Maryland Basketball: L.G. Gill Big Help That Terps Needed

Feb 21, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Duquesne Dukes forward L.G. Gill (33) dunks the ball against the Dayton Flyers during the second half at the CONSOL Energy Center. Duquesne won 83-73. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Duquesne Dukes forward L.G. Gill (33) dunks the ball against the Dayton Flyers during the second half at the CONSOL Energy Center. Duquesne won 83-73. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Maryland basketball needed a big man this season and have found their guy in Duquesne graduate transfer L.G. Gill.

Many wondered how the Maryland Terrapins would respond to losing their entire front court from last season to the NBA. They think they have their guy

We knew Diamond Stone was a one-and-done prospect. Jake Layman was a senior. What shocked us all was that Robert Carter decided to enter the draft as well. That left the Terps with a huge hole to fill up front.

That’s where L.G. Gill comes into play.

Gill has one year of eligibility remaining, and he will spend that season with Mark Turgeon in College Park. It’s a huge land for Turgeon with the departure of all the bigs from last season. Gill should slot in next to Damonte Dodd, the only other senior on the roster, at power forward. 

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“He is a tremendous addition to our program who will be able to make immediate contributions. L.G. was a very productive player at Duquesne and improved each season,” Turgeon said. “He is a good shooter and rebounder and is extremely athletic. As one of two seniors on our roster, he will bring high character, strong leadership and experience to our team and will also be a perfect fit for our locker room. We really enjoyed getting to know L.G. and his great family during this process and look forward to having him join us on campus.”

Turgeon has a great track record of bringing transfer players to College Park. Gill will be the fourth graduate transfer to join Maryland under Turg, joining Logan Aronhalt, Richaud Pack and Rasheed Sulaimon. He’s also added Dez Wells, Evan Smotrycz, Varun Ram, Jaylen Brantley and Carter as transfers.

“I chose Maryland because I believe it’s the best fit for me from a basketball standpoint,” Gill said. “There was an instant connection between me and my future teammates.”

The Terps will welcome Gill’s size (6-foot-8, 230 pounds) on a front line that was deep last season, but will be a mystery as we move ahead. He is more of an athletic player than a post presence, but can play multiple positions. He can shoot the ball from long-range, hitting 34.4% of his 154 three-point attempts this past season.

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The Terps could be losing a starting five that all averaged in double figures. Gill averaged 10.1 points and 6.5 rebounds on 44 percent shooting last season for the Dukes, all career highs. Maryland will need him to score in bunches with almost all of their offense from a year ago out the door.