Mark Turgeon

Baltimore Sun reporters Jeff Barker and Don Markus and editor Matt Bracken weigh in on the three biggest topics of the past week in Maryland sports. Is Maryland better off developing Roddy Peters and Seth Allen as its point guards rather than bringing in Antonio Barton for one season? Don Markus: A lot of college coaches, Mark Turgeon included, want to take advantage of the NCAA's fairly recent legislation that allows players who have graduated from one school to finish their careers at another as long as they can find a graduate program that doesn't exist at the first school.

After visiting Maryland last week, it appeared as if Memphis transfer Antonio Barton was headed home. The senior point guard from Baltimore, who should be eligible to play right away next season after graduating this summer, said that he got a good feel from the coaches, players and athletic director Kevin Anderson. It appears now that the Terps have some new competition for Barton from Tennessee. Barton was in Knoxville "Wednesday or Thursday," according to a source.  Another source close to Barton told me last week that the decision could come “very soon” and all signs pointed toward College Park.

After visiting Maryland last week, it appeared as if Memphis transfer Antonio Barton was headed home. The senior point guard from Baltimore, who should be eligible to play right away next season after graduating this summer, said that he got a good feel from the coaches, players and athletic director Kevin Anderson. It appears now that the Terps have some new competition for Barton from Tennessee. Barton was in Knoxville "Wednesday or Thursday," according to a source.  Another source close to Barton told me last week that the decision could come “very soon” and all signs pointed toward College Park.

As Maryland awaits word from former Memphis point guard Antonio Barton regarding his possible transfer to College Park, it might be interesting to look at the lineups Mark Turgeon could put on the floor next season with or without the 6-2 senior from Baltimore. His three-season stats at Memphis might not accurately reflect how important a piece Barton could be for the Terps. How do you measure a player's basketball IQ, leadership and maturity? Think of what Logan Aronhalt gave Turgeon's team last season, but with Barton playing a much bigger role at a more key position.

As Maryland awaits word from former Memphis point guard Antonio Barton regarding his possible transfer to College Park, it might be interesting to look at the lineups Mark Turgeon could put on the floor next season with or without the 6-2 senior from Baltimore. His three-season stats at Memphis might not accurately reflect how important a piece Barton could be for the Terps. How do you measure a player's basketball IQ, leadership and maturity? Think of what Logan Aronhalt gave Turgeon's team last season, but with Barton playing a much bigger role at a more key position.

Naji Hibbert   has never been to Gardner-Webb, and he didn't know much about the small Division I school in Boiling Springs, N.C., until a few weeks ago. But despite his relative lack of familiarity with the university, Hibbert quickly discovered that Gardner-Webb was a “good fit academically and on the floor.” Hibbert, an East Baltimore native who played three years at Texas A&M, announced his intentions to transfer to the Big South school...

Former Albany shooting guard Logan Aronhalt said Sunday that he planned to transfer to Maryland for his final year of eligibility. On Tuesday, Terps coach Mark Turgeon made it official. "We are thrilled to add Logan to our basketball family,” Turgeon said in a news release. “Logan's values are closely aligned with the expectations we have in our program. I'm impressed with his high level of success in the classroom while being an all-league player in the American East.

Editor's note: Each week, InsideMdSports.com provides this blog with a Maryland recruiting feature that previously appeared as premium content on its site. With Dez Wells, Jake Layman and Nick Faust returning next season, each still an underclassman, Maryland's in no great need of small forward types. But regardless of roster make-up, you never stop looking for potential impact players, and Terry Larrier may be one such example. It's unknown if the Terps have officially offered Larrier, a fast-rising 2014 forward from the Bronx, N.Y., but there's no question they're interested.

Former NBA coach Larry Brown visited the Maryland men's basketball program recently. Terps coach Mark Turgeon played for Brown at Kansas. Check out video of Brown's visit below.

Baltimore hasn’t hosted a Maryland basketball game since November 1999. But new men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon, who has already started to beef up his recruiting presence in Baltimore by meeting with city officials, is interested in bringing the Terps back to Baltimore if the university can swing it financially. Maryland plays in Washington every year in the BB&T Classic at Verizon Center, but Turgeon recently said that he hopes to play annually in both Baltimore and Washington or alternate years if that isn’t feasible.

