Diamond Stone May Cost Maryland More Than Money

The last 48 hours have seen a seismic shakeup in college basketball and the Maryland Terrapins find themselves as close to the epicenter as possible.  Yahoo Sports released an article detailing the dealings of Christian Dawkins, an associate of sports agent Andy Miller and his agency ASM Sports.  Dawkins has been a part of the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball, and his dealings are at the center of the FBI's investigation into the illegal misappropriation of Adidas funds to assistant coaches at Auburn, Arizona, Oklahoma State, and Southern California.  Yahoo also released other documents that allude to Dawkins' financial dealings with other players from over 20 other teams.  It is unclear at this moment whether or not these players were involved with the Adidas scandal, but one name on that list should have Terps fans very worried about what the future holds for the Maryland Men's Basketball Program.  That name is Diamond Stone.

The documents released by Yahoo Sports show that Diamond Stone allegedly received $14,303 from Dawkins as of December 31, 2015.  It is unclear when or how this money was given to Stone, but in other documents it is reveled that Stone allegedly received ATM Witdrawal Advances of $1100 on February 11, 2016 and $1000 on March 21, 2016.  The documents also detail that Dawkins allegedly paid $53.94 on March 11, 2016 for a "Ride for Diamond Stone to Meeting".  In total, the documents provided by Yahoo allege over $16,000 were given to Diamond Stone by someone who is involved in a federal investigation.  Terps fans have pleaded for reason in that these are just pieces of paper without any corroboration, and that it is foolish at this point to make any assumptions about what could happen in the wake of this information being made public.  It could be that this information is unsubstantiated, but that is looking less likely due to the events unfolding at Arizona.

Here is Mark Turgeon's response to Diamond Stone's name being involved with the ASM investigation (Thank you to Testudo Times for the quote):

“Late last night we were alerted of a report associating one of our former student-athletes with an agent. We are extremely disappointed, and we will fully cooperate with any investigation. I do not have a relationship with Andy Miller or anyone from his agency, and at no time have I ever had a conversation with Andy Miller or his agency regarding any Maryland basketball player. We remain steadfast in upholding a program of integrity that reflects the values of our University community.”

Now here was Sean Miller's response in October 2017 to the information that one of his assistants, Emanuel Richardson, was arrested on federal bribery charges (Thank you to AZcentral for the quote):

“I was devastated to learn last week of the allegations made against Emanuel Richardson. I have expressed to both (University of Arizona President) Dr. Robbins and our Athletic Director Dave Heeke that I fully support the University’s efforts to fully investigate these allegations.  As the head basketball coach at the University of Arizona, I recognize my responsibility is not only to establish a culture of success on the basketball court and in the classroom, but as important, to promote and reinforce a culture of compliance. To the best of my ability, I have worked to demonstrate this over the past 8 years and will continue to do so as we move forward.”

Are you worried yet, Terps fans?  Miller's comments were made in October, and just this weekend it was revealed that Miller had been recorded on the phone dealing directly with Dawkins about how much money to give to star recruit Deandre Ayton in order to secure a commitment.  According to this ESPN article, the FBI intercepted over 3,000 hours of phone conversations made by Dawkins, so one can assume that there may be more conversations that corroborate some of the financial information contained in the documents released by Yahoo.  This information, coupled with the information on the Dawkins Documents, should make all Maryland fans very wary of Turgeon's comments.  If the Dawkins Documents are proven to be true through phone records, it means that Diamond Stone received a ride to meet with agents from ASM on the day of Maryland's first game of the Big 10 Tournament in 2016, and he received a $1000 payment three days before Maryland was to play Kansas in the Sweet 16.  It is hard to believe that Turgeon would be oblivious to this kind of behavior, but even if he was it does not matter.  If anyone, ANYONE, within the Maryland framework is found to have facilitated these payments to Diamond Stone at any time during this process it will spell doom for the program, and there is evidence that this could be the case.  The February 11, 2016 payments to Diamond Stone had the name Rashaad Moore listed next to the record of payment.  The identity of this person, or his significance to Diamond Stone and the University of Maryland, is unknown at this time but it shows that there are more levels to this story that could harm Maryland Basketball for the long term.

