Maryland Basketball: Terps sign trio of talented class of 2021 prospects

Maryland Basketball made it official, signing a quality class of 2021 prospects.

On the first day of the early signing period, Maryland Basketball officially welcomed their star-studded trio of future Terps, which ranked 18th in the Country, and Maryland coach Mark Turgeon and his staff wasted no time in getting his recruits to sign their national letter of intents to attend Maryland.

James Graham III (Milwaukee, Wis.), Julian Reese (Baltimore, Md.), and Ike Cornish (Baltimore, Md.) now have officially signed with the program.  Coached Turgeon in his recent media day appearance was quoted as saying “We’re excited about our 2021 signing class and are thrilled to welcome Ike, James and Julian into our family,” Turgeon said. “We needed to add great length and size to our program and at 6-6, 6-8, and 6-10, we were able to do just that.”

Graham is out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was a consensus 4-star recruit according to most recruiting services. Graham was the #52 overall, #22 by position, #20 in the region, and #4 in the state of Wisconsin.

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Graham chose the Terps over ASU, Auburn, Georgetown, and Marquette. One of the reasons Graham decided to go with the Terps was that he knew that The Terp’s made him one of their priorities and he took that to heart.  Graham adds not only some size but will be versatile on the defensive end of the floor.

On the offensive end, Graham can put the ball on the floor, as well as being able to absorb contact, and can shoot the 3. He is a versatile player, who expects to contribute right away and to make an impact. Maryland is now reaping the benefits of the hotbed in high school in the Midwest.

The second member of the 2021 recruiting class and one of top players in the state of Maryland is 6-6 185lb Guard Ike Cornish from Baltimore, Maryland. A consensus 4-star in most recruiting publications, Cornish #89 player overall, 22 by position, and #5 player in the state of Maryland.

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Cornish chose Maryland over DePaul, Georgetown, St John’s Rutgers, and several other schools.  Coach Turgeon during media day was quoted as saying “Ike Cornish is a terrific shooter with great size. He’s a guy that’s just coming into his own as a player. He’s a 6-6 wing who can really shoot and handle the ball.

He has a great feel for passing and I also think will be a great defender for us down the road.”. Cornish can drive to the rim or can shoot off the dribble, has the ability to shoot the three. He is very active on the defensive side of the ball and has a chance to become another one of the great defenders that Maryland has produced.

The third member of this 2021 4-star recruiting class is 6-10 205lb Forward Julian (JuJu) Reece from Baltimore, Maryland, Reece also a consensus 4-star recruit was the 73 player overall, 12 by position, and the  #3 player in the state of Maryland.

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Reece chose Maryland over schools such as UConn, Va Tech, LSU, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Rutgers, and several more schools. During the Terp’s media day Coach Turgeon was quoted as saying “He’s a tremendous defender and shot blocker.

As you’ve seen over the years, it’s really nice to have a shot blocker whether its Bruno Fernando, Jalen Smith, Alex Len, you name it – across the board, we’ve had some pretty good shot blockers here at Maryland, so Julian is going to give us that”. Reece can step out and shoot the 3, as well as finishing in the lane.

But where Reece excel’s is on the defensive end of the floor, as he hopefully will follow in the long line of rim protectors that Maryland has had the fortune to have at Maryland.

I am very excited about this 2021 recruiting class and I must give Coach Turgeon and his staff a lot of credit. Coach Turgeon has done several things with the recruiting class. First, they all are high-quality guys and are of very high character.  This is a good thing, as there are no egos with this group.

Secondly, Coach Turgeon has recruited guys that fit his system and should play to the strength of that system. Guys that will benefit from the pick and roll, getting out on the break and playing solid defense. Graham is pretty close to being a five-star recruit and should be a great scorer for the Terps. Cornish will be the jack of all trades per say and Reece could be one of the most intimidating defensive players that Maryland has ever had.

Reece has to be good, as his sister Angel Reece was the 2nd ranked overall player coming out of high school in 2020. Lastly, and the most important to me, is Coach Turgeon continues to sign some of the best players in the DMV area, as well as getting one of the best players from the Midwest. The DMV and the Midwest are two hotbeds for talent and it is good to see kids wanting to come to Maryland. The future is very bright in College Park.