N/A
Diamond Stone is cold.
The Maryland Terrapins big man shoved Vitto Brown's head down as he pulled himself up after falling on the Wisconsin Badgers forward during Saturday's game at Xfinity Center.
Stone garnered a technical foul for the move as the Terps trailed 35-21 in the waning seconds of the first half.
[Vine]
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Shortly after Saturday's hard-fought home win over the Purdue Boilermakers, the Maryland Terrapins' Rasheed Sulaimon and Robert Carter Jr.—with smiles no less than a mile wide—greeted the hundreds of fans who stuck around through the postgame interviews for a chance to high-five one of their new favorite players.
The former ACC stars were more than happy to oblige their Big Ten brethren.
Playing in front of a capacity crowd of 17,950 adoring fans for the 11th time this season, surely Sulaimon and Carter had found what they were looking for when they transferred to Maryland.
But it's a scene almost unimaginable just 18 months ago, when head coach Mark Turgeon was firmly entrenched on the hottest seat in the entire country after his third consecutive season spent watching the NCAA tournament from home.
It was an entirely unfamiliar position for Turgeon, who had a lot of success in his previous stops at Jacksonville State, Wichita State and Texas A&M. But according to a poll conducted by SB Nation's Testudo Times in the 2014 preseason, roughly seven out of every 10 Maryland fans were of the mindset that it was 2015 NCAA tournament or bust.
Anything short of that and they would have been calling for Turgeon's head.
To be fair, it's always difficult to replace a legendary coach, but Turgeon's task was made just that much tougher by his inability to hang onto Gary Williams' recruits.
After going just 17-15 in his first season with the Terrapins in 2011-12, Turgeon lost redshirt freshman Ashton Pankey, who went on to become a stud at Manhattan. The following summer, Pe'Shon Howard left for USC and had a pretty solid senior year with the Trojans.
Then came the deluge.
Turgeon lost three sophomores (Seth Allen, Nick Faust and Shaquille Cleare) and two freshmen (Charles Mitchell and Roddy Peters) to the transfer market in a span of less than two months and subsequently dismissed would-be incoming freshman Trayvon Reed from the team after a run-in with the police at a local convenience store.
Toss in the fact that Maryland was mired in its longest tournament drought in more than two decades and no one would have been surprised if Turgeon had gotten the ax after opening his career at Maryland with a fourth consecutive failed attempt to reach the Big Dance.
Melo Trimble refused to let that happen, though, and the Terrapins became a 2016 Final Four threat when he decided to return for a sophomore year. But the real reason they're 22-3 and ranked No. 2 in the latest AP Top 25 poll is the arrival of their two ACC veterans.
Kind of ironic, isn't it?
Not two years removed from being seriously doubted by fans because of transfers, Turgeon is a legitimate candidate for National Coach of the Year largely because of two transfers.
One of those key pieces was already part of last year's team, even though he wasn't allowed to play in any games.
Because of his decision to transfer away from Georgia Tech after the 2013-14 season, Carter sat on Maryland's bench for the entirety of 2014-15. And though we didn't see him for roughly 19 months, he was working hard every day to make the biggest possible impact when his moment with Maryland finally arrived.
As a result, he developed into one of the best stretch 4s in the nation.
Through 12 Big Ten games, the 6'9", 235-pound junior is shooting 43.3 percent from three-point range while also serving as one of Maryland's best sources for rebounds (7.0 per B1G game), blocks (1.3) and steals (0.8).
"His versatility is tough," Purdue head coach Matt Painter said after Saturday's 72-61 loss at Maryland. "He can put the ball on the floor, make a shot, dribble down into a post move or knock down threes."
Because of Carter's versatility, Maryland is able to run one of the most unstoppable offensive sets over and over again.
"[Carter's] two-man game with Melo or Rasheed or Jake [Layman], that's a really tough guard," said Turgeon. "Think about that. You've got Melo coming off a ball screen, and you've got Rob popping. Coaching's really not that hard when you get down to it."
"With me and Melo in the pick-and-pop, you just have to pick your poison," said Carter.
And Maryland's new starting shooting guard has been every bit as important as its new starting power forward.
It's pretty unlikely that we'll ever get to the bottom of why Sulaimon became the first player Mike Krzyzewski has ever kicked out of his program, but Turgeon wasn't about to miss out on his second chance at the star from Houston he so heavily recruited to Texas A&M a lifetime ago.