With so many schools being implicated in the Dawkins Documents, the NCAA is going to need to bring sacrificial lambs to the alter of public perception when all is said and done.  These cannot just be any lambs, but very carefully selected lambs that will give the illusion that justice is being done while not hurting the NCAA's bottom line.  Maryland fits this mold perfectly.  A program from a Power 5 conference with a rich history, a national championship, and a sordid past when it comes to NCAA violations is just what the doctor ordered for the NCAA to show that they are tough on crime.  Diamond stone is one of six player implicated in the Dawkins Documents who allegedly received over $10,000 in payments from ASM Sports, so it stands to reason that if these payouts can be corroborated Maryland will be associated with one of the largest offenders on this list.  If it is found that anyone, ANYONE, from Maryland is involved in the paying of Diamond Stone it will be easy for the NCAA to make an example of Maryland.  It does not have to be as dramatic as Sean Miller being caught on tape.  It does not even have to involve Mark Turgeon.  If Rashaad Moore turns out to be a towel boy who was employed by The University of Maryland for more than a week, and facilitated the payments to Diamond Stone, the NCAA will levy their wrath on the Terps.  Kicking Maryland off of TV and banning them from post season play will show the public that the NCAA is not afraid to punish "big" programs for lack of institutional control without having to go after programs that draw more water.  UNC, Duke, and Kentucky have all been implicated in this scandal, but punishing them may harm NCAA profits because of the viewership they draw on a national level.  The Terps would be a perfect scapegoat for the NCAA if they can prove that these payments to Diamond Stone were facilitated by anyone, ANYONE, from the University of Maryland. If the NCAA can prove this they will eviscerate the Maryland Men's Basketball program in the wake of this scandal.  Terps fans need to be very worried right now.

Maryland Basketball's Future Is On the Line This Week

The fate of the Maryland Men's Basketball Program will be on the line this week as they face two Top 10 opponents in succession.  The upcoming games against Michigan State and Purdue will give the NCAA Selection Committee a good idea about whether or not the Terps need to win out the rest of the season to have a chance at making their fourth straight NCAA appearance.  But these next two games will have more far reaching ramifications for the program as Mark Turgeon navigates his seventh season in College Park.  It is no secret that Turgeon has not delivered the wins against big time programs, but bad losses against these two teams could start to make the grass on the other side look just a little bit greener.  Maryland's short term, and long term future, hang in the balance of these two games, and it begins with the Terps NCAA Tournament resume.

For those of you keeping score at home, Maryland's overall resume to make the Tournament this year does not look good so far.  They have one win against the RPI Top 50 (Butler who is 31) and their next best RPI win has been against the mighty Bucknell Bison who are ranked 100.  Maryland itself is only ranked 53 in the RPI, but these next two games could give them the quality win they need to bolster their resume and it is not out of the realm of possibility that Maryland could pull off an upset.  Maryland was able to keep pace with Purdue, albeit at home and with Justin Jackson, and they traded punches with Michigan State without Jackson for the first fifteen minutes until Maryland went cold and Michigan State couldn't miss.  One inspiring Turgeon speech could will the Terps past one of these teams over the next few days, and it is Mark Turgeon's coaching prowess that will be on trial over the next two games as it pertains to his tenure at the University of Maryland.

Turgeon's coaching acumen has been called into question over the past two weeks, which has exacerbated the call for his removal due to his lackluster performance against big time programs in big time situations.  Turgeon has been chided for Maryland's performance at the end of the game against Indiana, and for not defending the inbound pass against Michigan when the Terps were up one point with 3.2 seconds left.  The Michigan loss especially hurts because Turgeon's record against Top 25 teams has not been so glamorous.  If the Terps had beaten Michigan it would have been the first time Turgeon had beaten a Top 25 team in a true road game since he came to College Park.  In fact, Turgeon's only win against a Top 25 team on the road (not counting neutral site games) was against LSU on November 25, 2006. Couple that with the fact that Turgeon is 7-27 against Top 25 teams since he took the Maryland job, and there is reason to be concerned about the direction of the program in College Park outside of the worry that the Terps may miss the Tournament for the first time in four years.  Terps fans, though, need to gain some perspective and look at another Maryland Legend's rise to the top in order to evaluate Turgeon's tenure.

