Maryland men’s basketball guard Dion Wiley is leaving the program as a graduate transfer, the school announced Wednesday.
Wiley will be immediately eligible and is considering Clemson and South Alabama as potential destinations, he said.
“I just hope to showcase more than what I got to showcase at Maryland,” Wiley said. “Because of my injuries and stuff, I wasn’t able to showcase my ball-handling and my ability to make plays.”
Wiley was a four-star recruit out of Potomac High School but struggled with injuries throughout his four years at Maryland. He had his most successful season as a redshirt junior in 2017-18, starting 16 games, averaging 5.8 points and 1.8 rebounds.
Wiley believes he would’ve remained in Maryland’s rotation next season, even with four-star guard Eric Ayala joining the team, but would’ve occupied the same three-point specialist role he was in throughout his Terps career.
“[South Alabama coach Richie Riley] said he would put the ball in my hands,” Wiley said. “Let me play freely.”
After playing sparingly as a freshman, Wiley missed the entirety of the 2015-16 season due to a torn meniscus and dealt with a lingering back injury in 2016-17. The Oxon Hill native entered this past season with two starts in three years at Maryland.
“The unfortunate thing is that Dion had to endure so many injuries, but he never complained and just continued to work to get back,” coach Mark Turgeon said in a press release. “Dion expressed a desire to play a prominent role for a program in a different area.”
Near the end of the season, Wiley felt he was in the best shape of his life and was fully healed from the ailments that plagued him in College Park. The 6-foot-4 guard believes he can still produce the level of play that led 247Sports to rank him the No. 52 player in the Class of 2014.
Wiley called playing at Maryland “a dream come true” and expressed gratitude for the fanbase but said he wants a fresh start somewhere further from home.
“[My Maryland career] didn’t go how I planned it to go or how I would’ve liked it to go,” Wiley said, “but I’m grateful.”
