Gary Williams wasn’t letting this one get away.
Baltimore City College shooting guard Nick Faust has committed to the University of Maryland, a significant feat for a program that’s struggled to attract local talent in recent seasons. Williams, entering his 22nd season as Maryland’s coach, has been criticized for his inability to attract blue-chip recruits from the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area, often losing out to Big East powers Connecticut and Syracuse on the local recruiting scene.
Faust is considered the 25th overall talent and ninth-best shooting guard in the 2011-12 recruiting class, according to ESPN. The 6-foot-5, 175-pound senior announced his choice Thursday on ESPNU.
(Photo courtesy of theshiver.com)
The four-star recruit had reportedly narrowed his choices to the Terps, Villanova, and Florida State in recent weeks before momentum began building for his desire to play in College Park. The offseason hiring of assistant coach Bino Ranson is considered to be a major factor in persuading Faust to stay home for school.
Faust is the highest-ranked recruit to come to Maryland since Mike Jones in 2003-2004. At the time, Jones was considered the second-rated shooting guard recruit in the nation– behind LeBron James, who went first overall in the 2003 NBA Draft — but never lived up to the hype in his four years with the Terps.
The talented guard led City to the Class 2A state championship last March and saw his stock rise over the summer with a dominating performance at the King City Classic in Cleveland (highlights below).
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km9N0JxfCEU[/youtube]
