Terps Basketball Recruiting Q&A w/ Eric Bossi, Rivals.com

Eric Bossi covers College Basketball Recruiting, as a National Basketball Analyst for Rivals.com.

You can find his coverage at:
http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/

You can find him on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/#!/ebosshoops

Baltimore Sports and Life thanks Mr. Bossi for answering a few Terps related questions.

Baltimore Sports and Life: “With the current commitments of PG Seth Allen, along with C Shaq Cleare, and SF Jake Layman; Maryland currently has the 23^th ranked 2012 Class in the updated Rivals.com rankings (http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1274853) posted on October 5^th. This compares to the 7^th, and 11^th rated classes according to Scout.com, and ESPN. The primary difference appears to be the evaluation of Layman. What are your thoughts on the SF?”

Bossi: “Layman is a guy who has caused quite a bit of difference in opinion, not just among different ranking services but inside of the ranking services. Layman is a very fluid guy who can shoot and has all of the athletic tools that you would like to see. Right now, I don’t know that he’s a pure wing and would classify him as more of a face-up four man or combo forward. Either way, I like him a lot. Once he adds weight and looks to impact the game a bit more consistently — at least in the summer with BABC he was somewhat inconsistent — he could turn into a very good player for the Terps.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “As of today, the 2012-13 Terps Roster looks like:

Guards: Stoglin (Jr), Howard (Jr), Faust (Soph), Allen (Freshman)
SF: Parker (Jr), Layman (Freshman)
Bigs: Padgett (Sr), Pankey (Jr),  Len (Soph), Cleare (Freshman)

This means Maryland can add up to 3 additional players in the Class. Of course, if Coach Turgeon and his Staff did that, it would be a very heavy class, and there would be only one current available scholarship (a departing Padgett) for the Class of ’13.

Would you be surprised if Maryland takes more than one additional player for ‘12?”

Bossi: “I think if they could find the right big guy to give them some more versatility that’s something they could look at. They are also interested in another wing with some size and athleticism. I don’t think coaches spend too much time worrying about scholarships for the next year, those things tend to work themselves out.

Baltimore Sports and Life: “We are not one game into the 2011-12 season, but based off the roster above, many Terps fans are excited about Maryland’s prospects beginning next year. Should the Terps also add a Top PF (such as a McGary, or a Jefferson), do you see the makings of a National Contender? Do you see Michigan or Duke (McGary), and Villanova (Jefferson) as the respective favorites for those players?”

Bossi: “Sure, but that’s a question that’s impossible to answer. The McGary situation is totally up in the air right now and the Jefferson recruitment is one of the toughest to find good info on that there is.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Maryland is involved with two other talented bigs in Robert Carter, and Charles Mitchell. How do you compare the two, and which do you see as a better post combination with Cleare?”

Bossi: “Both are similar body typed guys, big dudes who aren’t exactly high flyers. Mitchell is more interior oriented where he’s a crafty scorer with a big motor. Carter can score on the interior, but is also capable of facing up and has better range and is a little bigger. His versatility would probably make him preferable.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “While another big to close out the Class would probably be ideal, Maryland is also involved with Torian Graham, who backed out from his commitment from NCST. You see reports about Graham being a strong athlete, with shooting ability. Where do you see the 2G winding-up?”

Bossi: “There’s too much unanswered with Graham right now to make any kind of educated guess.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “On a visit to Brewster Academy to see McGary, Coach Turgeon also saw Jakarr Sampson, the 6’8, 200 lb SF that decommitted from St. John’s. I see he was a Top 40 caliber player in the Class of ’11 rankings, prior to being reclassified as part of the Class of ’12. Where do you rank him in the Class of ’12? For MD, would the Terps take him without McGary?”

Bossi: “We won’t rank Sampson in the class of 2012 because he’s already been in one final rankings. But, I would imagine he falls into the same range.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “In the Class of ’13, Maryland has been extremely aggressive with their recruitment of PG Nate Britt, and the Harrison Twins PG Andrew, and SG Aaron. How do you compare Britt and Andrew Harrison as PG’s? North Carolina has offered Britt, and Georgetown was long seen as the leader for him. Who you see as the favorite? Has the commitment of their AAU teammate Shaq Cleare, made Maryland the favorites for the Harrison’s?”

Bossi: “Andrew Harrison and Nate Britt are totally different types of point guards in terms of size and physicality. Harrison has outstanding size and strength and is more of a guy who can physically bully his opponents which is something Britt doesn’t do. Where Britt is like Harrison is that he doesn’t need to score to leave an impact on the game and that while he prefers to get others involved first, he can be a primary scorer when needed. Both could use some work on their jumper but of course with Andrew Harrison you get the bonus of bringing along his very talented twin brother Aaron. The main favorites for the Harrison’s seem to be Maryland and Kentucky while the Terps, UNC and Georgetown are all pretty strong with Britt.”