Turgeon is in his seventh year at the University of Maryland, and yet by his seventh year, one Gary Williams was in a more precarious place than Turgeon.  Gary had only made two tournaments in his 6 previous years, and he had losing records in two out of his first three seasons (the last losing seasons Maryland Basketball has had).  In his sixth season, though, Joe Smith was named AP National Player of the Year and the Terps won the ACC Regular Season Championship.  Things were looking up for Maryland Basketball despite Joe Smith being drafted number 1 overall in 1995.  Gary would follow that season up with a first round exit from the Tournament in 1996 at the hands of Santa Clara, who was led at the time by a relatively unknown Steve Nash.  If the man Terps fans venerate as much as Gary Williams can have a regression, then surely Mark Turgeon can as well, and Turgeon may outpace Gary in certain areas that should have Terps fans pining to keep him around for the long term.  But it is the one area that Gary outpaces Turgeon that leaves the Maryland Nation insatitaed.

Mark Turgeon has extended his career at Maryland on the basis of recruiting hype, but he needs to take the next step if he is to stay in College Park.  Turgeon has been able to acquire three ESPN Top 20 recruiting classes over the past six years, and his current class is ranked 10th with one 5-Star recruit in Jalen Smith.  Gary was the opposite.  Gary was ridiculed for recruiting a guy named Joe Smith, but he would go on to beat a Jerry Stackhouse/Rasheed Wallace led, number 1 ranked, North Carolina squad with some guy named Joe Smith as his star player.  Turgeon has not been able to translate his recruiting talents into any success against top teams that Gary did, but that could change within the next week.  The games against Michigan State and Purdue could give Turgeon the signature win he needs to validate all of his recruiting success during his time at Maryland.  Two bad losses, i.e. losses of 20 points or more, may begin the talks of removing Turgeon from his coaching responsibilities.

Turgeon's tenure, more than likely, automatically extends through next season.  Justin Jackson's injury ensures his return for next season, and with the recruits coming in for next season Turgeon deserves at least one more year to prove himself.  But two more bad losses to Top 25 teams will dictate just how much time Turgeon will be given to right the ship in College Park.  Terps fans would be wise to realize, however, that after winning a Conference Championship with a National Player of the Year, Gary Williams was exited in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  Turgeon has been able to attract high level recruits in a more competitive marketplace, and although his recruiting may not have translated into long term success, Turgeon deserves more time at Maryland for finally bringing a proven recruiter to College Park.  If he cannot deliver a win over the next two games, though, he may be looking for a new job sooner than he thinks.

Maryland's 2017 NCAA First Round Matchup

It is hard to believe that this will be Maryland's third straight trip to the NCAA tournament after only having three appearances in the previous seven years before 2015.  It is also hard to believe because the past two appearances have been fairly forgettable due to the lackluster performances put on by Terrapin squads that were much more highly touted than this one.  It is also hard to believe because of the way this year's Terps have performed ever since they gave away the game to Purdue at home, which culminated in Turgeon calling out the toughness of his players against Northwestern this past weekend.  Yet here we are: A surprising six seed for a team that overachieved in the first half of the season but looked like it was gelling until the last 10 games where the Terps looked like the rudderless, callow, freshman filled bonanza that was expected.  But the magic the Terps had in the beginning of the season has been marginalized more than it has disappeared.  In four of the last six losses the Terps have been leading at halftime, including the game at Wisconsin.  So let us take a look at the match ups the Terps will face in the first round: The Xavier Musketeers. All information and stats come from College Basketball Reference and Joe Lunardi

The Musketeers were a preseason AP Top 10 team that fell on hard times after their starting point guard, Edmond Sumner, went down with a season ending knee injury at the end of January.  I can't imagine why the Selection Committee did not want to rekindle the rivalry between Xavier and their cross town rival, and also six seeded, Cincinnati but alas it is the Terps that must play what could be a fairly even matched game.

The Bad News: Xavier is a big team that is good at rebounding.  They average 12.6 offensive rebounds per game which is good for 29th best in the NCAA, while the Terps allow 10.7 offensive rebounds per game which ranks 303rd.  The one area that has killed the Terps over the last 10 games has been allowing second chance points and not being able to grab rebounds on both ends, and Xavier does this just about as good as anyone in the country.  Xavier out rebounds their opponents by 6 on average, so it could be the Wisconsin game all over again if we cannot box people out.  That could also be a tall order given the size of Xavier's starting back court.  PG Quentin Goodin is the smallest of the Musketeers's starting lineup at 6'4", which may cause some match up dilemmas for Anthony Cowan who only runs a generous 6'1".  Goodin has a penchant for heating up from outside, and given that their two best scorers (Trevon Bluiett and J.P. Macura) are also average over 30% from three the Terps need to be wary of the shooters on the perimeter.  Look for the Musketeers to be aggressive in their outside shooting against whomever is matched up with Trimble or Cowan in order to exploit their height advantage and offensive rebounding acumen.

