Reese met with Willard yesterday and can confidently say he is 100% on board for next season. Shouldn't be anymore question as to whether or not he is returning moving forward.

This is HUGE news as he was basically the best and biggest returning piece for next year's team. He AVERAGED nearly a double-double at 13.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and was among the national leaders in double-doubles last season. He is also likely the league's premier returning rim protector/shot blocker after averaging 1.9 blocks per game. (Edey is gone and Omoruyi is in the portal).

And while I do get it, he has some flaws, he is a major piece, especially for a team that relies on defense. The addition of McDonald's All-American Derik Queen should help with end-of-game situations as he was an excellent FT shooter this season.

But with Queen, Rice and now Reese all fully on board, they can put all of their focus on landing an elite PG and a wing that can shoot the ball.

Obviously we continue to wait with regards to Gillespie but again, the longer his recruitment goes on, the less confident I feel about Maryland landing him.

But we now have local Malik Mack in the portal. He's a WCAC kid that went to St. John's (Plank's alma mater) and has a Maryland logo tattoo (and we are talking the old M Flag logo of the Gary glory years) and was Ivy frosh of the year at Harvard.

Guys like JMU's Terrence Edwards Jr. and Bradley's Connor Hickman have also just entered the portal. And again, more will be joining in the coming days.

Then for big wings that can shoot the three guys like Belmont's Cade Tyson have recently entered the portal. There are and will be tons of options and it is just about the best fits and getting as many productive guys as possible for next season.

Why are they playing on a Wednesday night?

Officially a Terp!!🐢🏀
Says he chose Terps over OU, UF and UVA
2-years of eligibility left

Here is the latest I'm hearing with regards to the men's hoops team.

- As I mentioned earlier in the week, I still fully expect Rodney Rice to end up a Terp. As I had initially mentioned when Mike Jones got the ODU job, everything I had been told was that Rice had no interest in playing down a level and joining Jones in Norfolk and that remained the case throughout. I became a bit skeptical when I found out that Jones was hiring Matt Hodge's father, but nothing changed with Rice. Terps had a few things working in their favor and again, it seems like this should get done sooner than later. In Rice, they would be getting a player with P5 experience who is known as a shooter. I do not see him as a lead guard at this level, but I think he can be a very good wing guard and he's big enough I think you could even throw him out there in a three guard lineup. Obviously, there are some questions considering how little game experience he has over the past two seasons and the fact that he basically just worked out with trainers this season, but he is talented and should help upgrade the overall talent level in the backcourt. He would have three years of eligibility remaining.

- Belmont transfer Ja'Kobi Gillespie is currently on a visit to Maryland which began yesterday afternoon and from what I can gather, assuming everything goes well, there is an excellent chance that he too could be a Terp in the coming days. He is another combo guard that would have multiple years of eligibility. At 6-foot-1, he's on the smaller side, but I don't know how much of a concern that should really be considering he shot 66%(!!!) from inside the arc and just shy of 39% from beyond the arc. He really did it all for the Bruins, averaging 3.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He is also an excellent perimeter defender, as he averaged 2.2 steals per game (which ranked top-25 nationally). It needs to be said, he is one of the highest rated players in the portal and has a laundry list of schools that have shown interest. ESPN has him ranked as the 16th best player currently in the portal and he's heard from schools like Alabama, Kansas, UCLA, Indiana and Florida. The feeling around this one is that the Terps should be able to close quickly with a strong visit. But if he is to leave without committing and we don't hear anything for several days, that could mean he is planning other visits and the likelihood he chooses Maryland goes down. But again, as of now, don't know of any other plans and there is definitely a belief among quite a few that the Terps can pull this one off.

