Maryland Basketball: James Graham III elects to enter transfer portal

Former four-star prospect James Graham III has elected to transfer from Maryland Basketball. How does this affect the Terrapins going forward?

Thursday evening, 6-8 freshman forward James Graham III announced he would be entering the transfer portal and leaving Maryland Basketball. Graham appeared in eight games for Maryland last season after leaving high school to enroll early, playing 36 total minutes.

This year, Graham only saw five minutes of action at the tail end of a Nov. 19 contest against Quinnipiac. Graham entered College Park hailed as a shooter, but head coach Mark Turgeon chose not to play him even as Maryland slipped to third-worst in the nation for three-point percentage. The transfer news comes hot on the heels of a loss to Virginia Tech where the Terps shot a disastrous 1-13 (7.7%) beyond the arc. Turgeon apparently had little interest in utilizing one of his better shooters to rectify the team’s woes from three-point range.

There may have been some behind-the-scenes turmoil that also contributed to Graham’s decision to transfer. The freshman was not with the team for the Nov. 11 game against George Washington due to an unspecified violation of team rules. He was clearly dissatisfied with his lack of playing time after incoming transfers pushed him further down the bench.

That aside, James Graham III will have no shortage of programs interested in his length and shooting ability. He was a top-100 player and top-20 small forward before his early enrollment. Graham had received offers from high-level programs such as Oregon, Indiana, and Michigan State among others before choosing the University of Maryland. He will now have the opportunity to showcase his skills elsewhere.

Maryland is 5-3 after consecutive losses and will look to get back in the win column in a Big Ten matchup against the Northwestern Wildcats at home on December 5.