6/3 Big Ten Morning Power Bar: Maryland Makes Cut for Five-Star Guard Immanuel Quickley

Every week, the BTPowerhouse Friday Power Bar will detail what’s going on across the league on the recruiting trail.

Another week passes and the recruiting engine keeps churning. The well might have been a bit dry for the transfer market, but there were a slew of new developments surrounding the 2018 class.

Let’s take a look at this week’s recruiting headlines.

-Immanuel Quickley Includes Maryland in His Final Four

The Maryland Terrapins once again flexed their DMV influence and prowess on Tuesday, as five-star point guard Immanuel Quickley included them in his latest round of cuts. Now down to just four, Mark Turgeon’s squad squares off against Kentucky, Kansas, and Miami. Quickley is currently the 2^nd ranked point guard and 9^th ranked overall prospect in the 2018 class.

Over the past year, finding Imanuel Quickley in the headlines hasn’t been difficult. In just his sophomore year, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 17.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He capped the successful season with All-Metro Player of the Year honors. Later in the summer, Quickley was named to the USA Basketball U17 team, where he contributed to a gold winning performance at the FIBA World Championship.

Quickley already possess the look of a polished college floor general. He can score at all three levels, but particularly finds success when attacking the rim. Quickley has the athletiscism to adjust midair and finish, or find an open teammate if the defense collapses. The Melo Trimble comparisons can certainly be made.

The Terrapins have had Quickley on their radar for some time now, initially offering the point guard last summer. Location has been key for the relationship, and the proximity of Maryland to Quickley has proven fruitful thus far:

“Maryland, hometown. Maryland is right in my back yard, about an hour away I think,” Quickley told Andrew Slater of 247Sports. “That's been a pretty good pitch for them as well. With Maryland, I’ve been to a whole bunch of basketball games. It’s a really crazy student section. I’ve been to a lot of their games.”

Next up for Quickley is a trip to Italy with the Adidas USA Select Team, followed by another stint with USA Basketball, this time as a member of the U19 squad.

-Three-Star Point Guard Rasir Bolton Visits Penn State

Penn State hosted three-star guard Rasir Bolton for an unofficial visit on Tuesday. Bolton, the 3^rd ranked prospect in the state of Virginia, also visited Pitt this week. In addition to Penn State, the point guard holds offers from Clemson, Pitt, VCU, and Virginia Tech among others. Recently, Maryland and Ohio State has also given Bolton a strong look.

According to Bolton, his game is best classified by his leadership and ball distribution:

“It has been fun. The team is good and everyone just wanted me to be the lead guard,” Bolton told Corey Evans of Rivals. “I feel like I brought leadership and just helped guide them, putting things in place for them to do what they do.”

In the Adidas gauntlet thus far, Bolton has helped Team Loaded Virginia to an 8-0 record, averaging 10.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game.

-Big Ten Target Marcus Zegarowski Impresses in LA

Marcus Zegarowski stock continues to soar due to his impressive play throughout the Nike EYBL circuit. After earning All-Indianapolis Honorable Mention, Zegarowski was named to the All-Los Angeles First Team on Thursday. In the LA session, the 2018 point guard averaged 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.

A three-star guard out of Hamilton, VA, Zegarowski has generated quite a bit of Big Ten interest. He possesses offers from Minnesota, Rutgers, and Penn State. The Gophers, in particular, have made the guard a top priority.

The brother of NBA point guard Michael Carter-Williams, Zegarowski is a hard-nosed offensive conductor. He has a knack for attacking the rim and has impressed with a strong outside shoot throughout the circuit thus far.

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Check back next week for more Big Ten recruiting headlines.