Maryland Terrapins Basketball

Rick Pitino's return to high-major college basketball may be nigh.

Eric Bickel and Jason Bishop of 106.7 The Fan's Sports Junkies reported Wednesday that Maryland is "heavily pursuing" Pitino, who's in his second season at Iona.

Bickel said the 69-year-old is the Terrapins' "No. 1 choice" and that some donors are "leading the charge."

Mark Turgeon stepped down as Maryland's head coach in December following a 5-3 start to the season. The pressure had been mounting following a 17-14 finish for the Terps in 2020-21.

Turgeon's departure was an example of the high expectations in College Park. He compiled a 226-116 record in 11 seasons but couldn't overcome his relative lack of NCAA tournament success—one trip to the Sweet 16.

Pitino is a proven winner. He led Kentucky and Louisville to one national championship apiece and guided his teams to seven Final Fours.

His impact is already being felt at Iona, with the Gaels on pace to finish with their third-highest winning percentage (.828) thanks to a 24-5 start.

The dilemma for Maryland or any other major program is whether hiring Pitino is worth the inevitable scrutiny it would bring.

Louisville vacated its 2013 national title and its 2012 Final Four run in February 2018 after a former assistant coach allegedly paid to have exotic dancers at parties for players and prospective recruits at an on-campus dorm.

Pitino was already gone by that point, getting fired in October 2017 after the school was implicated in the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball.

Basketball insider Adam Zagoria reported in February that Pitino was discussing a "lifetime" contract with Iona, so any speculation linking him to Maryland or another school could be moot.

Because of his age, the legendary coach might nevertheless relish the opportunity to win one more championship before he retires. Maryland clearly isn't at that level right now but because of its general stature shouldn't require a long rebuild to be nationally relevant again.

Maryland has agreed to a contract extension with men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon, the school announced Wednesday.

The deal adds three more seasons to his current contract, keeping him with the program through the 2025-26 season.

Athletic director Damon Evans provided a statement on the latest news:

"We believe in Coach Turgeon and are excited about what the future holds for Maryland basketball. Coach is fully committed to Maryland and we are in agreement of the expectations for our program as we move forward. Coach and the staff have already been at work recruiting and building on our recent success. We all need to do our part, pulling in the same direction, pursuing a championship-level program."

Patrick Stevens of the Washington Post reported the terms of the deal feature heavy incentives for postseason success:

There was speculation about Maryland potentially moving on from Turgeon, but it would have taken a $6 million buyout to fire the coach this offseason, per Jeff Ermann of 247Sports.

While divisive among fans, Turgeon has seen plenty of success in his 10 years with the program since coming over from Texas A&M in 2011.

The coach has a 221-113 record at Maryland, making five of the last six NCAA tournaments after a slow start to his tenure. The Terrapins would have made the field last year as well but March Madness was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The squad still earned a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.

This past season, Maryland reached the Round of 32 after beginning the year with a 10-10 record, including a 5-9 mark in the Big Ten.

The Terps have even higher expectations in 2021-22 after getting transfers Qudus Wahab from Georgetown and Daron Fatts Russell from Rhode Island.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello listed the team No. 6 in the country in his early rankings for next season.

There are concerns about Turgeon's upside with his current team, going 5-5 in the NCAA tournament with just one Sweet 16 appearance in 10 years. It appears Maryland will still give him more time to get the most out of his squad.

Center Qudus Wahab is reportedly transferring from Georgetown to Maryland. 

Per Stadium's Jeff Goodman, the Terrapins are getting the 6'11" junior, with the addition coming just one week after he entered the transfer portal. 

Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing issued a statement on March 25 after Wahab entered the transfer portal.

“Q was an important piece of our success this year, and he needs to do what he feels is best for him," said Ewing. "I want to wish him luck in his future. After an exciting postseason, we are ready to focus on the 2021-22 season.”

Wahab was named to the All-Big East tournament team this season for helping the Hoyas secure an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. He averaged 14.3 points on 61.3 percent shooting and 8.3 rebounds in those four games. 

The 2020-21 season was a breakout year for Wahab. He led Georgetown with 8.2 rebounds and ranked second on the team with 12.7 points per game. 

Maryland is coming off a disappointing season with a 17-14 record. The Terps finished eighth in the Big Ten standings but made the NCAA tournament as a No. 10 seed. They beat Connecticut in the Round of 64 before losing to Alabama. 

U.S. District Judge Paul Grimm dismissed a lawsuit filed by former Maryland Terrapins basketball players Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley against Epic Games, the creator of the smash-hit video game Fortnite, related to the alleged copyright infringement of their "Running Man Challenge" dance.

Grimm ruled Monday that Nickens and Brantley, who sought more the $5 million in damages, didn't prove their claim was "qualitatively different" than Epic Games' rights covered by the Copyright Act, per Michael Kunzelman of the Associated Press.

"And here Plaintiffs claim is based on Epic Games allegedly 'capturing and digitally copying' the Running Man dance to create the Fortnite emote that 'allows the player's avatars to execute the Running Man identically to Plaintiffs' version.' This is squarely within the rights protected by the Copyright Act," Grimm wrote.

