Following the Terrapins football team 32-24 win against Miami last night, men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon received more positive news: 6-foot-8 forward Jake Layman was ready to commit to the 2012 class.
Layman, from Wrentham, Mass., is Turgeon’s third commitment and joins Texas center Shaquille Cleare and Virginia guard Seth Allen. He is a lanky, athletic forward who has soared up recruiting boards after an impressive summer. He’s currently ranked No. 53 overall by ESPN’s 2012 Top 100.
“I like Coach [Mark] Turgeon’s style of play, his offense is a good fit for me,” Layman told ESPNBoston.com. “The ACC is a good conference for me, too. I think it’s the most skilled conference in the country, I like it a lot. I’ve spent a lot of time with the players [on my visits], I know them real well, and they’re easy to talk to, so that’s good. Plus, I have the opportunity to be an impact player my freshman year.”
Cleare still highlights the class, but Layman is a huge get for Turgeon as he looks to close in on a top-10 recruiting class in the country (ESPN currently has the Terps ranked No. 9 overall).
With several other high–profile recruits still on Turgeron’s radar, here’s a look at the current scholarship situation:
2011-12: Sean Mosley, Berend Weijs, James Padgett, Pe’Shon Howard, Terrell Stoglin, Mychal Parker, Ashton Pankey, Nick Faust, Alex Len, FOUR OPEN
2012-13: Padgett, Howard, Stoglin, Parker, Pankey, Faust, Len, Cleare, Allen, Layman, THREE OPEN
2013-14: Howard, Stoglin, Parker, Pankey, Faust, Len, Cleare, Allen, Layman, FOUR OPEN
2014-15: Pankey, Faust, Len, Cleare, Allen, Layman, SEVEN OPEN.
Basically Turgeon still has a ton of leeway to continue his efforts for the 2012 class or save some scholarships for a possibly great 2013 class.
Chris Eckard is the Diamondback’s Terrapins men’s basketball beat reporter. Reach him at ceckard@umdk.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ceckard.
