NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing favored five for Lester Quinones

Maryland Terrapins

Maryland has the potential to be one of the best teams in the country in 2019-20. Even though many expect that Bruno Fernando will be heading to the NBA, it seems as though the majority of the roster is projected to return. If that does turn out to be the case, then the Terrapins will likely enter the season in the preseason top-15 for next year. And, in my opinion, this could be a major part of Maryland’s pitch to land Lester Quinones.

If Quinones wants to win as soon as he dons a collegiate uniform, then joining the Terrapins might be a great idea. Of course, there are other “win-now” programs in his final list but a high preseason ranking for his freshman year could be very enticing. In addition, it seems as though Quinones’ shooting could be the missing piece for Maryland moving forward. During this past season, the Terrapins shot just 34.9% from beyond the arc and that held back their ceiling a bit. Adding another perimeter threat could really open up the offense.

According to Inside MD Sports, Quinones has mentioned that Maryland’s coaching staff has been very active in his recruitment since he visited in December:

"“Maryland’s been calling every day. Coach Turgeon calls all the time, coach Broadus seems like he’s at all of my practices. I have a great relationship with them…Coach Turgeon says they’re in need of a shooter. I feel like that’s the final piece for them having a championship team. And I’m in line to play major minutes right away.”"

On the whole, I think that this is a great match. Maryland boasts a ton of young talent and Quinones should fit tremendously well due to his shooting. He would add one of the missing dimensions to the roster and could take the Terrapins to the next level should the expected returners actually stick with the program.