Terrapins on the Prowl: Maryland Lands Expelled Xavier Swingman Dezmine Wells

Maryland head basketball coach Mark Turgeon hasn’t skipped a beat on the recruiting trail. In just his second year replacing the man whose name emblazons the Comcast Center court, Turgeon is already zipping by Gary Williams in his ability to lure talent to College Park.

Just a week after securing the job in May of 2011, the 47-year-old coach scooped up prized 4-star shooting guard Nick Faust, the Terrapins lone commit in the 2011 class. Turgeon’s first full recruiting class, a talented group running five-deep, is in the discussion for Maryland’s best such class since 2003, not coincidentally one year after the program notched its first and only national championship. Not to be overlooked, the school is in the running—one of two frontrunners, in fact—to land the top two guards in the 2013 class, twins Andrew and and Aaron Harrison.

But what Turgeon pulled off on Tuesday morning is the biggest breakthrough of his tenure to date for the ACC’s fastest rising program. The Terrapins head coach outlasted Kentucky and Ohio State, then beat out Memphis and Oregon to win the services of embattled Xavier transfer guard/forward Dezmine Wells.

Now the Terps are getting serious.

Wells, whom the university expelled for sexual assault charges that were ultimately dropped, announced this morning that he will enroll in Maryland classes immediately. Wells will likely have to sit out the upcoming season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules, though he does plan to prod the NCAA to make an exception. His situation is very unique, after all.

Maryland emerged as the favorite to land the 6-foot-5 sophomore swingman after leaving a visible impression on Wells during his official visit to the school on Saturday. The school closed the deal just a few days later.

A-10 coaches selected Wells to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team following his stellar freshman campaign. Wells helped stabilize a Xavier backcourt that was one of the best in college hoops last season. Former backcourt mates Tu Holloway (graduating senior) and Mark Lyons (transferred to Arizona) have also moved on from Xavier since the end of last season.

Whether or not the NCAA grants his petition for immediate eligibility, Wells will join a young and talented Terrapins backcourt similar to the one he played for last year at Xavier. Wells, whenever he gains eligibility, will team up with the now-sophomore Faust to form one of the premiere up-and-coming backcourts in the ACC, one that would have been even stronger had the school not dismissed Terrell Stoglin in April. Factor in freshman forward Jake Layman, a deadeye shooter with unlimited range, and Maryland’s future on the wing is the brightest it’s been since Juan Dixon, Drew Nicholas and Byron Mouton were on campus.

Maryland is in an enviable position once thought impossible at the tail end of Williams’ tenure in College Park. Picking up the Harrison twins would be a luxury, not a necessity, given what the Terps already have in tow (and I haven’t even touched on incoming center Shaquille Cleare; judging by his first name alone, you know he can command the post).

Dezmine Wells is the icing on the cake that Coach Turgeon has been cooking up in South Maryland over the last 16 months. Few newcomers in the coaching profession can step right in and fill the void left by a legendary coach who preceded him. Mark Turgeon is one of those guys.

Not only has the new Maryland sheriff picked up right where his predecessor left off, he has already blazed by the future Hall of Fame coach on the recruiting trail in just his second year on the job.