We learned Monday that guard Jaylen Brantley will transfer from Maryland and play his final year of eligibility elsewhere.
Rising sophomores Anthony Cowan and Kevin Huerter should be expected starters in 2017-18, after they started all 33 games this year, and the Terps already signed four-star combo guard Darryl Morsell for next year. But with Brantley leaving and Melo Trimble entering the NBA Draft, coach Mark Turgeon may want to use one or more of his three available scholarships on a guard.
Turgeon has options, between high schoolers who have yet to commit and graduate transfers leaving mid-major schools. Here are five names to keep an eye on:
M.J. Walker, 5-star guard
Any fan’s first choice to join the Terps. Walker is a McDonald’s All-American and one of the top shooting guards in the class. The 6-foot-5 product out of Georgia scored 27.8 points per game in his senior year, according to MaxPreps. 247Sports’ Crystal Ball predictions say Florida State is the Terps’ main competitor for Walker, but he has 11 offers in total. Don’t get your hopes up too high, but Walker would have an immediate impact as a freshman along with Cowan, Huerter and Morsell, look out.
Jemarl Baker, 4-star guard
Baker would be a pretty good consolation prize if Walker doesn’t sign with Maryland, but Kentucky and Duke are also in the mix for the recruit who recently decommitted from California. The Los Angeles native is listed at 6-foot-2 and a mere 165 pounds on 247Sports, but what he lacks in size he makes up for in electric shooting. Rivals reported Baker hosted Maryland reps (and reps from five other schools) for a home visit.
James Daniel, Howard graduate transfer
Quiz: Who led the nation in scoring in the 2015-16 season? None other than Daniel, at a 27.1 PPG clip, for Howard University. Daniel wouldn’t need to score that often for the Terps in a reserve role, but he also led the nation in shots that year, so he could use the break. He’s already pretty close to College Park and at 5-foot-11, he’s got the same point-guard form as Brantley.
Mark Alstork, Wright State graduate transfer
Alstork is one of the most sought-after grad transfers of the season. Michigan Live reports Maryland is one of 21 schools interested in bringing him to campus. So you’re saying there’s a chance? Unlike Daniel, Alstork is 6-foot-4, a winger; like Daniel, his top attribute is scoring. The former Raider scored 19 points a contest last year. Maryland apparently showed interest when he was coming out in the Class of 2013, so Turgeon could decide he won’t miss out twice.
Stephan Jiggetts, Fairleigh Dickinson graduate transfer
He’s the name on this list fans are least likely to know, but that doesn’t correlate to Jiggetts not being a likely candidate. He attended Bishop McNamara High School just down the Beltway from College Park and was First-Team All-WCAC there. He averaged 13.5 points and 4.2 assists a game for the Knights last year, at one point going off for 24 points against NCAA Tournament participant Cincinnati. Maybe Turgeon can convince Jiggetts to come home and spend his senior year in his home state.