[Ed. Note: The follow post was actually written by Martin Shatzer, not me. Enjoy the post! -Jake]
The University of Maryland has got their man.
After interviewing two other candidates, the Terrapins are set to hire former Xavier assistant Bino Ranson to be their newest assistant coach, as reported by Baltimore's WNST.
Ranson spent the past two years as an assistant coach at Xavier, where he helped take the Musketeers to two straight NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances. That resume, along with his strong ties within the Baltimore area, helped Ransom secure the job. The 35-year old Ranson founded an AAU team in the city, previously coached at St. Frances Academy straight out of college, and is reportedly close friends with legendary Maryland alum Juan Dixon. That's some pretty good company. With Ransom along side Gary Williams and Keith Booth, Maryland looks to be establishing themselves as a dominant recruiting force in the Baltimore area.
Bino Ranson replaces former Maryland assistant Chuck Driesell, who recently accepted the head coaching position at The Citadel.
SB Nation's UMD blog Testudo Times thinks Ranson is a very good hire, and thinks he'll be able to hit the ground running.
Before heading to Maryland, he continued to work his area connections for Xavier in the 2011 class. He was Xavier's point man for plenty of targets who also happen to be considering Maryland: Dorian Finney-Smith, Mikael Hopkins, Desmond Hubert, and Greg Lewis, to name a few. Adjehi Baru and Nick Faust are also considering Xavier, and their location makes it probable that Ranson played a prominent role in their recruitment.
Essentially, this allows Ranson to hit the ground running. I assume they'll keep the same strategy in place from Chuck Driesell and simply transfer many of Chuck's recruits, like Finney-Smith, to Ranson. Having already developed relationships, all Ranson has to do is change the school he's recruiting for.