Maryland Basketball Recruiting: Damonte Dodd Won't Enroll, Headed To Massanutten Military Academy, According To Report

Damonte Dodd, a 6-foot-9 center, won't be playing for Mark Turgeon and the Maryland Terrapins this season. Instead, the Centreville, Md., native will attend Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia and enroll at Maryland in 2013, according to a report by Pete Medhurst of 106.7 The Fan. The three-star prospect, per Rivals.com, will then be eligible to play for the Terps for the 2013-2014 season.

"Its great to have Dodd coming aboard. He will be a big help for us and a lot of great potential to get even better and help Maryland in 2013," said Massanutten head coach Chad Myers, who led the program to a 28-8 overall mark last season.

In his first season with Massanutten, Myers sent seven players to Division I schools in Corban Collins (LSU), Terry Brutus (Mississippi), Bryan Harris and Zac Grossenbacher (Wofford), Cody Joyce (Houston Baptist), Cam Jones (Kennesaw State) and Cam Neysmith (Charleston Southern). Three others also signed with Division 2 and NAIA programs.

For more news and analysis on the Terps, head on over to Testudo Times, SB Nation's Maryland blog.

Maryland Basketball Recruiting: Terrapins Recruit Jake Layman Named To Team USA U-18 Team

A Maryland Terrapin recruit has received some good news about being able to show his abilities on a world stage as Jake Layman was named to the USA U-18 Basketball team according to Ben Standig of CSN Washington.

Layman, a native of Wrentham, Mass., and member of the 2012 recruiting class that has Maryland fans buzzing. He is a 6-foot-8 power forward that will play for the team of amateur all-stars that will be coached by Florida head coach Billy Donovan.

During his senior season at King Phillip Regional High School, Layman averaged 24.9 points and 13.6 rebounds per game.

Three players on the U-18 team will hail from the D.C. area, as Jerami Grant and James Robinson of Dematha made the squad in addition to Nate Britt of Gonzaga College High School. The team will compete in a worldwide tournament in Sao Sebastiáo do Paraiso, Brazil June 16-20.

For more news and analysis on the Terps, head on over to Testudo Times.

Maryland Officially Announces Logan Aronhalt Transfer

The University of Maryland has officially announced that Logan Aronhalt has transferred to the school from the University of Albany. The Baltimore Sun and InsideMDSports.com reported that Aronhalt had decided to play in College Park Sunday evening.

Aronhalt took a medical redshirt in his freshman year, 2008-09, and is eligible to play immediately for Mark Turgeon's Terrapins as a graduate transfer.

Here's CSNWashington.com's Ben Standig on Maryland's latest addition:

Last season Aronhalt averaged 13.8 points and shot 35.5 percent from beyond the arc. He scored 13 points against Maryland on December 28 in the Terps 83-72 win over the Great Danes. During the 2010-11 campaign, the off-guard averaged a career-best 14.6 points and 4.7 rebounds ...

Aronhalt offers Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon a needed experienced option in the backcourt. Junior Pe'Shon Howard is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in February. Rising sophomore Nick Faust, who spent time at both guard spots last season, likely inherits one starting slot. Incoming freshmen Seth Allen and Sam Cassell Jr. offer additional depth.

For more news and analysis on the Terps, head on over to Testudo Times.

Maryland Basketball Recruiting: Albany Transfer Logan Aronhalt Commits To Terps, According To Report

The Maryland Terrapins received some recruiting news on Sunday afternoon, as former Albany shooting guard Logan Aronhalt committed to the Terps, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Aronhalt was a two-time team captain for the Great Danes where he averaged 11.6 points per game and 3.6 rebounds. His decision wasn't purely over basketball, as the report indicates that the redshirt junior has already graduated Magna Cum Lade from Albany with a degree in human biology while achieving a GPA of 3.78. He found Maryland's kinesology program was also a plus as he is trying to earn his master's degree.

He is expected to compete for playing time at the shooting guard position, however he is still recovering from off-season knee surgery. It will be interesting to see what kind of contributions he will be able to provide.

For more news and analysis on the Maryland Terps, head on over to Testudo Times.

Maryland Basketball Recruiting: Sam Cassell Jr. Officially Commits To Maryland

The tumultuous recruitment saga of Sam Cassell, Jr. is officially over, as the sought after high school guard has officially committed to play for Maryland. Cassell Jr. was in town to play in the 39th Capital Classic, the annual game highlighting local and high school stars, with past rosters littered with distinguished names such as Patrick Ewing and Michael Jordan.

