Rasheed Sulaimon Transferring to the University of Maryland

By Ryan Queler

Approximately one month after they won a huge recruiting battle en route to landing five-star recruit Diamond Stone, the Maryland Terrapins added another potential NBA prospect to their roster, this time, familiar foe Rasheed Sulaimon.

On Monday, Sulaimon tweeted to his followers, “Excited for he opportunity to be a part of something special and bigger than myself!!!! Hello #TerpsNation!

In his press release he had the following to say: “I am extremely grateful to the University of Maryland and coach Turgeon for this opportunity to further my education and continue to play the game I love.”

Sulaimon will spend his senior year in College Park, after playing his first three years for the Terps’ former ACC archrival, the Duke Blue Devils. He was taken off the roster in January, after coach Mike Krzyzewski claimed that he “has been unable to consistently live up to the standards required to be a member of our program.”

The accusation of Sulaimon adds to an already feared lineup and potential number one preseason ranking for the Terrapins, according to ESPN analyst Jeff Goodman.

“The addition of Sulaimon gives Maryland one of the best 1-2 punches with him and Melo Trimble running the backcourt. He also makes the Terps a much deeper team, allowing Nickens to come off the bench,” said Alex Ashkinos, a student at the University of Maryland.

Coach Mark Turgeon seemed confident that his program will be able to offer a new home in College Park where Sulaimon can have success both on and off the court, unlike in Duke.

“We did our due diligence. We were extremely thorough and talked to a lot of people and vetted the entire situation. I’ve known Rasheed and his family since he was 13, and I believe in him. There’s a trust factor, and we’ve had a strong relationship.”

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard chose Maryland over other rival schools, but not before Maryland did a thorough investigation into accusations which stemmed from the Duke University newspaper, The Chronicle, stating two instances of sexual assault against him. Sulaimon has declared his innocence and Duke’s lack of evidence in the past, and Athletic Director Kevin Anderson, University of Maryland President Wallace Loh, and coach Mark Turgeon came to the conclusion that they were willing to offer him a second chance in his final year of eligibility at Maryland.

“Hopefully this addition influences the NCAA to schedule Maryland and Duke in the Big Ten vs. ACC challenge next year. Sulaimon’s move to Maryland can only add fury to one of the game’s best rivalries, especially when both teams are expected to be top 5 in the pre-season polls next year. This could rejuvenate a rivalry that Duke has dominated in the past,” said Sam Feitel, another student at the University of Maryland.

Maryland and Duke have yet to face each other since the Terps left the ACC conference a year ago.

Sulaimon, who plans to graduate Duke in August, is expected to join a lineup of Melo Trimble, Jake Layman, Robert Carter, and Diamond Stone. The Terps were expected to go after a big name transfer to help fill the void of Dez Wells who will be entering the NBA draft.

“He wanted a chance to win at the highest level. He’s a piece that fits what we’re doing here – both personalitywise and on the court. He’ll add leadership. We had other options, but we felt like Rasheed was the best one,” said coach Turgeon.