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The star shooting guard from Montrose Christian is having second thoughts about his commitment to Maryland.
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According to the jump of an InsideMDSports.com article, Terrence Ross could be having second thoughts about his commitment to MD.
Could there be any more devastating news for this basketball program right now?
Ross was supposed to be the star of next year's highly touted recruiting class. He's one of the best shooters in the country, has freaky athletic skills, and looks like a guy who could make it to the pros one day. Furthermore, he was the first recruit to sign on for 2010 and seemed to be in love with the idea of being a Terp. Remember, Ross tried to recruit Mychal Parker to come to MD and his friend, Terrence Jones, as well. Ross also attended numerous Terp games and played pickup ball at Comcast throughout the summer and fall. Simply put, he seemed like a MD guy.
All of a sudden, something has changed.
It's hard to say exactly what that change is. But there is some speculation that it may have to do with either academics or Nike. Academics I could probably deal with. If a kid doesn't have the grades to get into school, that sucks but it is what it is.
If a kid doesn't go to his first choice because of a shoe company, well, that absolutely makes me livid. Here's the general rumor going around (I have no evidence that any of this is true but it's what people are speculating): Ross has connections to Nike because he is from Oregon (where Nike is located) and through Montrose Christian which is outfitted by Nike. The school that Ross committed to, Maryland, snubbed Nike a few years back when it decided to switch from the legendary apparel company to Under Armour. Nike is still ticked off at MD and is pushing Ross towards a Nike outfitted school.
Again, I'm not saying that this is definitely happening, but its what some are speculating. And to some degree, it makes sense. How does a kid who does nothing but praise Maryland, tries to recruit others to MD, and spends loads of time on campus playing pickup and hanging with the team, all of a sudden do a complete 180, and say he's having serious doubts. It just doesn't make sense. The pieces don't add up.
If the Nike scenario proposed above is, in fact, what's going on, then I'm really inclined to just stop watching college basketball all-together. When shoe companies and big money dictate where kids go to college, what's the difference between college ball and the NBA. Why even have these athletes go to college at all?
I know I'm getting ahead of myself but it's safe to say, this is not good news for Terps fans. Of course, nothing is set in stone and Ross could end up a Terp, after all. I'm just not real optimistic at this point, namely because these kind of situations never turn out in our favor.
When we hear more info on Ross, we'll get it to you...
In the mean time, sit back, relax, and enjoy the roller-coaster that is being a Maryland basketball fan.
