With three players having already left the Maryland program, there were rumblings earlier this week that guard Seth Allen was considering a transfer as well. And on Friday afternoon it became official, with Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reporting the news that Allen will be finishing his career at another school.
Initially it was reported by Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post that the decision wasn’t final, with Allen’s mother saying that “nothing’s settled” in regards to her son’s status. However shortly thereafter it was confirmed that Allen had asked for and received his release from Maryland.
Allen was a key player for Maryland last season after missing the first 12 games with a broken foot, averaging 13.4 points and 3.0 assists per game. And even with the pending arrival of highly regarded point guard Romelo Trimble, having Allen back in the fold would have provided Maryland both experience and depth at the point.
Without Allen the Terrapins would enter the Big Ten with four guards: Trimble, fellow freshmen Jared Nickens and Dion Wiley and rising junior Dezmine Wells. With Allen sidelined last season, it was Wells who manned the point at the start with the now-departed Roddy Peters struggling with the responsibilities. But there were times in which Wells struggled with the balance of distributing the basketball and scoring points, with Wells being a bit too deferential in those instances.
With Allen moving on there’s even more pressure on the Maryland backcourt and on head coach Mark Turgeon as well, with the Terrapins still looking for their first NCAA tournament appearance under his watch.