Report: Maryland among the schools pursuing Rasheed Sulaimon
Even though Maryland fell short in its pursuit of coveted former Drexel star Damion Lee earlier this month, the Terrapins still haven’t given up on landing a transfer guard this spring.
They’re reportedly one of 10-15 schools in pursuit of former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon.
Already lots of love for Maryland in pre-preseason hoops, also hearing College Park could be a possible landing spot for Rasheed Sulaimon
— Joe Giglio (@jwgiglio) April 28, 2015
Can confirm earlier reports from a source that Maryland is one of the schools recruiting former Duke player Rasheed Sulaimon.
— Andy Katz (@ESPNAndyKatz) April 28, 2015
Maryland’s interest in Sulaimon is a risk considering the circumstances preceding his January dismissal at Duke. The Duke Chronicle reported in March that two female students had accused Sulaimon of sexual assault during the 2013-14 school year, but neither formally reported the incidents to the police or Duke’s Office of Student Conduct.
It’s unclear how big a role those incidents played in Sulaimon’s dismissal because Mike Krzyzewski has said only that the junior guard had been “unable to consistently live up to the standards required to be a member of our program.” Sulaimon is the first player coach Krzyzewski has dismissed from the program during his tenure at Duke.
Maryland’s potential willingness to gamble on Sulaimon could reflect that the Terps believe they’re one piece away from title contention.
They have an elite point guard in rising sophomore Melo Trimble, a skilled combo forward in NBA prospect Jake Layman and a pair of good big men in coveted freshman Diamond Stone and Georgia Tech transfer Robert Carter. The only potential hole is at shooting guard, where the Terps will count on reserves Dion Wiley and Jared Nickens to replace Dez Wells unless they can find help on the transfer market.
Sulaimon is a potential fit for Maryland both because of his talent and his history with Maryland coach Mark Turgeon.
When Turgeon coached at Texas A&M, he heavily recruited Sulaimon and was close to landing the Houston native until Duke swooped in. Sulaimon averaged 11.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a freshman at Duke, but the former McDonald’s All-American’s playing time and production diminished the following two years as other talented wings eclipsed him in Duke’s rotation.
Sulaimon remained enrolled at classes at Duke after his dismissal from the basketball program and would potentially be eligible immediately at his transfer destination if he can graduate this summer. If not, he could either transfer and sit out a year or opt to begin his pro basketball career.
It’s unclear who Maryland’s competition to land Sulaimon will be, but the prior relationship between him and Turgeon isn’t the Terrapins’ only advantage. They also can point to the success Wells had at Maryland after leaving Xavier under similar circumstances as Sulaimon left Duke.
In the months following his dismissal at Duke, Sulaimon had to watch his former teammates play better in his absence and ultimately capture the national championship.
He has to be eager to get back on the floor, and Maryland certainly could be a logical landing spot.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
