Spring Recruiting Notes

Hey guys, today I'm basically going to rehash some stuff I've seen recently on Recruiting Report and give my own spin. Don't mistake that for me taking credit for the work (good work, Matt Bracken).

FOOTBALL

Maryland picked up a 2009 commitment from QB C. J. Brown from Pennsylvania last week. He hasn't shown up in an position rankings yet, but it's still early. The good news is the kid has lineage - his father Clark was a QB at Michigan State. He's got 4.65 speed as well, which is nothing to sneeze at. See the full story on Recruiting Report.

Also, I can't end this section without somehow mentioning Michael Campanaro's decision to attend Wake Forest in 2009. All I can say is that someone from River Hill would go to such a WASPy school - one where a friend of mine who attends there admits, "The only black people who go here are athletes." Obiviously, that's an exaggeration, but still:

Wake Forest University rankings in Princeton Review:
- No. 7 for least race/class interaction
- No. 18 for least diverse
- No. 8 for "jock schools"
- This classic student desciption (a must-read)

Boo Wake, boo River Hill (That's just high school loyalties, sorry). They do have really nice landscaping, though.

BASKETBALL

I'm not sure how up to date you guys are about Bobby Maze, but it seems like he's officially a no-go for Maryland, which makes sense when you consider how many freakin' guards are still on the team. A Wichita State blog has an article about Maze possibly becoming a Shocker (trying not to make an inappropriate reference here, but young people, smile while you read "Shocker"). That's a tough fall from ACC school to Missouri Valley Conference, not to mention from Terp to Shocker. But he might get more floor time - he could be a star there.

The Maryland women also picked up a recruit, but this one is coming here in 2008: Jackie Nared, a swingwoman from Oregon. Her dad, Greg, played basketball here in the 80s. The one troubling thing I find is that Nared only had one other scholarship offer at San Diego State, so it's possible that Nared might've earned a ticket here partially on a "legacy" basis. But she sounds good, so we'll see how she develops next fall. Check out the video:



Overall, the class is not looking as strong as the classes of the last three or four years, but there is plenty of reason to feel good about it: One is a Parade and McDonald's All-American, another was JuCo Player of the Year and only lost one game last year, and Nared rounds out the class. This group, along with Drey Mingo, will hopefully replace some of the production in the frontcourt lost by the graduation of Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper. And trust me, that can be a steep drop if they don't adjust their games to the college level quickly.

Also worth mentioning: Kat Lyons, a freshman guard, is transferring schools after this semester. That's what happens when people don't play, and underclassmen hardly played at all last season. Lyons averaged 9 minutes per game in the 24 contests she played in last year, but that might be misleading - her time was cut as time went on. Overall, I don't think Maryland should be terribly hurt by her loss.

Fun fact: In the seven-player rotation this past season, composed entirely of juniors and seniors, six of those players played more minutes than all freshmen minutes combined, and the other player, Jade Perry, was pretty close to that mark.

That's recruiting for ya. Keep it real and keep it current.

Photo Credit: Scout.com, DCBasketCase bloggers