The Good News: With the loss of Edmond Sumner, the Musketeers lost their best ball handler and have been susceptible to turnovers.  The Terps need to capitalize on points off of these turnovers, which has been a problem as of late.  Xavier also is poor at defending the three point shot.  They are in the bottom third in the country in three point baskets allowed, and the Terps are not shy about stroking it from the outside.  Jackson and Huerter need to step up and hit some outside shots to stretch out the Xavier defense.  One other area that Xavier struggles with is the amount of assists they allow per game.  The Musketeers allow their opponents to get 14 assisted baskets per game, which ranks 303rd in the country.  The Terps need to look to create shots off the pass rather than dribble penetration, and do not be surprised if we see Ivan Bender get equal minutes to Dodd in order to utilize his superior passing skills in the post.  Finally, the loss of Sumner also made the Musketeers's back court depth non existent.  The Musketeers only rotate 8 players, and the three coming off the bench are all forwards.  Dodd and Bender need to be cognizant of that fact if the Musketeers decide to go big to get the Terps big men into foul trouble, but if the Terps can draw some early fouls on their guards it could slow down the Xavier offense.

Other than these differences, the Terps and Musketeers are two evenly matched teams.  This game will certainly show us what type of meddle the Terps are made of.  The Terps lose if they are limp on their rebounding attempts and allow Xavier to get numerous second chance opportunities.  Another Melo Trimble show may also spell disaster for the Terps as they will need to spread the ball around to be successful.  Huerter will also need to be on his best behavior because if he gets into foul trouble early we may not have a better defender to check Trevon Bluiett.  The Terps win if they score off of the pass and draw some early fouls on their guards to put pressure on their bench.  Justin Jackson will need to be the player he was six weeks ago, because if he can start hitting his outside shot it could help the Terps rebounding by drawing their forwards away from the basket.  Finally, the Terps need to be aggressive defending the ball by pressuring the ball handlers and not making it easy for the Musketeers to move the ball on offense.

Let's hope it is not one and done for the Terps and they can play a de facto away game against either Florida State or Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday.

Melo Brings Back More Than Just Talent

It was not but a few months ago that Melo Trimble made a risky decision to pull his name from the NBA draft and come back for his Junior season.  At this time last year it was almost a forgone conclusion that Melo would be gone after a predicted stellar Sophomore campaign, and while the Terps reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in over a decade Melo seemed to lose his luster in the second half of last year.  Trimble was plagued with inconsistent play throughout the Big Ten season, and rumors of a lingering injury were bandied around to try and make sense of this step back in performance from one of the most electrifying Freshman of 2015.  These inconsistencies may be the reason that Melo decided to come back and bring his stock up for this year's NBA Draft, but he also brings back a sense of leadership and loyalty to the program that mirrors another flashy point guard who decided to come back for one more year to raise his draft status.

Greivis Vasquez was another person who was set to leave for the NBA after his Junior season.  He had the moxy and attitude to play in the NBA, but his erratic style left something to be desired in an over saturated point guard market in the 2009 NBA Draft.  Vasquez made the decision to come back to College Park in May of 2009 to hone his skills and in the process he led the Terps to one of their best seasons since 2000.  The 2009-2010 season saw the Terps win a share of the ACC regular season title by beating the #4 Duke Blue Devils in the last home game of the season at the XFinity Center, and they came within 6.6 seconds of making it to the Sweet Sixteen.  And remember that Michigan State went on to the Final Four that season because Kansas had been upset by Northern Iowa in the Second Round and #2 Ohio State lost to Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen meaning that ipso facto the Terps would have made it to the Final Four that year.  For Vasquez personally, his Senior season could not have ended any better.  He was the 2010 ACC Player of the Year, a Second Team All-American, and he was drafted 28th overall in the 2010 Draft.  Melo's return may mirror Vasquez's 2010 season in that the Terps could be poised for a run given what Melo brings back outside of his talent, and what Marlyand has done to compliment Melo's strengths.

