Big Ten Basketball: 5 biggest takeaways from 2019 recruiting classes

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 22: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes meets with Duane Washington Jr. #4 and Keyshawn Woods #32 in the first half against the UCLA Bruins during the CBS Sports Classic at the United Center on December 22, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MARCH 23: Jalen Smith #25 of the Maryland Terrapins drives against Kavell Bigby-Williams #11 of the LSU Tigers during the second half of the game in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Vystar Memorial Arena on March 23, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

Maryland handles business with their frontcourt

From my view, the best starting Big Ten frontcourt last season was Maryland’s Jalen Smith and Bruno Fernando. The duo combined to average 25.3 ppg, 17.4 rpg and 2.9 apg. Both underclassmen were widely expected to enter the 2019 NBA Draft, with Fernando opting to take that route. But Smith’s surprise decision to come back boost the Terrapins big-time for 2019-20.

Related Story. Breakdown of Maryland's 2019 recruiting class. light

Maryland was prepared for him to be gone either way, bringing in three different centers from their 2019 recruiting class. The star of the group was Makhi Mitchell, a four-star prospect who is a good offensive player with NBA potential. His twin brother Makhel Mitchell also joins him. He’s a three-star center recruit who doesn’t have the same raw skills as Makhi but could play the power forward position with his versatility.

Chol Marial is the most intriguing recruit in the entire Big Ten class. At 7’2 and 230 pounds with a great two-way game, Marial has fallen down to three-star status due to reoccurring injuries the past two years. If he can get and remain healthy with the Terrapins, he could end up as the best player from this recruiting class. But even if he can’t get back to playing at a high level, Maryland has set themselves up well in the frontcourt to go along with a stellar backcourt that includes Anthony Cowan, Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins. They’re a preseason top-10 team now and this class will keep them in contention for the future as well.

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