UMD Basketball Recruiting Q&A w/ Kellon Hassenstab, Hoopniks.com

March Madness is beginning, and while the University of Maryland is not dancing, there is a sense of optimism from many Terps fans looking ahead to next year. The sense of brighter days on the immediate horizon comes from knowing who can return, and who will be joining those returning players as the incoming Freshman Class.

To look at that Freshman Class, Baltimore Sports and Life has reached out to Kellon Hassenstab for the 2nd time. Hassenstab is the Publisher of Hoopniks.com (http://hoopniks.com/), and is recognized as one of the premier College Basketball Recruiting Analysts.

Hassenstab can be found on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/#!/Hoopniks

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

Baltimore Sports and Life: “The University of Maryland recently added the 4th member of their 2012 class with Damonte Dodd deciding to become a Terp. The 6’9 Dodd apparently also had an offer from Georgetown, but appears to be mostly unknown from not playing on the National AAU circuit. Have you seen video on Dodd, if so, what are your impressions?”

Kellon Hassenstab: “I’ve seen some video on Dodd and communicated with some observers that have seen him play. At this stage, he doesn’t appear to be an impact player next season, and Maryland is likely best served to have him red-shirt and build for the future. With that said, an unknown player like Dodd can surprise if he’s better than advertised. Still, he seems likely to be a fourth option as an incoming forward, making extensive playing time as a freshman unlikely.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Recently, Maryland also announced that 6’7, 250 lb big Charles Mitchell had also committed. In October interviews with Dave Telep, ESPN and Eric Bossi, Rivals; both commented on Mitchell. Telep said, “Mitchel is much more like Cleare than Carter (Robert). He’s a slightly undersized four man. Putting him next to Cleare or presumably backing him up would give the Terps two anchors inside and a beefy front-line.” Bossi stated, “Both (Robert Carter, and Mitchell) 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.” Your thoughts on the Mitchell addition?”

Kellon Hassenstab: “I’m a fan of Mitchell. I think he’s an old school post player with bulk that is useful in high-major basketball. Mitchell is a guy that knows who is is, and profiles as a post player that does his damage exclusively in the paint. In an era where many big men are want to step outside and attempt long-range shots, Mitchell stays true to his strengths as a post player. Shaq Cleare and Charles Mitchell have many commonalities in body composition and playing still. They will test Maryland’s strength and conditioning program in an effort to develop into better physical shape and endurance for their freshmen campaigns.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “When we spoke to Jeff Borzell, CBS Sports last July; he mentioned reservations about Seth Allen stating, “ To be honest, I didn’t think Seth Allen was a lock high-major player when I saw him a few weeks before his commitment. He’s basically an undersized two guard, since he’s barely 6’1 1/2″ and not a point guard. Allen can score with the best of them but I’m interested to see if he holds up in the ACC.” What is your evaluation of Allen? Is there any reason to believe he will not be able to immediately contribute as part of the guard rotation?”

Kellon Hassenstab: “In an ideal world, Maryland would not need to press Seth Allen into service as a true freshman. He has the ability to contribute in both guard slots but could be over-matched when league play starts, depending on the match-ups. I’m not sure the Terrapins have any other valid options other than to give Allen reserve minutes right off the bat.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “7’1 Ukrainian Alen Len joined Maryland last August. After being suspended for the initial 10 games, Len made his collegiate debut 12/28 against Albany. In the 22 games he played, Len averaged 6 ppg, 5.4 boards, and 2.1 blocks. He has scored in double-figures 6 times, and had at-least 7 rebounds 10 times. He runs the court well, has plus athleticism, and is a decent spot-up shooter. He clearly needs to get stronger, and improve his hands. Based on what you have seen, where would he have ranked among prospects in the Class of ’11?”

