Maryland Terrapins Make Top Five For 2017 Four-Star Power Forward Ira Lee

On Tuesday evening, major 2017 prospect Ira Lee cut his list to just five schools and Maryland was fortunate enough to make the cut. The Terrapins are competing with some of the nation’s biggest basketball programs and hope to come out on top.

Along with Maryland, Lee listed four other programs. These schools were Arizona, California, Oregon, and Texas. Currently, Arizona is the favorite and has received 91 percent of the predictions on 247Sports’ Crystal Ball picks.

As mentioned, Lee is considered to be one of the best prospects in the country. In fact, 247Soprts rates him as a four-star recruit, the No. 53 player overall in 2017, and the No. 5 center in the nation. The recruiting service also has him listed at 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds.

Based on Lee’s ratings and measurables, he looks like a prospect that could make an early impact on the next level. Maybe he’s not as ready as other prospects, but Lee could do some real damage in a stretch four role.

Unfortunately for Maryland, the program will have some work cut out for it in order to land Lee’s commitment. The Terps are in position for an epic 2017 class and perhaps that can help recruit Lee, but anytime a program is battling programs like Arizona, California, and Oregon for west coast recruits, it’s going to be tough.

Nonetheless, if Maryland could actually land Lee, he could help fill out what looks like a really talented lineup for the 2017-’18 season. With players like Justin Jackson, Micah Thomas, and Joshua Tomaic already in the fold, Lee could step in and help provide depth on the wing and upfront.

It seems unlikely that Maryland can actually reel in Lee, but based on what Mark Turgeon has been able to accomplish over the last few seasons, don’t count out the Terps just yet.