Melo Trimble's abilities were needed to have this season be a success.  That has been evident over the first 14 games.  What also has been evident over the first 14 games is a resiliency and willingness to win that has not been present the past two seasons.  The Terps have been able to erase four nine point second half deficits this season, and without Melo's leadership those comebacks may not have occurred.  Melo must also know that he cannot go at it alone, and the he needs to rely on the pieces that Mark Turgeon has put in place this season to help him and the Terps become a better team.  Turgeon must have seen that when Melo was not in the game last year the team looked lost on offense, and more often than not they resorted to jacking up threes or driving down the lane into double teams.  Enter Anthony Cowan, who has shown that he can be that ball handler/distributer the Terps need when Melo needs a break.  The Terps now do not look as inept on offense without Melo in the game, and that was showcased in their rout of Illinois on Tuesday night.  Cowan, along with guys like Kevin Huerter, Jaylen Brantley, Dion Wiley, Justin Jackson, and L.G. Gill, give the Terps some much needed depth and intangibles that at times may have been lacking last season.  But Melo Trimble is the glue.  His talent is what the Terps needed to have back to give this team a chance, but the dedication, experience, and leadership he brings back could have the Terps surprising some people come March.  And maybe, just maybe, he can create enough surprises this year to have his number resting at XFinity Center right next to that fiery point guard who also decided come back for one more year.

Maryland's Most Important Piece May Not Stay

If Melo Trimble, Diamond Stone, and Robert Carter are smart they will stay at Maryland one more year.  According to Chad Ford's rankings on ESPN.com Melo and Carter are outside of the Top 50 prospects (Melo is #51 and Carter is #59), which means that they have a good shot at not being drafted if they decide to leave Maryland.  Stone is #18 in these rankings, which means he would probably get drafted somewhere in 2016, but someone at Maryland needs to show him what Jordan Williams is doing right now and it may make him think twice.  If all of them came back, though, they would all have a chance to increase their draft status by increasing their individual and team success.  Melo would finally have some backcourt depth to give him more rest during the game with the addition of freshman PG Anthony Cowan and SG Kevin Huerter.  Carter can have more exposure by not having to share minutes with Jake Layman, and by looking at Robert Carter's freshman year picture at Georgia Tech you would have to assume that he would put in the work to improve even more for next year.  Finally, Stone would get one more year to improve his rebounding ability and prove that he is a Top 10 pick with Melo and Carter helping him out in that capacity.  Finally, if all three came back Maryland would once again be a preseason Top 5 team with experience, and the shared team success they could generate in 2016-2017 would raise all ships come next year's draft.  But for all this short term prognosticating about whether or not these three will stay, Maryland should be looking at some telling portents about another member of the Terps that point to him leaving this program in the future.

Unless the Terps make at least one Final Four appearance within the next three years, Mark Turgeon may decide not to stay in College Park past his initial contract.  It has been apparent in some of Turgeon's press conferences this season that he seems tired.  Not that pissed off tired that comes from a losing streak, which the Terps suffered late in the season, but that dejected tired that comes from something missing in his personal life. This conjecture comes from a nugget that he gave in his press conference before the Kansas game.  Around the 6:00 mark Turgeon is asked about his time at Wichita State, and he professed his love for the city of Wichita stating that his wife loves the city and it was where his kids were born.  Then there is this Washington Post article by Kent Babb from June that outlines Turgeon's internal battle between his professional success and his personal life.  The article describes how coaching four teams in 17 years has made Turgeon miss special moments in his kids' lives and it has moved him to tears at times.  Finally, remember that Turgeon had a ton of family members come out to see the Terps play at Nebraska because Lincoln is a central point for most of his family that lives in Kansas and Iowa.  All of this points to Turgeon possibly not enjoying living in this area, and not enjoying the sacrifices he makes for the Maryland program if the returns are not going to be there in the future.

Turgeon is a competitor first.  He wants to win on the court more than anything, which is why he probably will not voluntarily leave for any job other than Kansas until he wins a championship here at Maryland.  But the Kent Babb article talks about Turgeon's honesty being his best quality as a coach, recruiter, and father.  Turgeon has three years left on his contract here at Maryland, and if there is no Final Four in that time then Turgeon may have to be honest with himself about what is best for him and his family.  His statements about Wichita and his tired press conferences hint that living in this area may be taking a larger toll on him that he expected.  He sees that his family is mostly located in the Midwest where he spent most of his life, and as his kids get older he may realize that it is not worth it to put himself and his family through the grind of trying to win at Maryland.  All of this can be assuaged by a Final Four appearance before his contract is up in 2019.  If that does not come, it is possible that Turgeon's personal life wins out over his desire for professional success and he walks away from the University of Maryland.