Maryland to prominence in his six seasons as head coach. The Terrapins have won at least 24 games and made the NCAA tournament in each of the last three seasons. 

Being able to land two high-profile big men recruits for 2019 will go a long way toward ensuring Maryland will remain one of the best programs in the Big Ten for years to come. 

Recruiting info via Scout.com. 

Maryland has added a potential impact player in the 2018 class in 4-star center Jalen Smith.

The Baltimore native announced his decision to stay local on his Twitter account:

Smith is considered the No. 31 overall player in the country by Scout.com, including the fourth-best at his position.

The 6'9" player visited Maryland over the weekend and was "pretty close" to committing on the spot, per Don Markus of the Baltimore Sun. It took only one more day of consideration before making his final decision.

He will also join former Mount Saint Joseph teammate Darryl Morsell, who is set to join the Terps next season as part of the 2017 class.

"He's like one of my deciding factors, going there to play with him again," Smith said of Morsell.

Smith was the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior, averaging 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocks per game. His athleticism and raw tools allow him to make an impact in the post on both ends of the court, while also showing some offensive versatility to score from the outside.

Of course, he will need to add some strength and gain consistency in order to make a similar difference at the next level.

Considering his upside, however, this is a big move for Maryland to keep a local player home and continue what could be a big 2018 class starting with Smith and Scout 4-star guard Aaron Wiggins.

Duke graduate transfer Sean Obi will reportedly play for the Maryland Terrapins next season.

On Thursday, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reported the news and noted Obi chose Maryland over the likes of Georgia Tech and Georgetown.

The 6'9" Obi didn't appear in a game for the Blue Devils last season because of injury and played just 27 total minutes and tallied five points and 10 rebounds in 2015-16. However, he thrived as a freshman at Rice in 2013-14 with 11.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

If he can remain healthy, Obi adds frontcourt depth to a Terrapins team that will be without the departed Damonte Dodd and L.G. Gill.

Michal Cekovsky, Justin Jackson, Ivan Bender and incoming freshman Bruno Fernando, who is a 4-star recruit, per Scout, figure to play plenty of minutes, but Obi gives them another body down low who can battle for rebounds and score on the blocks.

For more news, rumors and related stories about the Maryland Terrapins and college basketball, check out the college basketball and Maryland streams on Bleacher Report's app.

Maryland guard Melo Trimble was forced to leave the Terrapins' exhibition against Catawba College on Saturday after suffering an ankle injury, according to SB Nation's Matt Ellentuck.

Continue for updates.

Latest on Trimble's Timetable for Return

Saturday, Nov. 5

According to the Baltimore Sun's Jon Meoli, Maryland confirmed Trimble sprained his ankle and wouldn't return to the game. The school said he should only be out for a few days, per Ellentuck.

Ellentuck also shared a replay of how Trimble injured his ankle:

“Melo’s going to be fine," Mark Turgeon told reporters. "If this was a big game, Melo would’ve played. I guess they call it a grade-one ankle sprain, so we’ve got to get him ready for Friday.”

Trimble has remained in the spotlight since joining Maryland as the No. 29 overall prospect in the 2014 recruiting class, according to the Scout rankings. He's showcased plenty of upside, but he's still working to become a more dependable offensive force after his shooting percentages dropped last year.

Injuries haven't previously been an issue for the Washington, D.C., native. He appeared in all 71 of the team's games across his first two seasons with the program. That includes a run to the Sweet 16 in the 2016 NCAA tournament.

The silver lining for Maryland should he get forced to the sidelines with the current ailment is its solid depth at guard. Jared Nickens, Kent Auslander and Dion Wiley could all see an uptick in playing time as they try to make up the lost production in the aggregate.

Ultimately, the Terrapins should have enough talent among their reserve guards to fill a short-term void.

However, Maryland tips off the regular season against American University on Nov. 11. That should be enough time for him to make a full recovery from his sprained ankle.

The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team won a combined 55 games the past two seasons, and the school rewarded coach Mark Turgeon accordingly Thursday.

According to Jeff Ermann of 247Sports, Maryland announced it signed Turgeon to a four-year extension, which pushes his deal through the 2022-23 campaign.

