The following are excerpts from Matt Barcken’s recruiting report in the Sun on some of the prospects Maryland is observing this week in Vegas
Early hype on LaQuinton Ross faded a bit after the Life Center Academy (N.J.) forward struggled with injuries last summer. On the AAU circuit this year, however, the 6-foot-8 senior from Jackson, Miss., is back on track. MaxPreps.com reports that Ross was a standout performer at the adidas Super 64 tournament in Las Vegas. “Ohio State has been on me really hard. Maryland, West Virginia, Baylor have been in there, too,” Ross said. “I’ll probably narrow it down at the end of the summer to my top five.” Ross also caught the attention of Rivals.com analyst Jerry Meyer. Also at 6-foot-8, Ross has one of the better shooting strokes in his class. Friday he drove the ball hard to the basket and repeatedly got to the free throw line. He is developing into a face up four man who will have the ability to both stretch the defense and also make plays in the middle of the floor.
• Terps small forward target Maurice Harkless was a standout performer at the Fab 48 tournament in Las Vegas. Now, this is the Harkless that we were told about by our New York area contacts. Looking the part of a high level prospect, the 6-foot-7 wing did a little bit of everything. He handled the ball, got others involved, made some shots and got to the rim. His mentor/adviser Nate Blue listed Maryland, Florida, St. John’s, Arizona, Miami, Memphis, Cincinnati, Seton Hall, Virginia, Florida State and Connecticut as schools that are involved. Harkless’ adviser, Nate Blue, gave Adam Zagoria a list of coaches who watched the former UConn commitment in Las Vegas. “Bill Self, Gary Williams, Mick Cronin, Steve Lavin, Billy Donovan, Kevin Willard, Josh Pastner, Mike Rice have all come to his games,” Blue said, rattling off a litany of high-profile Division 1 coaches. A trip to College Park could be in the works for Harkless next month.
• Maryland shooting guard target Jabari Brown guided the Drew Gooden Soldiers to an 86-66 win over the Iowa Barnstormers in the Fab 48 championship game. The Oakland, Calif., native was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Rivals.com ranks Brown, a 6-foot-4-inch guard, among the top 15 players in the class of 2011. He scored 15 points to carry the Soldiers to a 43-31 halftime lead.
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