- I know I've mentioned Ace Baldwin until I'm blue in the face and I'm sure most of you have picked up on why. There has been a ton of smoke with regards to Ace and Maryland going back to last offseason. It is still the belief among many that he is going to enter the portal at some point in the coming days/weeks and if he does, he will shoot right to the top of the list of best players available. IF the Terps were to miss on Gillespie and IF Baldwin does enter the portal, I think the Terps have an excellent chance with the current PSU lead guard. But like last offseason, this just might be a case of bad timing, where if you are Maryland, you have to take the big-time lead guard with multiple years of eligibility that you can get now and can't afford to wait around for a guy you might get in the future (bird in hand) and will have every blue blood suitor under the sun. The big question would be: could they possibly land Baldwin ALONG with Rice and Gillespie? I don't think so, but if they were to already have two committed and a 3rd became available, you need to at least shoot your shot, IMO. Plenty of teams play a three-guard lineup, so it is certainly doable, but the question really becomes how likely is it that two guards like Gillespie and Baldwin could a. play together and b. would even want to play alongside each other. That would probably be a tough sell.

- There is still some talk about Dug McDaniel and even Baldwin's backcourt mate at PSU Kanye Cleary as possibilities for Maryland, but I just don't really see either of those happening. Both proven scorers at the Big Ten level but both have serious holes/flaws.

- Another big need for the Terps continues to be a 3pt shooting wing forward. I know I've mentioned LSU's Tyrell Ward and Syracuse's Chris Bell, but as of now, neither has entered the portal. Unfortunately, guys like this don't grow on trees. Should anyone in this mold enter the portal in the coming days, I would expect Maryland would not only monitor, but likely offer some of these guys.

That's what I've got for now. Very good chance they have added two huge pieces in the backcourt by this time next week, both with multiple years of eligibility. That would be an excellent start to the offseason.

Edit to add: I almost forgot to mention that Stink Norris is already out recruiting in his Terps gear. Again, no official announcement just yet, but it should be coming very soon. And again, I know I somewhat touched on this before, but looking ahead to future recruiting classes, one player that he is likely to be the lead on moving forward is top 2025 target Cam Ward. Norris and Team Durant's Dwayne Wise go way back and are childhood friends.

Living on the edge. Didn’t close out the 9th, behind in the 10th. Martin with a 2 RBI single to win it.

Incredible video of the bridge collapse after being struck by a container ship. Most of the main span went down. As of now there is little info about casualties, hopefully not too many. This will impact the entire area for a long period.

Sorry to hear about the bridge collapse. Sending prayers and well wishes your way from Gopherland.

ATLANTA – Junior guard Shyanne Sellers of the Maryland women's basketball team was one of 52 players in the country named a WBCA Division I Coaches' All-America finalist Tuesday.

Sellers (Aurora, Ohio) was named an All-Big Ten First Team honoree for the second straight season. She led the Terrapins in scoring with 15.6 points per game, in assists (5.5 apg) and in steals (1.3 (spg). Sellers was second on the team in rebounds (5.8 rpg).

Sellers, who was a Preseason All-Big Ten honoree, scored in double figures in 26 of her 32 games played this season. She picked up four double-doubles on the year and was named to the Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Roll twice. She was also named to the Naismith, Lieberman and Wooden Award Watch Lists.

Sellers, a communication major, is currently top 20 in the country in free throws made (157) and top 50 in the nation in free throw percentage this season (84.9%). Her career free throw percentage of 81.7% is No. 2 in Maryland history, behind just Kristi Toliver (86.6%). Sellers is No. 25 in the nation in assists per game. She currently has 396 career assists, which is No. 15 in Maryland history.

Maryland earned its 14th straight NCAA Tournament bid under head coach Brenda Frese last week. The Terrapins have earned 20 NCAA Tournament bids in Frese's 22 years in College Park.

Someone on another site is reporting that Keven Plank has made a significant contribution to the football NIL.

This story breaking tonight is crazy. Sounds like he may have fled to the Caribbean.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – University of Maryland head football coach Michael Locksley announced today that Damien Wroblewski has joined the Terrapins coaching staff. Wroblewski will serve as Maryland's Assistant Offensive Line Coach.

