Recruiting: Where Does Maryland Go In 2015?

Maryland's 2015 class is currently empty, and head coach Mark Turgeon will be wanting to change that quickly, as the Terps have a wealth of scholarships to offer in this cycle (partly due to a flurry of transfers).  Going into the 2014 season, Maryland will have only ten players on scholarship, with three of those ten being seniors.  That means there are six scholarships up for grabs in 2015.  Here are a few players Maryland has been targeting for those spots:

First, let's put an asterisk on those "six" open scholarships.  Back in early August, we heard rumblings that Ivan Bender, a Croatian forward, would be joining the Terps in December 2014.  News on Bender since, however, has been scarce.  Recruiting services don't have much access to Bender, so there has not been any official confirmation of this news, nor do we know whether Bender would be on scholarship immediately.  For now, the only certainty is that Maryland has heavily recruited the 6'9" forward, and there has been significant mutual interest.

If there's one area Maryland is prioritizing in the 2015 class, it's the point guard position.  And at PG, Justin Robinson is the Terrapins' number one target.  Virginia Tech is also in pursuit, but Maryland's scholarship situation allows them to offer significant early playing time, and Robinson has taken notice.  Maryland will be in this race until the end.

Though Maryland prioritized adding forward Esa Ahmad to this class, it doesn't look like that will be happening.  Ahmad surprised many by committing to West Virginia after his official visit a couple weeks ago.  Ahmad had the Terps in his top group, but it looks like he'll be shutting his recruitment down for good.

With Ahmad off the board, has the ship sailed on Maryland signing a top big man in 2015?  Absolutely not.  Another big Turgeon is targeting is 6'10" center Diamond Stone, who recently put Maryland in his top five along with Wisconsin, Connecticut, Duke, and Oklahoma State.  The Terrapins have ground to make up here on Stone, but nothing in his recruitment is set in stone (sorry), and Maryland could land an official visit later on.

Regardless of what happens with the aforementioned prospects, they alone won't fill up Maryland's 2015 class.  As prospects get a chance to shine in their senior years, look for Maryland to possibly turn the heat up on a few prospects they have offered, but not heavily recruited.  Point guard Malik Ellison and forward Jordan Murphy might fall into that category.  Maryland may also offer additional prospects such as Tyrone Taylor, particularly if Justin Robinson commits elsewhere.  Alternatively, Turgeon may look to add a couple of experienced transfers instead of stacking the 2015 class.