Via CSNwashington.com's Ben Standig:

During the player introduction, the public address announcer _ ironically, Georgetown's radio play-by-play voice Rich Chvotkin _ added a note onto the Baltimore product's bio beyond his high school accomplishments. Next season, Cassell would play in College Park.

"I was thinking about it a lot like the whole the week, but I decided I was going to announce it [here] yesterday," Cassell said after scoring 12 points, including eight straight during a second quarter perimeter barrage.

After announcing that he would be attending Maryland a month ago, Cassell Jr. pulled back from that commitment and visited a few other schools, including Pittsburgh and South Florida. Ultimately, the 6-foot-3 guard returned to his original choice, which should greatly please make fans in College Park .

For more news and analysis on Maryland Terrapins basketball and football, make sure to visit Testudo Times. For all the latest news from around college basketball, head on over to the SB Nation NCAA Basketball Hub Page.

Evan Smotrycz Will Transfer To Maryland, According To Report

After a few weeks to mull over the decision, Maryland sophomore Evan Smotrycz will reportedly transfer to the University of Maryland, according to this tweet from Inside Maryland Sports.

InsideMDSports.com News Break: Michigan transfer Evan Smotrycz has committed to the University of Maryland.maryland.247sports.com/Board/67/Break…#Terps

— Jeff Ermann (@insidemdsports) April 16, 2012

Smotrycz is an intriguing talent to add to the mix at Maryland, considering he offers a unique type of talent that the Terps don't already offer. At 6-foot-9, he is a classic "stretch 4" who can bring the defense outside with his range while being able to defend power forwards on the other side.

Coming out of High School, Smotrycz was a four-star recruit and ranked in the top 60 nationally. In his sophomore season at Michigan this year, Smotrycz played just over 20 minutes a game and averaged 7.7 points per contest. What is really intriguing is that he shot over 43% from behind the arc, a skillset which the Terps could desperately use. He should mix in very well with the big men currently on the Terps roster, most of whom are traditional big men who spend most of their time in the painted area.

For more on this signing and all things Maryland athletics, please head over to Testudo Times.

Maryland Basketball Recruiting: Charles Mitchell Officially Signs With Terrapins

The Maryland Terrapins officially signed one of their best prospects this offseason. Power forward Charles Mitchell from Marietta, GA officially signed his letter of intent and will be playing basketball for the university this fall. The announcement was made official from a tweet by head coach Mark Turgeon.

Great news came across the fax machine just now. Terp nation help me welcome Charles Mitchell @stucklikechuck1 to our basketball family!

— Mark Turgeon (@CoachTurgeon) April 12, 2012

Mitchell measures in at 6'7" and 250 pounds. An inside presence like his could prove to be a big asset against some of the other big men in the ACC. That was a concern for the Terps last season as they had difficulty with the inside game especially with rebounding. Though he doesn't have a lot of explosive athleticism, that could be overlooked if he can be a great rebounder and inside scorer.

For more on this signing and all things Maryland athletics, please head over to Testudo Times.

Maryland Basketball Recruiting: Charles Mitchell Will Sign LOI On Wednesday

The Maryland Terrapins secured one of their best recruiting classes in years, but it isn't quite complete yet. They still have some targets out there that could commit to play for them, and they also have some committed prospects that need to officially sign their letters of intent. Mark Turgeon and staff will be able cross one of the big items off that list on Wednesday. After committing about a month ago to play for the Terps, Georgia big man Charles Mitchell will officially sign his letter of intent on Wednesday.

Ga. PF Charles Mitchell (@stucklikechuck) will sign with the #Terps this afternoon as expected. Was the toughest 'get' in UMD's 5-man class.

— Jeff Ermann (@insidemdsports) April 11, 2012

Mitchell had verbally committed to Maryland, but signing his LOI will mean that he is officially a member of the upcoming class. Mitchell is a big body that should help a Terrapins team that had some trouble banging with some of the bigger teams in the ACC last season.

For more on this commitment and all things Maryland athletics, please head over toTestudo Times.

Evan Smotrycz Deciding Between Maryland, Providence, and Colorado

There is a list of the final three schools that former Michigan Wolverines forward Evan Smotrycz is considering transferring to, which includes the Maryland Terrapins, according to multiple reports.

