Maryland Basketball: Terps Land Four-Star Recruit Justin Jackson
By Joe Serpico
One day after learning Melo Trimble would return, Maryland basketball has landed Canadian four-star recruit Justin Jackson.
Two days ago, we wondered what the Maryland Terrapins would look like without Melo Trimble. With the possibility of all five starters from a year ago being out the door, a return to the NCAA Tournament seemed out of the picture.
Days later, the Terps are looking strong again thank to Trimble’s return and the news this morning that Justin Jackson is coming to College Park.
Jackson is a small forward that will fill the void left by Jake Layman‘s graduation. He originally signed a letter of intent with UNLV, but reopened his recruitment because the Runnin’ Rebels have gone through two coaching searches in as many years.
The 6-foot-7 wingman is the sixth-ranked small forward and No. 36 recruit overall, according to Scout.com. He visited College Park in late April, and chose Maryland over offers from Oregon and Connecticut.
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The Terps gladly welcome Jackson as he becomes the fourth member of the 2016 class. The addition moved Maryland from No. 22 to No. 9 recruiting class in the country. It’s again a reminder that Mark Turgeon is a great recruiter, despite being a questionable in-game coach.
Duke, Kentucky, Arizona, Michigan State, UCLA, Virginia, UConn and Mississippi State are the only schools with higher recruiting classes.
Jackson is the best of the Maryland recruits, joining four-star prospects Anthony Cowan and Kevin Huerter. Jackson should slide right into the starting lineup, while Huerter and Cowan will get significant playing time in their freshmen year.
The Terps will certainly have a different look to them next season. Turgeon also brought in Duquesne graduate transfer L.G. Gill earlier in the month and he will likely take Robert Carter‘s spot at power forward.
Here is my prediction at how the starting five will look for the 2016-2017 season:
PG: Melo Trimble
SG: Dion Wiley
SF: Justin Jackson
PF: L.G. Gill
C: Damonte Dodd
Next: Melo Trimble is Coming Back
It’s been a crazy few hours for Maryland basketball. Suddenly, the Terps look like a team that could be a Big Ten Conference champion and make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.