WNST.net’s Glenn Clark and Ryan Chell contributed to this article.
Just over a week into the Mark Turgeon era, Tuesday will go down as a signature day for the future of Maryland basketball.
Hoping to create strong ties to an area rich in talent, Turgeon has hired high-profile assistant Dalonte Hill from Kansas State to join a coaching staff already boasting Bino Ranson, a holdover from the previous staff with deep Baltimore roots, and Scott Spinelli, an assistant with Turgeon at Texas A&M and Wichita State. Hill has strong connections to the Washington, D.C. area, dating back to his days coaching the D.C. Assault AAU program before being hired as an assistant coach at Charlotte and then Kansas State.
His bond with the AAU team allowed Hill to entice several Washington products all the way to Manhattan, Kan., including current Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley. For a program criticized in recent years for its inability to attract top local talent and hesitancy to get involved with the AAU basketball landscape, Hill’s hiring and Ranson’s retainment give the Terps strong recruiting faces in both the Washington and Baltimore areas.
The biggest prize in Ranson’s first season at Maryland under the now-retired Gary Williams was the landing of City College guard Nick Faust last fall. Though the incoming freshman unsurprisingly re-opened his recruitment last week after Williams’ surprising departure, WNST.net confirmed that Faust is remaining with the Terps in a major stroke of good news for the program.
“Coach Turgeon’s goal is to win a national championship, and I would play a big part in that immediately,” said Faust to WNST.net about his recommitment to Maryland on Tuesday night. “[Turgeon] is a great person and has great views. We are on the same page, and Maryland is moving forward.”
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Despite Monday’s news that former Maryland commitment Sterling Gibbs would be going to Texas, Faust had been expected to stick with the Terps, due in large part to Turgeon’s decision to keep Ranson on staff. Faust is expected to make an immediate impact in a backcourt that will include sophomores Terrell Stoglin and Pe’Shon Howard.
The third member of next fall’s original recruiting class, forward Martin Breunig, was also granted a release from his signed letter of intent and has visited the University of Washington.
With Turgeon securing Faust’s re-commitment to Maryland, his next job will be reaching out to Montrose Christian junior Justin Anderson, who verbally committed to the Terps in March. The athletic small forward had previously stated he was still committed to the Terps immediately following Williams’ retirement, but prior to Turgeon’s hiring. The new head coach will undoubtedly try to create a strong relationship with the highly-touted recruit, who will likely keep his eyes open to other options while still considering Maryland.
