Bob Haynie: The Future Is Bright For Turgeon's Terps
The University of Maryland's men's basketball season came to an end on Sunday night with a 69-59 loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers. The defeat in Columbus, Ohio prevented the Terps from getting to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003.
Although the finish was disappointing for Head Coach Mark Turgeon and his team, the future looks quite positive for Maryland hoops moving forward.
Turgeon will lose seniors Dez Wells, Evan Smotrycz, Jon Graham and Richaud Pack, among others. Luckily, there is still plenty of talent on the roster. Of course, I am going to assume that Melo Trimble returns for his sophomore year and Jake Layman will play his senior season in College Park.
A big addition for Maryland next season will be Georgia Tech transfer Robert Carter, Jr. Carter, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward, averaged 11.4 points and 8.4 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets as a sophomore. Thanks to him, Maryland will no longer be offensively challenged in the paint. Michal Cekovsky will be entering his sophomore season and expectations should be high for him. We saw of glimpse of his skillset in 2015. With some added bulk on that 7-foot frame, he'll be tough to deal with. Damonte Dodd will be a junior and is expected to continue to improve his game.
Let's not forget that Maryland is still in the running for 6-foot-11 Yankuba Sima and 6-foot-10 Diamond Stone. The Terps are expected to snag one of them according to our friend Keith Cavanaugh of Terrapin Times.
Guard Jaylen Brantley signed with Maryland out of the JUCO ranks and will provide outside shooting and ball handling help for the next three years. Also expect Turgeon to bring in a small forward with athleticism and a veteran fifth-year guard like he did with Logan Aronhalt and Pack.
Jared Nickens and Dion Wiley will be sophomores and will see their roles expand. Ivan Bender will be ready to roll, as well, after recovering from knee surgery. Bender is a 6-foot-9 stretch forward who could be a versatile weapon in 2015-16.
All in all, the 2014-15 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball season was a fun and memorable ride.
It's exciting to know that the best is still yet to come for Mark Turgeon and the Terps.
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