Maryland Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson added this, via Ermann:

Mark has built a program that we are incredibly proud of as he continues to lead the great tradition that is Maryland Basketball. During his successful tenure in College Park, Mark has worked tirelessly to establish a nationally recognized program that will annually compete for championships. Mark's character and integrity resonates strongly with our former players, alumni and fans, and we are very excited about the future of Maryland Basketball.

Turgeon took over the Terrapins after they missed the NCAA tournament in 2010-11. He has already won at least 25 games three different times and established his program as a force in the Big Ten since joining the conference at the start of the 2014-15 season:

Maryland is fresh off a Sweet 16 appearance, where it lost to the No. 1-seeded Kansas Jayhawks, and it should compete for a spot in the Big Dance once again this season. The Terps are ranked No. 21 in the initial USA Today Coaches Poll for the 2016-17 campaign behind 2015-16 Wooden Award finalist Melo Trimble.

Turgeon also has the program well-positioned for the future after landing the No. 15 recruiting class in the 2016 cycle, per Scout.com. That class includes impressive positional depth with point guard Anthony Cowan, shooting guard Kevin Huerter and power forward Justin Jackson, all of whom Scout.com ranks as 4-star prospects.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have done it.

The Georgia Southern football team partook.

The Miami Heat's Justise Winslow and the Denver Broncos' Von Miller, too, tried to master the dance.

It's the Running Man Challenge: a simple skip and shuffle hybrid slightly reminiscent of the late-1980s trend of the same name and always accompanied by Ghost Town DJ's "My Boo."

Thanks to the Internet virality of Maryland sophomores Jaylen Brantley and Jared Nickens' moves, the steps have quickly become a sensation—particularly among professional athletes.

In recognition of their craze-creating talents, daytime television host Ellen DeGeneres invited the two Terrapins to her show, along with the dance's high school masterminds, for some insight on the origins of the phenomenon and, naturally, to cut a rug.

The best of the bunch? You decide!

[YouTube, h/t 247Sports]

"My Boo" by Ghost Town DJs—remember it? Three Maryland basketball players do, even though they were likely still in diapers when it came out.

Jared Nickens, Jaylen Brantley and Damonte Dodd, for some unknown reason, have taken to posting Instagram footage of themselves dancing to the one-hit wonder.

It sounds random, but the videos are hilarious. 

So hilarious, in fact, that other schools want in. Check out this gem from newly minted national champion Villanova:

And this from Providence: 

The offseason is a beautiful thing. 

[h/t SB Nation]

Maryland Terrapins junior forward Robert Carter Jr. will declare for the NBA draft, the Associated Press (via ESPN.com) reported Thursday.

Carter averaged 12.3 points per game in his lone year with Maryland after transferring from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets following the 2013-14 season.

The 6'9" forward released a statement, per CSN Mid-Atlantic's Daniel Martin:

I want to thank the University of Maryland community and all of the fans for their support during my two years at Maryland. I also want to thank Coach Turgeon, my teammates and the entire Maryland basketball program for everything they have done for me. The University of Maryland will always be a special place to both me and my family. I will forever be a Terp.

On a team that featured the likes of Melo Trimble, Rasheed Sulaimon and Diamond Stone, Carter provided a steady presence in Maryland's frontcourt, as he could score from beneath the basket and from mid-range. 

He also provided a solid defensive presence, tying for the team lead with 2.0 defensive win shares. His all-around game helped the Terps get to the Sweet 16, where they lost to Kansas.

Carter is athletic enough to cover combo guards as well as forwards in the post, which could make him an attractive option in the NBA. 

DraftExpress ranked him as the No. 10 junior and the 56th-best draft-eligible prospect.

The site also projected Carter will land in the second round—51st overall to the Denver Nuggets—in its 2016 mock draft. With his ability to stretch the floor and play defense, he should get plenty of looks from NBA teams in the months leading up to the draft.

Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.

Don’t give up hope of a Diamond Stone return just yet, Maryland fans.

Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com cited sources on Monday and said the Terrapins center would declare for the 2016 NBA draft.