Per @GoodmanCBS, Michigan transfer Evan Smoltrycz's final three are Maryland, Providence and Colorado.

— Jeff Ermann (@insidemdsports) April 10, 2012

Smotrycz won't be able to play for the Terrapins right away due to transfer eligibility rules. But once the 6'9" 235-pounder does get on the floor, he could be a nice source inside for the squad. While he only averaged 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds a game this past season for Michigan, he was a factor for the team in the NCAA tournament when he scored 15 points against Ohio.

It was reported just a week ago that Smotrycz would be making a visit to Maryland. Smotrycz cut his list in half from that point, when it also included the Baylor Bears, Clemson Tigers and Xavier Musketeers.

Read more about the Terrapins at Testudo Times.

Maryland Basketball Recruiting: Evan Smotrycz To Visit College Park

Former Michigan basketball player Evan Smotrycz has decided that he will visit the University of Maryland next weekend according to Testudo Times.

More on Evan Smotrycz, says he's visiting Maryland next weekend. Providence only other visit planned, sounds like. atlantic10.scout.com/2/1173962.html

— Testudo Times (@testudotimes) April 3, 2012

The Sophomore forward played in all of the Wolverines' games this season averaging 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He also shot 48.1 percent from the field during the season. In his final game with Michigan in the NCAA tournament against Ohio, he scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and seven rebounds.

Smotrycz measures 6'9" and weighs 235 pounds. While he will not be eligible to play right away for the Terrapins, a player like him could provide Maryland with a solid inside presence that could help them bring the program back up.

For more news and analysis on Maryland Terrapins basketball and football, make sure to visit Testudo Times. For all the latest news from around college basketball, head on over to the SB Nation NCAA Basketball Hub Page.

Maryland Recruiting: Sam Cassell Jr. To Visit Florida State, USF, According To Report

The saga of Sam Cassell, Jr's recruitment took another turn on Friday, when reports surfaced that he planned to make visits to Florida State and South Florida. Cassell's father came out this week and said his son had not committed to Maryland, despite earlier news in the week that he had indeed committed to play for Mark Turgeon. Now, as Testudo Times writes, it appears he's taking a few other visits at the behest of his father:

Ultimately, I'm not that worried. It's pretty obvious that Jr.'s school of choice, at least for the moment, is Maryland, hence the "Maryland still leads" part. Taking visits is usually brought about by uncertainty, which is a bad sign for the future; that's most obviously not the case here.

But it opens up Pandora's box, in a way. FSU is his dad's alma mater; USF is, uh, well, I'm sure there's something at USF.

Cassell will reportedly visit USF next week but has not officially scheduled his visit to FSU.

For more news and analysis on Maryland Terrapins basketball and football, make sure to visit Testudo Times. For all the latest news from around college basketball, head on over to the SB Nation NCAA Basketball Hub Page.

Sam Cassell Claims His Son Has Not Committed To University Of Maryland

On Sunday reports began to emerge that 2012 point guard recruit Sam Cassell jr had committed to play for the University of Maryland, and there was much rejoicing. But now on Tuesday a new report has emerged, with quotes from Cassell's father, former NBA player and current assistant with the Wizards, who claims that his son has not made a decision, according to Ben Standig of CSN Washington.

"False," former NBA star and current Washington Wizards assistant coach Sam Cassell said exclusively to CSNwashington.com Monday night at the Verizon Center regarding news that his son is officially heading to the ACC program.

"He’s considering Maryland. Maryland is still one of his top schools, but it’s not guaranteed that he’s going there. This is coming from his father, not one of his friends."

This is all very confusing, because it leads you to wonder who got the original report on the story. Also, Cassell jr's twitter is littered with re-tweets about his commitment and responses to congratulations on his decision. I guess we'll need confirmation that he has sent in his letter of intent before we know what the situation really is.

For more news and analysis on Maryland Terrapins basketball and football, make sure to visit Testudo Times. For all the latest news from around college basketball, head on over to the SB Nation NCAA Basketball Hub Page.

Maryland Recruiting: Terrapins Get Commitment From Sam Cassell Jr., According To Reports

Maryland basketball has received word that Sam Cassell Jr. of Baltimore has given a verbal commitment.

Top-100 Center Prospect Charles Mitchell Commits To Play For Maryland

Just a few days after visiting campus, top-100 center prospect Charles Mitchell committed to play basketball for Mark Turgeon and the Maryland Terrapins.