Maryland BB Scoop #9: Willard, and some....

[keithbooth22]

Maryland Basketball Scoop: The latest on Kevin Willard, a top portal prospect, a new name and more​

What's the latest on Kevin Willard as the Terps depart for Seattle? Which transfer portal prospect could become a Terp if one thing is resolved? Plus, a new name on the recruiting Wishlist and more scoop ...​

What's the latest on Kevin Willard as the Terps depart for Seattle? Which transfer portal prospect could become a Terp if one thing is resolved? Plus, a new name on the recruiting Wishlist and more scoop ...

It's unclear how far talks between Kevin Willard and Damon Evans have gotten, but they'll have to be shelved for now. Willard and his team departed today at 10 a.m. for Seattle and their NCAA Tournament meeting with Grand Canyon University on Friday. Again, it sounds like they'll reach common ground, and I don't think Willard wants to (or will) leave, but it's been an open secret that he doesn't believe the program is funded like it should be in order to continue to climb nationally. I wrote more on this earlier this week:

Program insiders have said for some time that Willard doesn't believe Maryland is operated like a basketball school in terms of investment in the program. He'd like AD Damon Evans to invest more money in basketball. The athletic department has been planning to give about 14 million of its revenue-sharing cash to football, largely because it has a roster to pay that's about seven times as large as basketball's roster and many of its Big Ten peers have more.
"That's basically the rift," another source said.
With his team having a big season, vaulting Maryland back to the national spotlight, Willard has a lot of leverage and seems to be using it to get more resources for his program. My gut feeling based on multiple conversations today is a deal will get done before they head out. But that's a short time window. If Villanova job is filled, that could make it less urgent, though his name could always pop up for other jobs. Northwestern's Chris Collins, UCLA's Mick Cronin and VCU's Ryan Odom have all been reported as top candidates.

To reiterate, it's unlikely Willard is going anywhere, but he will need some assurances about resources and Damon Evans is working hard to make him happy. I don't expect more news to come out until after the first weekend of the tourney, but you never know. I'll report if I get more substantive information, but I'm not going to make this a story during the NCAA Tournament otherwise.

Maryland hasn't been doing a ton with Class of high school prospects (there are exceptions), focusing more on the portal. But there's a new name on their list:

A new name was thrown into the mix for the 2025 class. on Tuesday: former Indiana commit Harun Zrno, according to 247Sports' Dushawn London.

Zrno, a 6-7 small forward from Bosnia, hasn't been rated yet by 247sport, but he's a shooter and Maryland needs one or two of those. We'll monitor how serious the interest is.

Maryland is high on Drexel transfer Kobe Magee and the interest is mutual, but a source close to Magee said he has to navigate some transcript red tape that could affect which schools he can go to. Among the others interested: Kansas, Syracuse, Texas, Clemson and Wake Forest. If the transcript works, he could become a Terp. But I don't know how much they'll focus on that right now, of course.

It's unclear if Maryland will be seriously interested in Blake Harper, the star freshman from Gonzaga (D.C.) who most assume will enter the portal. They could make a run at him if he does and I can't speak for Kevin Willard and his staff, but it seems like Magee would be higher on their list. Sports Illustrated Kevin Sweeney wrote an excellent profile about how Harper stayed under the radar as a recruit and is now "One of the Most Tampered-With Players in College Basketball."

Those reaching out range from some of the biggest agencies in basketball, like CAA and Klutch Sports Group, to "little ticky-tack agents" trying to find a niche in the NIL world.
"Agents try to say, 'Oh yeah, take a call with me, I'm here for you,'" Blake Harper says. "Just hearing different people that had never met me talking to me like they were my big brother and like, I should trust them with my life and my financial records. It's kind of funny to hear it coming from somebody I've never met before and not knowing [any] background. You don't know what they could do with your life."
The dangled financial promises that have become a regular part of agents' pitches to athletes don't resonate as much with the Harpers. Snupe Harper being a longtime high school coach in the area gives him a better understanding of the current landscape than many other players' parents going through similar circumstances. He says any agent who comes to the table just talking about how much Blake can earn next year isn't going to move the needle.

A source said Howard is trying to raise money to keep him. He could command a payday in the high six figures.

It's the best time of the year, with March Madness underway and the portal season about to heat up. Speaking of the tournament, join the IMS Radio Bracket Challenge!