Turgeon Still Hoping For Long Postseason Run At Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Maryland manager Mark Turgeon has a roster that successful galore ways reflects the caller mean successful assemblage basketball.

His person successful minutes past play near aboriginal for the NBA. Another starter departed arsenic a transfer. But the Terrapins added respective transfers of their own, and with Eric Ayala and Donta Scott returning, it volition beryllium up to Turgeon to marque definite this radical of players forms a bully mix.

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“The (transfer) portal was bully for america past year. The twelvemonth earlier it wasn’t rather arsenic bully for us. It’s portion of our game,” Turgeon said. “We privation to blend it. We inactive privation to motion immoderate precocious schoolhouse players, but we privation to marque definite we tin adhd players to marque america good.”

Maryland went 17-14 past season, and the Terps were each spot arsenic inconsistent arsenic that grounds suggests. They won astatine Illinois but mislaid astatine Northwestern and Penn State. They reached the NCAA Tournament and bushed Connecticut earlier bowing retired successful a blowout nonaccomplishment to second-seeded Alabama.

The Terps person won astatine slightest 23 games successful 5 of the past 7 seasons, missing the NCAA Tournament lone erstwhile successful that span–not counting the twelvemonth the lawsuit was called disconnected due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic. But Maryland has reached the Sweet 16 conscionable erstwhile nether Turgeon and hasn’t gone further.

“I’m a blessed guy,” said Turgeon, who is entering his 11th play arsenic the team’s coach. “At immoderate point, I’m going to beryllium blessed capable to marque a tally successful the NCAA Tournament. We’ve been truly consistent.”

The Terrapins person to regenerate defender Aaron Wiggins, who started 30 games past play earlier leaving for the NBA draft. Guard Darryl Morsell transferred to Marquette.

Maryland welcomes respective transfers to the fold this year, including guardant Qudus Wahab from Georgetown and defender Fatts Russell from Rhode Island.

PRESEASON RANKING

The Terrapins are ranked No. 21 successful the preseason AP Top 25, the fifth-highest squad successful the Big Ten.

TOP HOLDOVERS

The 6-foot-5 Ayala is backmost aft starring the squad with 15.1 points per crippled past season. Scott, a 6-foot-7 forward, besides returns aft averaging 11 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds.

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DIFFICULT OFFSEASON

Scott’s puerility location successful Philadelphia was precocious destroyed by Hurricane Ida. Around $60,000 was raised to assistance his household recover.

“Terp Nation stepped up done a GoFundMe, did large things for their family,” Turgeon said. “Really arrogant of our instrumentality basal and what they were capable to do.”

Scott said the effect amazed him.

“I didn’t expect it to beryllium that large of a number,” helium said. “Just seeing that radical were consenting to give, it meant much than money.”

RIVALRY

The Terrapins dropped 3 games against Big Ten champion Michigan past season, and their matchups turned contentious astatine times. An altercation involving some coaches during a Big Ten Tournament crippled led to the ejection of Michigan’s Juwan Howard and a method foul connected Turgeon. The information that Wolverines prima Hunter Dickinson is from the Washington, D.C. country lone adds to the intrigue.

Michigan does not play astatine College Park this season, but the Terps sojourn the Wolverines connected Jan. 18.

SCHEDULE

The remainder of Maryland’s docket includes a Dec. 1 location crippled against Virginia Tech, a matchup with Florida successful New York connected Dec. 12 and a travel to the Bahamas successful precocious November. No. 7 Purdue, the different Big Ten squad successful the preseason apical 10 on with No. 6 Michigan, doesn’t travel to College Park either.

The Terps unfastened the play against Quinnipiac connected Nov. 9.

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