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5-star Forward Wenyen Gabriel Names Maryland in His Top 5

By Brandon Austin

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Mar 22, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Maryland Terrapins cheerleaders hold up signs during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Wenyen Gabriel, a highly sought after 5-star forward from the Class of 2016 has narrowed down his college list to five teams, one of those being the Maryland Terrapins. The other four teams that made the cut for Gabriel’s services are Duke, Kentucky, UConn, and Providence.

June of last year, Gabriel held no Division I basketball scholarship offers. But with his performance on the camp circuit, his stock rose so high that he received offers from every major college basketball program.

Gabriel is an extremely versatile player who is capable of scoring both inside and out. He actually grew four inches over the last two years. Now standing 6-foot-9 and 195 pounds, Gabriel can do so many things with his frame.

So how exactly would Gabriel fit into what Maryland is doing? The answer is perfectly. Head coach Mark Turgeon is very high on this kid and it’s not very hard to see why. Given Gabriel’s versatility and athletic ability, he fits right into that stretch 4 spot that will be vacated by Jake Layman once he graduates after this year. 

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Additionally, imagine what will happen if incoming freshman Diamond Stone and Georgia Tech transfer Robert Carter decide to stay at Maryland after this season. With Stone, Carter, and Gabriel, the Terps could possibly form the most dangerous frontcourt in all of college basketball.

College Park is the first scheduled visit for Gabriel on the weekend of September 4th.  He will then, follow that up with visits to Duke and Kentucky. Gabriel once referred to Duke as his “dream school,” so we will see if that has any effect on his college decision. Regardless, Maryland is in play for one of the nation’s top players and best believe Turgeon and company are treating this situation accordingly.

The Maryland basketball program has taken such great strides in so little time and it’s refreshing for a program that had a bevy of questions surrounding it just a year and a half ago. The Terps are currently the favorite to win the national championship this upcoming season. If they can land Gabriel, a new powerhouse could be forming.

Next: 2015 Maryland Football Season Preview

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