Kellon Hassenstab: “Prospect rankings typically overvalue size and potential, but I think Len will make a living playing basketball in the future. He’s a prospect that easily would have been in the top-50, and depending on how much evaluators dreamed on his size and skill-set, could have been much higher.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “”Another member of Maryland’s post rotation next year will be Shaq Cleare. Currently CBS Sports / MaxPreps has Cleare as the Nation’s 23rd ranked prospect. When discussing the 6’9, 280 lb Cleare last July Borzello stated, “He’s a space-eating big man with good hands who knows how to score around the rim. Cleare hasn’t played basketball for very long, coming to the US only three years ago. He still has growing to do in his game.” By that description he sounds similar to former Terp Jordan Williams. How do their skill-sets compare?”

Kellon Hassenstab: “I think that’s a fair comparison. Both players have similar body compositions, and I think it’s fair to say that Cleare is ahead of where Williams was as a high school senior in terms of athleticism and post skill-level. Cleare will need to continue to get in shape to compete for extended periods of time, but has the upside that Williams had upon entering the Maryland program. It’s hard to project what will happen over the next couple seasons, but I think Cleare could meet or exceed what Williams did statistically during Williams’ first two years.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Currently, the last member of the class is Jake Layman. Layman is currently ranked by CBS Sports / MaxPreps as the Nation’s 55th best prospect. I’ve often seen the 6’8 Layman described as a wing. However, Bossi told us, “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.” Do you concur with Bossi? What are your thoughts on Layman overall?”

Kellon Hassenstab: “I think it is accurate to say that Layman’s skill-set is best suited to play the four position, but with the interior players that coach Mark Turgeon has accumulated, it appears that Layman will be given every opportunity to earn minutes as a wing forward. I don’t think there’s any reason that Layman can’t be a hybrid wing forward that exploits match-ups to Maryland’s advantage.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Maryland’s currently projected 2012-13 roster looks like:

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

This means Maryland can add 1 additional player 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 available scholarship (a departing Padgett) for the Class of ’13 (unless their was other attrition). Impressions of that roster as a whole? What do you think that roster is capable of?”

Kellon Hassenstab: “I think that given what coach Mark Turgeon inherited when he took over, fans have to be happy with what’s been done. This is a program that has faced adversity and is better off today than it was a year ago. There is still a need for a guard, and the staff is working on adding one, but this is a team with legitimate upside and a promising group of incoming players. A reasonable goal for next year assuming that everyone returns should be a winning record in the ACC, and competing for an at-large NCAA berth.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Inside MD Sports (part of the 247sports network), reported last week that with Mitchell, attention would now turn to Sam Cassell Jr. At different times, we have seen the Terps also connected with names such as Marco Bourgault (JUCO, SG), Jerron Wilbut (SG), and Trey Dickerson (PG). Which one of these four guards, do you think would best fit the roster?”

Kellon Hassenstab: “In an ideal world, Cassell and Wilbut provide the most long-term help for Maryland. Still, the coaching staff may elect to add a JC prospect in order to better balance the roster out. Also, there’s the possibility that the staff looks at adding a graduating senior from another program, as has been en vogue lately at several other programs. In look at the roster, the most glaring hole is at guard, and ideally they bring in a player to compete with Seth Allen for reserve minutes.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “One reason it is assumed that Maryland wants to be in position to take more than one more player in ’13, is that the Terps continue to pursue the Harrison Brothers. We continue to hear that the Terps are in the Top 5 for this duo, but likely behind Kentucky. What % chance do you give for the Harrison’s coming to College Park?”

Kellon Hassenstab: “I haven’t heard or seen anything to convince me that anyone other than Kentucky will land the twins. I think it would take something drastic happening to the Kentucky program for the Harrisons to head elsewhere.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “DeMatha’s 6’8 250lb Center BeeJay Anya is another highly ranked National player in the Class of ’13. Do you see the Terps as a viable contender for Anya, or do you think the incoming bigs will prevent MD being a serious contender for him?”

Kellon Hassenstab: “I interviewed Anya in the Fall, and he provided a list of more than a dozen college programs that he is considering. I took that to mean that Anya is still in the beginning stages of his recruitment, and is open to hearing from many schools. Still, I’m not sure how Maryland would cope with three players having virtually the same skillsets and positions if Anya was added to Cleare and Mitchell. You’d have to think Anya would be thinking about how he would fit in to a roster with two players ahead of him that have similar games.”