Wroblewski, a veteran coach with 25 years of college football coaching experience, arrives at Maryland after five seasons as an offensive line coach at James Madison, including three as Associate Head Coach for Offense.

“To be able to add someone with Damien’s experience both coaching on the line and developing offensive talent across the board is big for us,” said Locksley. “He has a tremendous track record of success everywhere he’s been. We’ve improved greatly along the offensive line over the past few seasons and now having Damien working alongside Coach Braswell, our players will be able to learn from a pair of coaches that are exceptional in teaching fundamentals and technique.”

Wroblewski’s coaching career also includes stops at Elon (2014-18), Rutgers (2012-13), Delaware (2007-2011), Stony Brook (2006), Hofstra (2004-05), Penn (2002-03) and Bryant (1999-02). Over five seasons at James Madison, he coached four players to a combined five All-America honors and six linemen to a collective eight all-conference accolades. He also helped produce a pair of Touchdown Club of Richmond Offensive Linemen of the Year in Liam Fornadel (2019) and Nick Kidwell (2021).

As James Madison made its FBS debut in 2022, his line aided JMU in ranking top-30 nationally in six offensive categories. The Dukes were sixth in time of possession (33:44), seventh in yards per completion (14.54), 13th in scoring (37.0), 16th in pass efficiency (157.2), 29th in total offense (452.5) and 30th in passing touchdowns (27).

The 2023 FBS season was even better for James Madison and Wroblewski as they started the season 10-0 thanks to a high-powered offense. Wroblewski served as James Madison’s acting head coach for the Duke’s 2023 Armed Forces Bowl and the Dukes finished the season 11-2.

During Wroblewski’s final two seasons at Elon in 2017 and 2018, his offensive line propelled the Phoenix offense to greater heights, leading to a pair of FCS Playoff appearances. In 2018, he guided a pair of seniors to All-America status in Oli Udoh and CJ Toogood. Udoh also shined at both the East-West Shrine Bowl and Reese’s Senior Bowl to earn a spot at the 2019 NFL Combine.

Wroblewski also experienced a high level of success at Rutgers. In his two seasons in Piscataway, Wroblewski coached three linemen to all-conference accolades. Antwan Lowery was a First Team All-Big East honoree and Kaleb Johnson earned a Second Team spot in 2012. In the program’s inaugural year in the American Athletic Conference in 2013, Betim Bujari was Second Team All-AAC at center. Johnson later moved on to the NFL, beginning his pro career in Baltimore in 2015. In 2012, Rutgers allowed just eight sacks all year, ranking eighth in the FBS.

At Delaware, where he was also assistant head coach for four years, Wroblewski mentored three All-Americans, including center Kheon Hendricks, and worked with future NFL linemen Gino Gradkowski, Mike Byrne and Shea Allard. The offense churned out three 1,000-yard rushers during his five-year stint. The Blue Hens reached the National Championship game in 2007 and 2010. With quarterback Joe Flacco, Delaware’s offense led the conference in scoring offense, passing offense and total offense in 2007.

Locksley has also announced the addition of Casey Wasserman to the Maryland staff. Wasserman, who has spent the last year-and-a-half with the Tennessee Titans, will serve as the Terps Coordinator of Scouting.

COLLEGE PARK, MD – Maryland men’s basketball head coach Kevin Willard announced today the hiring of Kevin Norris as assistant coach. Norris, a Baltimore native, has spent the last eight years as an assistant under Johnny Dawkins at UCF.

While at UCF, Norris helped the Knights to a 148-103 overall record and was a key figure in the program achieving its first-ever at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.

“We are excited to add Kevin to our staff,” said Willard. “He is a veteran coach who understands how to develop players and is a tenacious recruiter.”