"Kid's a winner," Turgeon said after Saturday's win, in which Sulaimon recorded his first career double-double. "He's such a smart player, he helps me coach the team with a lot of things. Three years ago, they were saying he was going to be a first-round draft pick after his freshman year, so he's a good player and plays great in big games."
Painter had equal praise for Sulaimon when prompted with a question preparing to face him.
"Well, Dez Wells was pretty good, and there's no difference. Wells was great and athletic and what they don't get from Wells, Sulaimon gives them now. The thing about Sulaimon is this is nothing for him [after several years at Duke]. Even though maybe his numbers aren't that of a guy who averages 17 points, he can guard people, he's athletic and there's no substitute for experience," he said.
Wells headlined the list of six seniors Maryland lost to graduation this past summer—four of which received a substantial number of minutes—so it would be difficult to overstate how much of a boost it was to acquire Sulaimon's experience and leadership.
Trimble was born a leader, and Layman is a senior, but the big question for the Terrapins in the preseason was whether these guys could handle the weight of the world.
They were the hunters last year, but they entered this season as the hunted. Adding a guy who knows all too well what it's like to play with a target on his back was crucial.
"I just take pride in being a leader," Sulaimon said Saturday. "Whenever someone is wavering, whatever the case my be, I just want to be the rock for them to lean on. In different games, it might be me facilitating, might be defensive pressure, might be just being a leader, but I always try to instill confidence in my guys, and it's just a joy playing with them."
And he certainly enjoys playing in front of a fanbase that once hated his living guts.
Maryland's fans loathe pretty much every other team, and there is a large percentage of the college basketball nation whose second-favorite team is "Whoever's playing Duke." Factor in some of the phenomenal games they played against each other in the early 2000s, and there was absolutely no love lost when the Blue Devils and Terrapins squared off as ACC rivals.
The thought of a Duke player transferring to Maryland—especially one who averaged 19.0 points in his three games against the Terrapins as a freshman in 2012-13—was right up there with Johnny Damon going from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees.
Yet Maryland fans have taken him in with open arms. Now, he's the one pumping up the crowd at various intervals throughout the game and the one doling out high-fives and selfies after his postgame interviews at midcourt.
And he's no doubt playing with a little extra motivation this year after seeing what his former teammates were able to do last season. He should have been a part of Duke's 2015 title celebration, and it's pretty clear he's giving everything he's got to be a part of Maryland's celebration this April.
If he and Carter are able to steer Maryland to a national championship, it just might change college basketball forever.
Recruiting kids out of high school sets every team's foundation, but Maryland is one of the several teams proving this season that targeting and signing the right transfers can be what propels a team to greatness. High-ranking teams like Arizona, Iowa State, Miami, Oregon and Texas A&M wouldn't be where they are today without their transfers.
However, the "free-agency" boom hasn't yet equated to championships.
Luke Hancock transferred from George Mason to Louisville and played a huge part in the Cardinals' 2013 national championship, but he came off the bench that entire run. You have to go back 14 years to find the last time a team won it all with a starter who began his college career with another D-I team.
Who was that player, you ask?
Byron Mouton, who left Tulane to play for the 2002 Maryland Terrapins.
Thus, it would be rather fitting if Maryland won it all in 2016 with two transfers in its starting lineup.
Trimble gets most of the headlines, and Diamond Stone is arguably the best NBA prospect. But if the Terrapins are going to win it all this year, it'll be because of the leadership of Sulaimon and Carter.
Pull it off and it won't matter that they began their college careers as a Blue Devil and a Yellow Jacket.
They'll forever be remembered as members of the Red, White, Black and Gold.
All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.
Melo Trimble is a bad man. The 15-1 Maryland Terrapins were in Madison to take on Wisconsin in college hoops Saturday, and the game did not disappoint.
With the score tied at 60, the sophomore guard took the ball near midcourt, dribbled for a few seconds and hoisted up a cold-blooded dagger to win the game.
Trimble finished with 21 points to lead all scorers.
[Vine]
Maryland Terrapins guard Dion Wiley will miss the entire 2015-16 season after undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair a torn meniscus.
Continue for updates.
