For the second straight day, Maryland got some good news on the basketball front.
One day after sophomore point guard Melo Trimble withdrew from the NBA Draft and announced he would return for his junior season, the Terps got a pledge from four-star Class of 2016 recruit Justin Jackson.
The 6-foot-8 Canadian small forward is a former UNLV commit who also considered UConn and Oregon. He will be eligible for Maryland next year.
Jackson is a huge get for head coach Mark Turgeon at this late stage, especially after the Terps lost Diamond Stone, Jake Layman and Robert Carter Jr. to the NBA Draft.
“I think he’s a versatile player,” Justin McFarlane, Jackson’s coach with Canada Elite, told SNY.tv by phone. “He can play all over the court, one through four, and especially with the way the game is heading, he could probably play one through five. He can handle the ball, he’s a capable passer. He can score the ball, he can pretty much do whatever they ask him to do. He’s got a high basketball IQ to add to that, so I think in that system in Maryland, I think he’s needed and I think that’s what swayed the decision.
“He has an opportunity to spread his wings and eventually become the pro that we all think he is.”
Maryland also adds point guard Anthony Cowan, shooting guard Kevin Huerter and small forward Micah Thomas, along with Duquesne transfer L.G. Gill, a 6-8 forward who averaged 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 30 minutes per game this past season.
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