Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball Recruiting: Early look at each program’s 2019 class

By Justin Thind

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: A general interior view of the empty court during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: A general interior view of the empty court during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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COLLEGE PARK, MD – MARCH 03: Bruno Fernando #23 of the Maryland Terrapins dunks the ball in first half during a college basketball game against the Michigan Wolverines at the XFinity Center on March 3, 2019 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD – MARCH 03: Bruno Fernando #23 of the Maryland Terrapins dunks the ball in first half during a college basketball game against the Michigan Wolverines at the XFinity Center on March 3, 2019 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Maryland Terrapins

In 2018, Mark Turgeon landed a top 10 recruiting class headlined by 5-star big man Jalen Smith, and 4-star off-ball guards Aaron Wiggins and Eric Ayala. These 3 played major minutes as freshmen this year are were instrumental in Maryland’s successful season. Smith looked like he could be a one-and-done type player, but he hasn’t done quite enough to leave after one season. Therefore, the Terps don’t have as many needs as most teams, due to them returning all this young contribution.

Maryland will still, however, have at least one major departure in Bruno Fernando. Fernando projects to be a top 10 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft. Filling his spot in the starting lineup is going to be Turgeon’s biggest challenge this off-season. Looking at who could play alongside Smith next year, there aren’t a lot of proven replacements on Maryland’s roster. No other returning big man averaged double-digit minutes per game besides freshman Ricky Lindo (13 MPG). Clearly, Maryland would love to add some more talent to that front-court mix.

Enter the 2019 recruiting class. This class is comprised of two 6’9″ centers, twins Makhi and Makhel Mitchell, and 6’6″ forward Donta Scott. All of this height that Turgeon picked up in the 2019 class complements the team needs perfectly. This class, along with the 2018 class, could have Maryland sitting near the top of the Big Ten for years to come.

Additionally, Maryland is still recruiting one more 2019 target in 4-star SG Lester Quinones. Maryland coaches just recently visited Quinones, an IMG product, on March 6th. He’s a very talented scorer that would still be a big get for the Terrapins, despite their young and deep back-court. Landing him will be quite a challenge as Memphis seems to be creating a big lead in his recruitment right now.

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