In addition to his time on the UCF staff, Norris has also coached at USC (2013-16), FGCU (2011-13), UNC Wilmington (2010-11), and Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2008-10). He began his coaching career in 2007-08 at Tallahassee Community College. Along with Dawkins, Norris has served under Andy Enfield (USC/FGCU), Buzz Peterson (UNC Wilmington), and was a standout player for Leonard Hamilton at Miami from 1995-98.

Along with the NCAA Tournament berth, Norris also helped UCF reach the NIT twice (2016-17, semifinalists; 2022-23). Both the 2016-17 and 2018-19, saw UCF post 24 wins which totaled the fourth most in program history. This past season, UCF’s first in the Big 12, the Knights picked up ranked wins over No. 3 Kansas, No. 23 Oklahoma, and No. 23 Texas Tech.

During his time in Los Angeles with Enfield, Norris helped USC reach the NCAA Tournament in 2015-16 with the program’s first 20-win season since 2009.

Norris was also with Enfield for perhaps one of the most famous NCAA March Madness moments when FGCU burst onto the scene as “Dunk City” during the 2013 NCAA Tournament. The 15th-seeded Eagles, making their first tournament appearance in program history, shocked No. 2 seed Georgetown and then defeated No. 7 seed San Diego State to become the first-ever 15 seed to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

Norris began his coaching career at Tallahassee Community College in 2007-08, then spent two seasons (2008-10) as an assistant coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He then assisted Buzz Peterson at UNC Wilmington during the 2010-11 season.

Norris was a standout point guard at Miami, where he played for then-Hurricanes’ coach Leonard Hamilton. He was a four-year letterwinner (1995-98) and the only player to lead Miami in assists for four straight seasons. Norris still holds the Miami record for career steals (208), sits second in career assists (493) and ranks fourth in career starts (108). During his senior season in 1998, he helped lead the Hurricanes to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1960. Norris was also listed on the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team as a freshman.

Following his collegiate career, Norris played professionally in Italy, France and the Czech Republic, as well as in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Calgary Drillers.

While the Women have now risen to #1 in the polls

The Men have dropped out of the Top 10

So heading to ND weeks ago, we were all set to win and be #1 and kablooey we got our ass kicked and have not recovered with only an OT win over 1-6 Brown, that just won their first game by a goal.

WTF has happened?

Scott
What the hell is going on with the program? Lot's of discontentment ? Reese leaving or not even playing? If any is true what does this do for Queen? Know this is a difficult subject but that is one of the reasons I, at least, subscribe.
Appreciate your insights..

Ian has the last 11 for Utah State, how is your view from the toilet?

OTOH, you BFF Carey really tearing it up for the Maine Celtics, shooting 21% from 3!!

Well, the first domino has fallen and Rodney Rice is officially a Terp, as expected.

At 6-foot-4 and known as a three-point shooter/scorer, I see Rice playing off the ball as they continue to search for more of a true point guard.

But make no mistake, this kid can score the basketball and he should absolutely help improve what was one of the worst 3pt% in the country. He went for double figures at Duke a couple of seasons ago while going 3-5 from deep and went for 17 pts vs. NCSU while going 5-7 from deep. But they will need a PG who can shoot it from deep at a decent clip and I still think they need to find at the very least a backup 3/4 who is a three-point specialist. I know they reached out to St. Louis' Gibson Jimerson, a career 40% three-point shooter who's from Virginia and has good size at 6-foot-5. So I still think a PG and another wing that can shoot it are likely.

This is a nice first piece though, for sure. But again, need to keep adding if they want to have a team that likely isn't sweating it out on Selection Sunday next year. But based on the moves made so far, feel good about them making the right moves this offseason and having a team that gets back to playing Maryland basketball.

STORY

Did Long tear his ACL? If so, does that make it difficult if not impossible to enter the portal (teams will not want to take the chance plus he needs extensive rehab)? Also, wouldn't he and Jordan need a waiver unless they are grad students to transfer since they each transferred once already? Any idea if Peirce is leaving? Thanks!

My Louisville friends are distraught, they wanted May.

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First domino, let's keep it going.

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