However, Stone’s father, Bob, had other ideas in comments he made to Jeff Ermann of 247Sports’ Inside Maryland Sports: “I don't know anybody in Cleveland. I don't know what they're talking about. ... There's a lot of people out there who like to talk, but we haven't told anybody anything. We're still evaluating.”

Haynes did say Stone was “holding on hiring [an] agent,” which would give the big man the option to return to Maryland. Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun added Stone could return to the Terrapins as long as he withdraws his name from draft consideration by June 13 (the draft is June 23).

Still, that doesn’t seem likely, given this update from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports:

Stone always seemed destined for the NBA when he signed with Maryland before the 2015-16 season as a 5-star recruit, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. He was an immensely talented prospect who would get the chance to demonstrate his skill set on a national stage on one of the Big Ten’s best teams.

However, he was inconsistent as a freshman and played only 22.6 minutes per game. He also grabbed a mere 5.4 rebounds per contest despite being 6’11” and having the physique of someone who should be a force down low. Stone also frustrated Maryland fans when he scored a meager five points and notched four rebounds in his team’s NCAA tournament loss to Kansas.

Still, Stone is a scoring threat who posted 12.5 points per game in his freshman season and showed soft touch at the line, converting on 76.1 percent of his free-throw attempts. He poured in 39 points in a December victory over Penn State, which will catch the eyes of NBA scouts if they go back over the film.

DraftExpress provided a video scouting report of Stone's strengths before the 2015-16 campaign:

Despite his inconsistency, losing Stone after only one season would be a difficult setback for Maryland. Ryan Connors and Alex Kirshner of SB Nation’s Testudo Times noted sophomore Melo Trimble and junior Robert Carter are also “facing the same decision as Stone.”

Trimble, Stone and Carter were Maryland’s top three scorers this season, which means the Terrapins would be staring at a rebuild if all three bolt for the draft after the team's Sweet 16 appearance.

As for Stone, DraftExpress projected him as the No. 23 pick to the Atlanta Hawks in its March 27 mock draft. Some expected he would be a future top-10 pick when he arrived on campus as a highly regarded prospect, but he will have an opportunity to bolster his stock at the NBA Draft Combine.

Although Stone’s father wasn’t ready to declare his son ready for the draft, he is a potential first-round talent who appears to be moving on from his Maryland career after one season.

Maryland Terrapins center Diamond Stone has been suspended one game by the program for pushing Wisconsin Badgers forward Vitto Brown's head onto the court Saturday, per Jeff Goodman of ESPN.

Stone received a technical foul on the play and will miss Thursday's game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.       

Mike Rutherford of SB Nation's Card Chronicle provided a clip of the incident:

Stone's technical came with two seconds left of the first half in then-No. 2 Maryland's 70-57 home loss to Wisconsin on Saturday. Stone finished with 10 points in 29 minutes.

“I want to apologize to Vitto Brown and the Wisconsin basketball team for my unacceptable behavior during Saturday’s game,” Stone said in a statement, per Roman Stubbs of the Washington Post. “I regret that I let the emotions of the game get the best of me. I let my team down and I accept full responsibility for my actions.”

The Big Ten released a statement, saying it accepts Maryland coach Mark Turgeon's decision to suspend Stone for violating Big Ten Conference Agreement 10.01, per Zack Miller of BadgerBlitz.com.

"The Big Ten Conference expects all contests involving a member institution to be conducted without compromise to any fundamental element of sportsmanship," the agreement states. "Such fundamental elements include integrity of the competition, civility toward all, and respect, particularly toward opponents and officials."

Despite losing Stone, it may not impact Maryland on Thursday against a Golden Gophers team that's 0-13 in Big Ten play. Stone is more of a scoring big man, averaging 12.8 points per game, but Maryland has enough size to make up for his absence. 

The Terrapins could go small and start 6'9" forward Robert Carter, their leading rebounder at almost seven per game, at center. Junior forward Damonte Dodd and 7'1" center Michal Cekovsky could also start, should Turgeon not want to make drastic changes to his lineup.

Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.

Follow Danny Webster on Twitter (@DannyWebster21).