The school announced Wiley will be on the shelf for four months, per Gary Parrish of CBS Sports. While that timetable theoretically could put him back in action in March, Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon told Parrish that Wiley will not attempt to return and will take a medical redshirt.
"I am really disappointed for Dion because he worked so hard in the offseason and was playing at a very high level," Turgeon said. "This is a big loss for our team—as Dion was expected to be our starting shooting guard."
A sophomore, Wiley averaged 4.1 points and 1.5 points in 13.5 minutes per game last season. He appeared in 35 games overall, shooting 38.1 percent and 32.9 percent from three-point range. The onus now will be more on Rasheed Sulaimon and Melo Trimble to carry the Terps from the guard spots as the team heads into 2015-16 considered a national championship contender.
Wiley didn't contribute enough last season to know his true capabilities in a heavy-minutes role, but his injury will leave Maryland crossing its fingers that young bench players can step up when Sulaimon and Trimble need a break.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.
Maryland bolstered its 2016 recruiting class Monday, landing 4-star shooting guard prospect Kevin Huerter after he verbally committed to the Terrapins, per Evan Daniels of Scout.com.
Huerter, a 6'5", 180-pound guard from Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park, New York, is considered the No. 4 prospect in the state and the No. 12 shooting guard and No. 64 overall prospect in the United States, per 247Sports' composite rankings.
Per Josh Stirn of 247Sports, Huerter generally plays as a shooting guard but has "the feel, vision and ball handling ability to also play on the ball" and is also "a lights out shooter with a very high basketball IQ."
Though he's likely to be a combo guard for Maryland, Huerter told Roman Stubbs of the Washington Post he models his game after Steph Curry: “He proved himself. His whole life, people doubted him if he was athletic or big enough. For me, I’m tall, but people have always wondered if I’m strong enough to play at the next level. Quick enough and fast enough, too. So I try to play like him."
Maryland would certainly love if Huerter had the same impact for its program that Curry had for Davidson. While that's certainly a tall order, college basketball runs in the family, as Huerter's father played for Siena and later became a TV and radio analyst for the school's basketball team.
At Maryland, Huerter will try to continue to defy expectations and become a star for the Terrapins. He may never be Curry, but Huerter should seriously bolster the program's backcourt.
Former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon announced Monday that he'll be transferring to Maryland for his senior season.
ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman reported the news on Sulaimon's plans to cap off his college basketball career, featuring what Sulaimon had to say about his decision:
For everything I've been through, my family and I wanted me to be at a place where I trusted everyone. I've known Coach [Mark] Turgeon and [assistant coach Dustin] Clark since I was 13. I trust them. [...] They have a chance to be a special team. They are great guys off the court, and they embraced me. At the end of the day, I wanted to go somewhere to have the opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself.
Sulaimon took to Twitter to express his excitement at the chance for a fresh start:
The school issued a release on its website confirming the move.
The Blue Devils dismissed Sulaimon in late January amid sexual assault allegations, originally reported by the school's student newspaper, the Chronicle.
Goodman reported on April 29 what Sulaimon had to say about the allegations, which he denied.
Per Monday's report, Terrapins coach Mark Turgeon emphasized that he felt comfortable welcoming Sulaimon to College Park: "We did our due diligence. We were extremely thorough and talked to a lot of people and vetted the entire situation. I've known Rasheed and his family since he was 13, and I believe in him. There's a trust factor, and we've had a strong relationship."
Sam Vecenie of CBSSports.com weighed in on what Sulaimon's arrival means for Maryland:
I think Maryland was a title contender before this anyway. Sulaimon gives them more leeway with backcourt injuries, which is really nice.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) May 11, 2015
Sulaimon put up 11.6 points per contest in his first year with the Blue Devils but saw his minutes diminish in the two seasons thereafter. He denies that the sexual assault allegations were what led him to being kicked off the team, per Goodman's report from April.
Maryland star point guard Melo Trimble is returning for his sophomore season. If Sulaimon can emulate the impact he had at Duke as a freshman, the two could headline one of the better perimeter rotations in the country.
If Trimble hadn't suffered a concussion in a third-round loss to West Virginia during the NCAA tournament, the Terrapins may have made it even further into March Madness.
A talent like Sulaimon should add some firepower to Maryland's offense—which leaned heavily on Trimble last season—and help compensate for the departure of senior swingman Dez Wells.
If college basketball really is a guard’s game, then the Maryland Terrapins are ready for the madness of March.
