Maryland making a big impression on prized Baltimore native Chase Foster
Maryland basketball is prioritizing one of the highest-rated forwards in the 2026 class (38th ranked player in the country, according to 247 Sports). Foster said the Terrapins are at the top of his list. It's a potential perfect match.
Chase Foster used to come home from basketball tournaments in tears.
Despite often being the tallest kid on the court, he found himself riding the bench for Team Takeover. At the time, he wasn't taking the game seriously enough and lacked the necessary development. That frustration spurred a change: Foster switched AAU teams and now he's one of the top basketball prospects in the country,
"I wasn't good at all. It kind of took me a while," Foster admitted. "I was a late bloomer for sure. When I was younger, I didn't really have the confidence to go out and play."
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Maryland basketball is prioritizing one of the highest-rated forwards in the 2026 class (38th ranked player in the country, according to 247 Sports). Foster said the Terrapins are at the top of his list. It's a potential perfect match.
The 6-foot-10 hybrid forward has developed into a versatile player who fits Maryland's system well. Coaches at IMG Academy believe he can guard positions one through five. Foster models his game after NBA forwards Paolo Banchero and Jalen Smith.
Unfortunately, his junior season at IMG Academy has been derailed by a hand injury he suffered on his birthday. Before the injury, he played in just three games, averaging 16.7 points per game.
Adjusting to life at a basketball powerhouse like IMG was a significant transition for Foster. He grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, attending Edmondson-Westside High School, a school of about 800 students. He won two consecutive state championships with the Red Storm.
"The 6-foot-10 sophomore embodies the buzzwords that scouts live by: potential and upside," Colby Giacubeno wrote last year. "His size, skill, and versatility are extremely rare in prospects his age. With each viewing, his potential is turning into production."
For a player whose ranking has been fueled by his physical attributes and upside, IMG offered an ideal environment to translate promise into production.
"The facilities blew my mind. Playing on a national schedule, I wanted to be on that stage and show everybody what I could do," Foster said.
