Maryland Basketball: Could Darryl Morsell be returning to the Terrapins?

For Maryland Basketball, star guard Darryl Morsell, after the final game of the 2020-2021 college basketball season against Alabama in the NCAA tournament, marked the first time that the realization that could have been the last game that Morsell would ever play in a Maryland jersey.  Morsell has had a career that in my eyes earned him being one of the top 10 Terps of all time in my book.

It is not all about offense, which Morsell did improve on during his four years at Maryland, it is about the overall game, offense, defense, rebounding, leadership. Darryl Morsell from the time he donned a Maryland jersey in his freshman season until his senior year, he was building up to becoming a true leader in his senior season for the Terps.

Morsell was the heart and soul of last year’s team, and a true leader, as when he was playing with passion and emotion, you can see how it rubbed off on the rest of the team. So, as Morsell went, so did the Terps.  It was that passion and energy that made him not only the top defensive player on the Terps but earned him the Big 10 Defensive POTY award.

There are a few Maryland players that I would call Mr. Maryland, meaning, the player embodies what being a Terp really means. Being from Baltimore, it was only fitting that Morsell signed with the Terps and had a great career in College Park. For that Mr. Morsell, I call you respectfully and with great pride “Mr. Maryland”. So, now lets move on to today.

Because of the pandemic, Morsell like many others in the NCAA was granted a waiver for another year of eligibility, meaning that he could come back to Maryland to play one final season. So, as expected Morsell was wanting to leave all his options open, with those being testing the NBA Draft, entering the transfer portal, or return to College Park on one more season.

So, after seeing this twitter post, I think we are about to find out soon about the future of Morsell.

So, Terp fans that is encouraging, but we can’t get too excited because there is a dark cloud that is looming and in my opinion, is the only thing that would keep Morsell from returning to College Park for his final season and that cloud is Shaka Smart and Marquette.

Former Maryland assistant coach DeAndre Haynes, who was liked by all the players and staff at Maryland moved on from College Park and joined the new staff at Marquette. Thus leading to Maryland Head Coach Mark Turgeon hiring former teammate and Hall of Famer Danny Manning to replace Haynes. There are quite a few people that feel Morsell could eventually end up at Marquette and playing in the Big East.

If Morsell does transfer to Marquette, I wish him all the best, as he will always be a Terp in the eyes of many. But, with the team the Terp’s have in 2021-2022, they are predicted by most pundits in the Top 10 without factoring in Morsell. Mr. Maryland could cement his legacy as one of the greatest Terps of all time, or at the very least in the conversation, as with Morsell coming back to College Park, I foresee a few more banners being put up in the rafters.

The potential for a Final Four and National Championship would be without question a very achievable goal.