There are plenty of impressive players at the college level this season, including big men Jahlil Okafor from Duke and Frank Kaminsky from Wisconsin, but you would be hard-pressed to find many better backcourt combinations than the one in College Park.
Dez Wells and Melo Trimble showed the world just how good they are in No. 14 Maryland’s crucial 59-53 home victory over No. 5 Wisconsin on Tuesday evening in Big Ten action.
The crowd may have stormed the floor after it was over, but it’s hard to call a game a massive upset when Trimble and Wells combine for 42 points, 11 rebounds and six assists on 51.6 percent shooting.
The Terrapins simply aren’t going to lose many games when that happens, which is what makes this team so scary come March.
It is not difficult to envision a scenario where Maryland is a No. 3 or 4 seed in the NCAA tournament and knocks off a potential No. 1 or 2 because of its backcourt. It proved itself capable of doing just that on Tuesday when it beat a Badgers team that is on the fast track to a top-two seed in March.
Wells is a particularly enticing player for Maryland fans as the season heads into its stretch run because of his combination of experience, talent and willingness to deliver in the biggest moments.
He is the senior leader on the Terrapins and has played in a number of pressure-packed games in conference and NCAA tournaments. In fact, he picked up most of his Big Dance experience during his time at Xavier, but he led Maryland into the bracket last year as well.
His fearlessness also stands out, and it showed on Tuesday when he carried his team during its biggest game of the season.
Wells’ performance, which kept his team's home cooking rolling, impressed Nicole Auerbach of USA Today:
It wasn’t just the final tally of 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists from Wells that turned heads, though. It was also the play he made when the game was on the line. He attacked the baseline and threw down a rim-rattling slam that virtually sapped Wisconsin’s will with only a few minutes remaining.
Think of that play as the exclamation mark on the Terrapins’ win that also announced to the rest of the country that they are here to stay. The Big Ten Network shared the highlight:
As if that play in a critical moment didn't underscore Wells' fearlessness enough, his postgame comments certainly did, as shared by Zach Woosley of SB Nation and Kentucky Sports Radio:
“Frank Kaminsky is a great player, but he’s not God.” | http://t.co/W2gZCbQVQL https://t.co/rXGYbRiJjw
— Zach Woosley (@Ginge) February 25, 2015
Clearly, the Terrapins aren't afraid of anyone with Wells operating the controls.
The best thing for the Terrapins is this may be a sign of things to come from Wells. The Testudo Times suggested as much after the win:
Between his ability to hit from three-point range (51.2 percent coming into Tuesday’s showdown), slash to the rim, set up teammates and come through in the clutch moments, Wells will be a nearly impossible matchup for any opponent in the NCAA tournament.
He has been through a lot in his career, from his difficult exit at Xavier to serious injuries, but he seems to be hitting his stride at just the right moment and is poised to give his collegiate story a fitting conclusion.
The good news for the Terrapins is that Wells isn’t a one-man show.
Trimble may not have the experience that Wells does, but he was averaging a team-high 16.1 points and 3.1 assists coming into the Wisconsin game and is one of the most talented freshmen in the country. He plays with a different type of fearlessness than his veteran teammate.
The argument can be made that there is also some value to being a freshman when the lights are brightest.
Trimble may not even know any better or understand the magnitude of the moment when the tournament rolls around. He will play with a looseness that some veterans who have been to March Madness and lost can’t bring to the table. Call it fearlessness if you would like, but he won’t be afraid.
He proved it when he hit a running layup and was fouled with less than 40 seconds remaining on Tuesday to stretch Maryland’s lead from three to five points.
It was the most important play of the game and put the Badgers away for good.
Like with Wells, Trimble’s ability to score from anywhere on the floor and blow past defenders off the dribble makes him a matchup nightmare. He is also improving as the season progresses and has scored at least 16 points in five consecutive games. He reached the 20-point mark in three of those contests.
Perhaps the extra work he recently put in that he mentioned to Roman Stubbs of The Washington Post is starting to pay off. “Watching film after a game really helps me. Other teams watch film and watch what you do best. It makes you think a little more,” he said.
Other teams can watch all the film they want and game-plan against Wells and Trimble when they play Maryland. Actually stopping them on the court will be another story in March.
Follow Scott Polacek on Twitter:
