Terps Laying Solid Foundation for Future

Let's be honest with ourselves for a second. As much as I've tried to stay optimistic on the matter, Maryland is not going to land Lance Stephenson. If Stephenson wanted to come to Maryland, he would be here already. So, it's time to chalk that one up to a good attempt and move on. 

Move on Maryland certainly has, as they have already landed a recruit for 2010 who is already much more highly rated than either of the members of their 2009 class. His name is Terrence Ross (pictured, left), and, according to ESPN, he's the number 41 player in the class of '10. At 6'6 and 180 pounds, he's ideally a shooting guard, but could certainly play small forward, especially in Gary's lineup. Most importantly, he's a pure shooter, one of the best in the nation as a high schooler. Originally from Oregon, he transferred to nearby Montrose Christian for academics. Dubbed as the best 2-guard prospect in the west before he came east, Ross was also actively pursued by Washington, Arizona State, Cal and Oregon State.

Maryland has also received a commitment from the number 30 point guard in the country for 2010 in Terrell Stoglin. Stoglin is still in "project" status, and will have to work on his jump shot, because at 6'0, he's not going to find it easy to get to the rim in the ACC. Still, though, he averaged 27.0 ppg and 7.5 apg as a junior this season and was recruited by PAC 10 powerhouses USC and UCLA.

The only questions that remain for the upcoming season lay with Greivis Vasquez, who still doesn't know whether he's coming back to school for his senior season, and 6'9 power forward DeShawn Painter, who was granted a release from his letter of intent to Florida last week, and has scheduled a visit to Maryland. Any update on either of those will instantly be put here. 

(Photo Credit: montrosebasketball.com)

Xavier Henry is Attending Kansas

In the completely expected news department, top recruit Xavier Henry held a press conference today announcing his decision to attend the University of Kansas in the fall. Kansas was already supposed to be the best team in the nation, and adding Henry will only make them better. How this pertains to Maryland is through Lance Stephenson, who is expected to completely remove Kansas from his recruiting radar. 

Although Kentucky still has a puncher's chance, it's safe to say that Stephenson's decision has come down to either St. John's or Maryland, and it could very well be a 50-50 chance for both schools. It is unknown how much emphasis Stephenson is giving to Greivis Vasquez and his ongoing draft saga. It could go either way there: perhaps Stephenson wants Vasquez to go pro so he could be the lone star at Maryland next season, or perhaps Stephenson wants an elite point guard to get the ball to him. Either way, time is running out for Vasquez and Stephenson to make their final decisions, and I will be the first to let you know when it happens. 

ESPN: Maryland Number Two for Stephenson, One for Vinson

ESPN just launched their spring recruiting preview, in which they discussed the top remaining players in the country who have yet to sign to a school. Oft-talked about recruit Lance Stephenson checked in at the number 12 spot. Because ESPN, like many others, thinks that number three recruit Xavier Henry will commit to Kansas, they have the Jayhawks out of the running for Stephenson. However, they also have St. John's one-upping the Terrapins on the trail. If they had to pick a school today that Stephenson would end up, they say it would be the Red Storm. The Terps check in at the number two spot, though, so all hope should not be lost.

In another surprise, Maryland is said to be the most likely home for top 50 recruit Terrell Vinson next year. A 6'7 small forward who plays bigger than his size, Vinson hails from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, the same high school that produced current Terp Sean Mosley. Described as an Antoine Walker-like player, Vinson would be the third freshman that would compete for playing time as one of the bigs for the Terps.

Currently, with neither Williams nor Padgett being in the top 100 of prospects, Maryland's recruiting class is solid, but nothing to write home about. If the Terps were to land either Stephenson or Vinson, it would immediately put it as one of their best in recent memory. 

Events at Kentucky Could Lead to Stephenson at Maryland

Lance Stephenson has still not given any indication when he will announce what college he will attend next year. Before a solid showing at the McDonald's All-American game (12 points, six assists, three steals), the only thing Stephenson divulged to reporters were that his top three choices were still Kansas, Maryland and St. John's. 

He may be holding off because of reasons outside of his control. 

Coach John Calipari (pictured, left) leaving Memphis to go to Kentucky will shake up the entire recruiting world, and Stephenson is in the middle of that picture. 

Recruits typically choose a school in equal parts because of their relationship with the coaching staff and because of the school itself. So, when a coach goes, it is logical that the recruits for that school, especially if they were torn in their decision-making process to begin with, to attend their second choice school.

Enter Xavier Henry, widely considered to be the single best prospect coming out of high school this year. Henry is a 6'5 shooting guard, who committed to Memphis after limiting his choices down to Memphis and Kansas. Odds are Henry will no longer attend Memphis because of Calipari's absence. One of two choices are then logical for Henry: attend Kansas, his second choice school, or follow his desired coach to Kentucky. 

However, Henry may then look at Kentucky's roster and see that Jodie Meeks will likely return for his senior season. Jodie Meeks (pictured, right) is a 6'4 shooting guard who averaged 23.7 ppg last year. No matter how good Henry is, he's not starting over Meeks. Henry also has his reputation to consider: he's a "one and done" player (a player who only intends to play college ball for one year before leaving for the NBA), and he doesn't want to play second fiddle to anyone.

So, it is not unreasonable at all to say Henry ends up at Kansas. Well, if Kansas is bringing in one freshman 6'5 shooting guard in Henry, why bring in another one in Stephenson? This is not to mention Kansas's scholarship situation, and the fact they would have to force some transfers to make room for Stephenson on their roster in the first place. 

So, what then for Stephenson? It really leaves Maryland and St. John's, and Maryland is clearly in the lead there. The only other option for Stephenson is Kentucky, even though he neither looked at Kentucky nor Memphis previously. Calipari has that way, however, and will likely try to convince Stephenson to attend, especially if he loses Henry.

It's a domino effect from all over, but the bottom line to take from it all is that Maryland has a better shot of landing Stephenson than they did a week ago. Maybe even a good shot. 

(Photo Credits: AP)

Lance Stephenson to Delay Announcement

Tonight is the McDonald's All-American game, which shows off the best high school talent in the country. One player that will be participating is 6'5 shooting guard Lance Stephenson (read about him here) of Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, NY. Tonight is also the night when Stephenson was supposed to announce which college he will attend next year. He has decided to postpone that, however. Although neither Memphis nor Kentucky seemed to be a likely suitor, ESPN reports that Calipari's uncertain future with the Tigers could play a role. 

Right now, Stephenson has made it known that there are still three schools in the running - national powerhouse Kansas, local St. John's out of the Big East, and the somewhere in between University of Maryland. 

In early February, especially after his visit to campus to watch the Terps take down the Miami Hurricanes at home, Maryland was considered by many to be the favorite to land Stephenson. He was supposed to be the recruit that would "save Gary Williams' job," back when it seemed that Gary Williams' job needed saving. Players have openly talked about him; Greivis Vasquez got press (surprise) when he announced that if Stephenson came to Maryland, then Vasquez would be back for his senior season.

Since then, though, it appears that Kansas has overtaken Maryland as Stephenson's college of choice. As warm of a reception as Stephenson got at Maryland, he got a better one at Kansas. Stephenson has also said that the primary factor in his choice of school was his desire to win a national championship. Undoubtedly, Kansas is closer to that goal then Maryland at this point. St. John's is basically out of the running.

Right now, between message boards all over and small hints from Stephenson himself, I would put the percentages at: Kansas, 75%; Maryland, 20%; St. Johns, 5%. So no, I don't think that when Stephenson announces his choice, Maryland fans will be celebrating. I do stil think there's a shot, though. His mother has gone public and said that her choice for her son was Maryland. He fits into Gary Williams' style of play perfectly. He would be "that guy" at Maryland, whereas he would be just another great player at Kansas. He would be closer to home at Maryland. His high school teammate, James Padgett, has already committed to Maryland and wants Stephenson to join him. 

If Stephenson does become a Terp for next season, it will immediately make Maryland a top 25 team. A potential starting lineup of Greivis Vasquez, Lance Stephenson, Sean Mosley, Landon Milbourne, and Jordan Williams would be fast, strong, and very solid defensively. Stephenson and Vasquez could both average around 20 ppg for the season. It would be Maryland's highest rated recruit of the past ten years, with the possible exception of bust Mike Jones.

That being said, if Kansas is the choice, Maryland fans should not despair. It was a good sign that Maryland even got this far in the recruiting process, and shows that Gary still has pull when he really feels like it. This is not to mention Stephenson's alleged attitude problems, and the fact he is certainly a "one and done" player, and Williams likes recruiting four year players. This would also open up the team to recruit Baltimore product Terrell Vinson, a 6'7 foward who is a St. Frances product, the same high school Sean Mosley attended. Vinson still apparently has around 10 suitors, and Maryland is one of them. Without Stephenson, they will have the roster spot. 

I'll be following it, and you guys will know first thing where Stephenson ends up. If it happens, it will be great for the school. Don't get your hopes up too high, though. 

(Photo Credit: lance-stephenson.com ... yes, he has his own website)