Maryland’s dealing with recruit attrition right now, but new coach Mark Turgeon is taking steps to halt that problem – and tap into the fertile D.C/Baltimore recruiting area in one step.
Turgeon met with Kansas State assistant coach Dalonte Hill Saturday morning about joining the Terps’ staff, which would be a major coup for Maryland’s recruiting prospects. Hill is the guy who helped bring Michael Beasley, Bill Walker and Wally Judge to K-State.
That sell alone made him reportedly the country’s highest paid assistant, but given what it did for the Wildcat basketball program (read: helped make it relevant again), he’s a worthwhile investment if he decides to take the job.
From the Washington Post:… Hill has indicated he would be willing to take a pay cut to come to Maryland. He wants to be a head coach and has not been a serious contender to become one despite Kansas State having considerable success recently. By coming to Maryland, he would hope to better position himself for a head coaching job.
However, Hill probably would want a guaranteed, multiyear contract from Maryland. He would not want to leave his contract at Kansas State to come to Maryland and run the risk of things for some reason not working out working for a new boss.
Hill wasn’t able to bring every high-profile D.C.-area recruit to Manhattan, but that’s to be expected. Playing in the middle of the country won’t appeal to everyone – let alone getting yelled at regularly by Frank Martin. But Hill’s ties to the Maryland AAU scene remain strong. And if Turgeon wants to open the local recruiting gates that Gary Williams never did, Hill would be a massive boost.
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