Former Michigan forward Evan Smotrycz is transferring to the Terps. He averaged 7.7 points for the Wolverines last season and will be eligible to play for the team at the start of the 2013-14 season. c
The Terrapins men’s basketball team added yet another intriguing piece to its frontcourt of the future yesterday, receiving a commitment from former Michigan forward Evan Smotrycz.
The 6-foot-9 Smotrycz averaged 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season as a sophomore for the Wolverines. The Reading, Mass., native will have to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer regulations and will join the Terps for the 2013-14 season, aat which point he wiall have two years of eligibility remaining.
Smotrycz visited College Park last weekend and announced his decision on Twitter yesterday morning. He also received interest from Baylor, Colorado, Clemson, Kansas State, Providence and several other power-conference programs.
“I just felt really comfortable with the coaches and the guys on the team,” Smotrycz told ESPN yesterday. “Maryland is such a big-time program that it would have been tough to beat. I didn’t feel like I needed to go anywhere else.”
The former four-star recruit was replaced in Michigan’s starting lineup midway through last season after coach John Beilein opted for a four-guard offense. He still played more than 21 minutes per game for a team that won a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.
After Michigan fell to Ohio in its first NCAA Tournament game, Smotrycz announced his decision to leave the team, which has received top-10 billing in several early 2012-13 rankings.
Smotrycz’s 3-point shooting prowess separates him from typical forwards. He connected on 44 percent of his shots behind the arc and should be able to stretch the floor for the Terps. His perimeter-oriented game offers an interesting contrast to the team’s incoming pair of wide-bodied post players, Shaquille Cleare and Charles Mitchell.
“Where I fit in was kind of a 4-man who can pick and pop and come off screens and make plays and obviously shoot it,” Smotrycz said. “I like the way coach [Mark] Turgeon ran his offense. He showed me a lot of film of where he thought I’d fit in, and I thought it was what I was looking for.”
ceckard@umdbk.com
