University of
Maryland (3)
by Joshua Riddell
Projected Starters
G
6-3
PT%
83.79
G
PTE
29.71
6-5
PT%
24.74
F
F
6-9
PT%
46.67
C
6-11
PT%
0.00
HS100 AC/AA
34
1-AC
Rasheed Sulaimon
PTE
4.5
6-9
PT%
75.21
Melo Trimble
HS100 AC/AA
12
Jake Layman
SO
NBA
44
SR
NBA
SR
PTE
20.07
HS100 AC/AA
67
3-AC
NBA
PTE
9.51
HS100 AC/AA
30
NBA
PTE
0.00
HS100 AC/AA
7
NBA
11
Robert Carter
Diamond Stone
SR
FR
Bench Rotation
F
6-11
PT%
39.64
PTE
7.63
G-F 6-7
PT%
48.14
G
PT%
33.86
F
PT%
27.07
Damonte Dodd
Jared Nickens
PTE
6.38
6-5
HS100 AC/AA
HS100 AC/AA
86
Dion Wiley
PTE
-0.13
HS100 AC/AA
53
7-1 Michal Cekovsky
PTE
-011
HS100 AC/AA
96
JR
NBA
SO
NBA
SO
NBA
SO
NBA
After not making the NCAA
Tournament in his first four seasons
at College Park, Mark Turgeon was on
the hot seat with Maryland basketball
fans. Whether he was on such thin
ice with actual decision-makers is
unknown, but their patience in him is
beginning to pay off.
In their Big Ten debut season,
they earned a fourth seed in the
NCAA Tournament, but were unable
to advance to the Sweet 16, in part
due to a Melo Trimble head injury
that threw their offense out of whack.
All that should change this
season. Turgeon’s recruiting efforts
have paid off and the Terps are ready
to step back onto the national stage.
Although they lost Dez Wells, the
group as a whole should be more
talented than last year, and they are an
early Big Ten favorite and legitimate
national championship threat.
Their team will be driven by
Trimble, a steady-handed point guard
as a freshman who could make a
huge leap in his sophomore season.
Trimble is great at running the pick
and roll, and will have plenty of ball
screen partners to make him a deadly
weapon for Turgeon’s offense.
While Trimble is an excellent
distributor and keeps his teammates
involved in the offense, he can also
score himself when called upon in
the half court. He is a capable 3-point
shooter, connecting on 41.2 percent of
his attempts. He isn’t as comfortable
scoring around the rim, but an extra
year in the weight room could give
him the confidence to be able to finish
in the paint this year.
When Trimble drives the
lane, he will be flanked by some
great shooters in Jake Layman
(37.8 percent) and Jared Nickens
(39 percent).