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Maryland lands another 2014 perimeter prospect in Jared Nickens

nickens

Kelly Kline/Under Armour

Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon and his staff have locked up their backcourt of the future, adding a third prospect to the group on Sunday.

According to multiple outlets 6-6 wing Jared Nickens has verbally committed to attend Maryland, joining 2014 prospects Romelo Trimble (point guard) and Dion Wiley (shooting guard). Nickens averaged 16 points and five rebounds per game at the Westtown School in Pennsylvania, and his ability to shoot from the perimeter gives the Terrapins another capable shooter in the 2014 class.

Nickens also held offers from schools such as Dayton, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Wake Forest. According to Jeff Ermann of InsideMDSports.com, Nickens scheduled visits to Dayton and Wake Forest before making the decision to commit to Maryland.

“He seems really excited and happy about his decision. When he got there, he just was very comfortable with coach Turgeon,” Nickens’ AAU coach, Brian Coleman, told Daniel Martin of CSN Washington. “He was already comfortable with those guys. He and his parents loved the university and he just felt like, ‘I’m comfortable here.’”

With Maryland having three perimeter players committed to attend the school next year, the focus now turns to a front court that has just one newcomer this summer (6-9 Damonte Dodd) and can certainly use a boost depth-wise.

And according to InsideMDSports.com, there are two players already on Maryland’s radar:

Two of their top prospects: 6-10 Riverdale Baptist (Md.) prospect Chinanu Onuaku, and Atlanta seven-footer Trayvon Reed. Both impressed scouts this weekend at the NBA Top-100 Camp in Charlottesville, Va., and both appear to be potential top-50 prospects.

Of the six players currently in the Maryland front court (power forwards and centers) three are either juniors or seniors, with Dodd and sophomores Shaquille Cleare and Charles Mitchell being the underclassmen.

The success that Turgeon and his staff have enjoyed when it comes to recruiting perimeter prospects is certainly something to celebrate if you’re a Maryland fan.

But in order to make sure they’re a factor immediately upon entering the Big Ten in 2014, the coaching staff still has some work to do when it comes to the options in the post.

Raphielle can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.