Haynie: Carter And Trimble Hold The Key To Terps' Future
The Maryland Terrapins made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 13 years to the surprise of some. After a late-season fade, the Terps were a team that was picked by a few experts and fans to get the early boot from the Big Dance.
Despite some shaky moments, Maryland did make it to Louisville. Of course, they were bounced by Kansas 79-63 and finished their season with a 27-9 record.
After a five-year drought, the program has now made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. The obvious goal is to continue to stay relevant when Selection Sunday rolls around every March.
Jake Layman and Rasheed Sulaimon have exhausted their eligibility and are moving on. Freshman Diamond Stone continues to show up as a first-round pick in every mock draft I have seen and is expected to leave for the NBA.
The two players who hold the key for the 2016-17 Maryland Terps are Melo Trimble and Robert Carter Jr. Before the 2015-16 season, it was considered a foregone conclusion that both players would leave College Park to pursue professional careers.
Maybe that is no longer the case. Trimble had an up-and-down sophomore season and his stock has taken a hit. ESPN's Chad Ford has Melo ranked 51st among his Top 100 NBA Prospects. Carter Jr. is ranked 59th.
Maryland coach Mark Turgeon has signed guard Anthony Cowan and wing Kevin Huerter for the class of 2016. He also has a verbal commitment from three-star forward Micah Thomas. Keep in mind, the '16 recruiting class is still a work in progress. So, more players could be joining the crew.
Versatile Dion Wiley will be back after missing the season with a knee injury. He joins big-men Damonte Dodd, Michal Cekovsky and Ivan Bender, guard Jaylen Brantley and forward Jared Nickens as players expected to return.
There will be talent on the roster. Will there be enough to compete in the Big Ten? If Trimble and Carter stay, the Terps will be an NCAA tourney team and tough to deal with in the conference.
Stay tuned to see how this situation plays out.
