Terps Hoop Scoop: Decision Time for Graham, Wave of New Offers & More
Class of 2021 forward James Graham was slated to commit on Monday at 10 a.m. CT before he announced a change of plans on Sunday evening.
My family and I have decided to move my decision back to Friday !
— no one (@JamesGrahamIII2) August 17, 2020
Maryland remained in a good spot last week after the four-star recruit announced his decision date. Maryland and Auburn continue to battle for Graham while the in-state Badgers, Auburn and Memphis hope to play spoiler and steal Mark Turgeon’s most prized target.
Graham would be Turgeon’s biggest win of the current recruiting cycle, as it would mean he not only beat out the aforementioned teams, but also Michigan State, Indiana, Oregon, Florida State, Marquette and plenty of others who showed interest, thanks in large part to being the first Power Conference program to offer him in May. The versatile 6-foot-9 forward was one of the most popular recruits in the country in the months following the nationwide shutdown, and he has all the makings of a top-50 recruit with NBA upside despite flying under the radar as a junior at Nicolet High (Wisc.), where he showed off his inside-out game and averaged 22 points per contest.
Graham would be the third player in Maryland’s 2021 class, joining Baltimore four-stars Ike Cornish and Julian Reese. The Terps are also looking to add a shooting guard, and Taine Murray, an 18-year-old from New Zealand, appears to be the staff’s top priority there. Murray named a top-3 of Maryland, Virginia and Stanford last week, and he was added to the New Zealand Breakers development roster for the upcoming season not long after that which could help the Cavaliers’ chances, given that they entered his recruitment late and don’t have any scholarships available this year. As previously reported, Murray could graduate from high school and enroll at a college this December, and Maryland and Stanford both have room to take him early, but there doesn’t seem to be a ton of upside in him doing that now that the college basketball season is up in the air and he can continue to improve his game with the Breakers.
The @NZBreakers have added promising local youngster, Taine Murray (@MurrayTaine) to their squad as a development player ahead of #NBL21 🏀🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/xs6En2xsEh
— NBL (@NBL) August 12, 2020
Maryland also handed out offers to four class of 2022 guards this week. At least three of the backcourt targets were identified by Matt Brady, who’s done an impressive job scouting since joining the Terps staff as an assistant a few years ago.
Donald Hand Jr., whose dad played at Virginia, was the first to receive a call. Hand is a 6-foot-5, 180 pound combo guard from Landstown High (Va.) who is reportedly being prioritized by Maryland, Louisville, Cincinnati, LSU, Virginia Tech, Clemson, VCU, Duquesne, ODU, Ohio St, USF and Penn State. Virginia would presumably be the team to beat in his recruitment, but they haven’t offered yet, opening the door for the Terps and others to make a push for the nation’s 67th-best player in the 2022 class*. Brady and Hand Sr., for what it’s worth, are both New Jersey natives.
Brady, the point-man in Aquan Smart’s recruitment, also returned to Chicago to offer class of 2022 shooting guard Kam Craft. Craft is a 6-foot-6 sharpshooter who became the fastest player in school history to reach 1,000 points this past season, averaging 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2 steals as a sophomore at Buffalo Grove HS (Ill.). His dad played basketball at VMI and was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 11th round of the MLB Draft, while his mom hooped at Concord University in West Virginia. He holds offers from Maryland, Nebraska, DePaul, Drake and UIC but has yet to receive much attention from national recruiting services.
Jazian Gortman, who ESPN recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi called the breakout performer of the summer, was offered by the Terps this week as well. Gortman is a 6-foot-1 combo guard from Keenan High (SC) who averaged 17 points per game as a sophomore and can make shots at all three levels. He was tracking as a mid-major prospect in the spring, but his recruitment is heating up with Maryland, Clemson, Ole Miss and South Carolina all entering the mix within the last month. Before the recent surge, Wake Forest was the only Power Conference program to offer.
The final player to receive an offer was Quadir Copeland, a Philadelphia native who spent last season at Gettysburg Area High (Pa.). Copeland is a 6-foot-5, 175 pound combo guard with offers from Maryland, Penn State, Miami, Oregon and La Salle. The 16-year-old grew five inches last offseason, and led his team to an undefeated season as a junior, averaging 22.1 points, 11 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He could end up the best prospect of the bunch if he keeps developing.
Basketball & recruiting writer