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Maryland Terrapins Get Duke Transfer Rasheed Sulaimon

By Daniel Tran

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The Maryland Terrapins lost Dezmine Wells, but they have successfully reloaded for their second season in the Big Ten Conference.

Don’t expect the Maryland Terrapins to have a letdown after their first season in the Big Ten Conference. Head coach Mark Turgeon has been hot on the recruiting trail and secured another solid player to help the team’s cause in the upcoming season.

According to multiple reports, Duke transfer Rasheed Sulaimon has chosen Maryland to finish out his college basketball career. Because he is on track to graduate in August, Sulaimon will be immediately eligible to play in 2015-16 under the NCAA graduate transfer rule.

Sulaimon has been the subject of much controversy since his dismissal from the Duke basketball program in January of this year. After being dismissed for failing to “consistently live up to the standards required to be a member of [the Duke basketball] program” according to Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, Sulaimon became the subject for multiple sexual assault allegations that rocked the campus before the regular season ended.

Sulaimon has stated on the record that the allegations are not true and that his dismissal is independent of those accusations. Turgeon did his research, and felt comfortable with bringing the veteran 6’5” guard out of Strake Jesuit College Prep onboard.

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“We did our due diligence,” Turgeon explained to ESPN. “We were extremely thorough and talked to a lot of people and vetted the entire situation.”

By most accounts, the Maryland Terrapins first season in the Big 10 Conference was a success. Before the 2014-15 season, CBS Sports picked the Terrapins to finish 10th in the conference, finishing behind teams like Minnesota, Nebraska, and Illinois. At the end of the season, Maryland found itself only behind Wisconsin in the conference and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Senior guard-forward Dezmine Wells and his athleticism and toughness were a huge part of Maryland’s success. Though he will not be the Terrapins for the 2015-16 season, the team will still be in a good position to succeed with the scoring ability of Sulaimon.

Although he is talented, there is some question regarding his character due to the way he fell out of favor at Duke the past two years. He found himself in Mike Krzyzewski’s dog house for long stretches, and on talented teams with players that can easily make up for his production, he found himself playing fewer and fewer minutes.

Although he saw a dip in minutes, Sulaimon was still able to maintain a 39.1 percent shooting percentage from beyond the three-point line. Per 40 minutes, he is averaging an impressive 15.6 points for his career.

Sulaimon will be joining a Maryland team that returns Jake Layman and Melo Trimble, who are motivated to erase a tough loss against West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins were also able to bring in five-star recruit Diamond Stone and Georgia Tech transfer Robert Carter to solidify their frontcourt.

With Wisconsin losing Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, and Josh Gasser, the Big Ten Conference is up for grabs. Look for Maryland to be one of the teams who will be contending for the conference title at the end of the year with their mix of veteran experience, and youthful talent.

Next: Johnny Hill Transfers to Purdue

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