Combining Maryland's seventh-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season and the recent decision by 7-foot-1 sophomore center Alex Len to leave early for the NBA, most figured that the Terps would not get a marquee matchup in next season's ACC-Big Ten Challenge. There was also some speculation that Maryland's departure from the ACC after next season for the Big Ten might make the Terps a candidate for exclusion - something that had not happened to Maryland in the first 14 years of the series.

Baltimore Sun reporters Jeff Barker and Don Markus and editor Matt Bracken weigh in on the three biggest topics of the past week in Maryland sports. Is Maryland better off developing Roddy Peters and Seth Allen as its point guards rather than bringing in Antonio Barton for one season? Don Markus: A lot of college coaches, Mark Turgeon included, want to take advantage of the NCAA's fairly recent legislation that allows players who have graduated from one school to finish their careers at another as long as they can find a graduate program that doesn't exist at the first school.

Editor's note: Each week, InsideMdSports.com provides this blog with a Maryland recruiting feature that previously appeared as premium content on its site. With Dez Wells, Jake Layman and Nick Faust returning next season, each still an underclassman, Maryland's in no great need of small forward types. But regardless of roster make-up, you never stop looking for potential impact players, and Terry Larrier may be one such example. It's unknown if the Terps have officially offered Larrier, a fast-rising 2014 forward from the Bronx, N.Y., but there's no question they're interested.

Rutgers transfer Eli Carter announced this afternoon on Twitter that he "will be continuing my career at the University of Florida !! #Go Gators. " The news won't shock those in College Park considering that the former Scarlet Knights guard took a visit to Gainesville on Sunday and Monday. But it clearly puts a little pressure on Mark Turgeon and his assistants, who hope to convince former Memphis guard Antonio Barton to return to his home state. I talked with Barton on Monday and he spoke positively about the Terps and the system run by Turgeon.

  Baltimore Sun reporter Don Markus and editor Matt Bracken weigh in on the three biggest topics of the past week in Maryland sports. Is the Atlantic Coast Conference being vindictive with Maryland regarding its basketball schedule for its final season? Don Markus: After seeing that the Terps have to go play at Duke and North Carolina, without a return game from either the Blue Devils or Tar Heels, my reaction was it was a, uh, going-away gift for leaving for the Big Ten in 2014.

Mark Turgeon's push to keep local talent close to home was on display over the past week. The Maryland men's basketball coach extended offers to four prospects from D.C.-based AAU programs: Riverdale Baptist junior forward Chinanu Onuaku of D.C. Assault, and St. John's (D.C.) junior point guard Tre Campbell ,  Gonzaga (D.C.) sophomore point guard Bryant Crawford and Paul VI (Va.) sophomore wing Franklin Howard , all of whom play for Team Takeover. “I'm very happy whenever I get an offer from any school, but Maryland is special because they're a hometown team and I grew up watching them,” Howard told The Washington Post . ** Rutgers shooting guard transfer Eli Carter will visit Maryland and Florida this week, according to Jon Rothstein . The Scarlet Knights' leading scorer tweeted that in addition to considering the Terps and Gators , he's also looking at Memphis, Creighton, Buffalo and Pittsburgh.

Despite facing what will likely be a limited scholarship situation for the 2013 recruiting class, the Maryland basketball staff continues to evaluate a wide range of junior prospects. The latest name to add to the list: Stanford Robinson of Paul VI (Va.). Robinson, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard, received a visit this week from Terps coach Mark Turgeon, who watched him practice on Monday. Last week assistant Dalonte Hill had attended one of Robinson's games. “They haven't offered yet but the head coach was out here," Robinson said.

ESPN recruiting analyst Dave Telep said today that Maryland coach Mark Turgeon and his staff had to "work really hard" in the past two weeks to secure a commitment from Suitland guard Roddy Peters, who announced Tuesday that he was coming to College Park next season. Telep called the commitment from Peters "significant" in the fact that it shows the Terps will be "a local option" for top recruits, many of whom went elsewhere during the last few years of Gary Williams' 22-year career at his alma mater.

It is no secret that Maryland coach Mark Turgeon has a need for an experienced point guard  next season. With the recent departure of rising senior Pe'Shon Howard, the Terps have four scholarships available. It is also no secret that former Lake Clifton point guard Antonio Barton is looking for a place to finish his college career. Barton received his release from Memphis this week, has a year of eligibility remaining and will be available to play right away as long as he gets his degree from the school this summer.