The players performed the dance, which became a viral video and led to an appearance on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in 2016. It was added to Fortnite in 2018 as part of the Season 6 battle pass.

Nickens and Brantley filed the lawsuit in February 2019.

"Plaintiffs seek to place the same square peg into eight round holes in search of a cause of action against Epic Games for its use of the Running Man dance in its game Fortnite. But Plaintiffs' claims that Epic Games copied the dance do not support any of their theories," Grimm wrote, per Kunzelman.

Other individuals, including actor Alfonso Ribeiro, rapper 2 Milly and the "Orange Shirt Kid," who created the orange justice dance, have attempted to file similar lawsuits against Epic Games for turning dances they popularized into emotes. They all dropped their lawsuits in March 2019.

Fortnite officially introduced its battle royale mode in late 2017, and by the following summer the third-person shooter was dominating the competition in downloads, active players and online viewership via live-stream services like Twitch.

It's a free-to-play game, but cosmetics and other items like emotes, which provide no competitive advantage, are available for sale using in-game currency called V-Bucks ($10 equates to 1,000 V-Bucks).

The seasonal battle pass costs 950 V-Bucks, while other things can be purchased through a daily item shop, with prices typically ranging from 200 to 2,000 V-Bucks.

Fortnite recently created a line called the Icon Series, which has featured officially licensed items such as a character skin of popular streamer Ninja and a "Toosie Slide" emote with in-game lyrics from the Drake song.

Richard Jaklitsch, the former Terps players' lawyer, told the Associated Press his clients may not be able to afford to appeal Monday's ruling.

Maryland forward Jalen Smith will forgo his final two years of eligibility and declare for the 2020 NBA draft. 

Smith announced his decision Tuesday on Twitter:

He can return to school if he decides to withdraw from the draft by June 15.

Smith was listed as the No. 29 overall player in the class by Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.

After a solid first season at Maryland, the former McDonald's All-American took a big step in his sophomore year with averages of 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, also making 36.8 percent of three-point shots.

Per Wasserman, he's one of six players since 1992 to average at least 10 rebounds, two blocks and one made three-pointer per game.

The 6'10" forward showcased the ability to score both inside and out while playing excellent interior defense on the other end of the court. He's also displayed impressive athleticism around the basket in his career:

This skill set should easily be able to translate to the next level, making him an ideal stretch 4 in the current spread NBA.

Smith could still add more strength to his 225-pound frame and can improve his dribbling and passing, but he has a high upside in this class.

His absence could leave Maryland thin for next season with Anthony Cowan Jr. also leaving to graduation. The squad will have to rely on Aaron Wiggins and Eric Ayala among others in 2020-21.

Penn State handed No. 4 Maryland its first loss of the year with a 76-69 upset Tuesday night.

The Terrapins entered the day with a 10-0 record but couldn't overcome a season-high 20 turnovers in a rough showing at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions were much more efficient offensively with a balanced attack that included five players scoring in double figures, led by Mike Watkins with 15 points to go with his 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Lamar Stevens added 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

It's the first time Penn State (8-2) has beaten a Top Five opponent since 2016 but the fourth straight year it has beaten Maryland at home.

Maryland had grown comfortable playing from behind this season, including the last game against Illinois where the team trailed by 15 in the second half before pulling out a last-second win. The squad found itself in a similar position Tuesday, falling behind by as many 13 points, including 10 at halftime.

Anthony Cowan Jr. had been the team's hero at times this year, but he struggled in this one while shooting 5-of-17 on his way to 15 points. He had a team-high four turnovers while the squad failed to hold onto the basketball.

It was part of a strong defensive effort for Penn State that included 10 blocks and 10 steals, often leading to easy opportunities the other way.

Jalen Smith had his seventh double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but he wasn't active enough to help Maryland inside and the Nittany Lions dominated on both ends of the court.

Penn State was coming off a 32-point loss to Ohio State in its last game, but it regrouped in a big way to secure its biggest win of the season so far.

Maryland failed its first true road test and will now have another one in its next game against No. 22 Seton Hall.

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With his team trailing in its second-round matchup against the third-seeded LSU Tigers, Maryland Terrapins forward Bruno Fernando did what he could do try to provide a spark early in the second half.

Fernando hauled in a rebound despite being surrounded by a trio Tigers and then threw it down with authority with one hand after finding an opening.

The dunk cut the Terrapins' deficit to single digits.

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No. 6 Maryland eked out a 79-77 win over No. 11 Belmont in the first round of the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament Thursday afternoon, and one chaotic sequence illustrated how the day went for the Terrapins.

Up 74-73 with less than two minutes remaining, Maryland sophomore forward Bruno Fernando tried to lay in an easy bucket, but Belmont freshman center Nick Muszynski blocked the shot. Following a scramble for the ball, Maryland sophomore guard Darryl Morsell dished to wide-open freshman forward Jalen Smith for an emphatic jam. 

The dunk gave Maryland breathing room, which became crucial in the eventual win. 

Maryland will face the No. 3 LSU Tigers on Saturday in the second round of the East region.