Who’s Got Next? Romelo Trimble Gives Maryland a McDonald’s All-American

Posted by Sean Moran (@seanmohoops) on February 11th, 2014

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Who’s Got Next? is a weekly column by Sean Moran, the RTC recruiting guru. Once a week he will bring you an overview of what’s going on in the complex world of recruiting, from who is signing where among the seniors to discussing the recruitments of the top uncommitted players in the country. We also encourage you to check out his contributions at The Intentional Foul dedicated to recruiting coverage and analysis. You can also follow Sean at his Twitter account @Seanmohoops for up-to-date news from the high school and college hoops scene. If you have any suggestions as to areas we are missing or different things you would like to see, please let us know at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.

Note: Scout.com used for all player rankings.

Romelo Trimble: McDonald’s All-American

Gary Williams was known for getting the most out of his players, not for recruiting McDonald’s All-Americans. In fact, the last Burger Boy to attend Maryland was shooting guard Mike Jones, a product of the 2003 high school class. Now almost 11 years later, current Terrapins head coach Mark Turgeon is trying to raise the talent level in College Park to compete in the NCAA Tournament. After missing out on the Harrison twins last year, four-star guard Romelo Trimble is set to become Turgeon’s first McDonald’s All-American at his current job. The 6’3” point guard from Bishop O’Connell High School in Northern Virginia is currently ranked as the No. 8 point guard and No. 35 player overall in the class of 2014.  The school is known as a basketball powerhouse that competes in the prestigious Washington Catholic Area Conference (WCAC) and was once the home of current L.A. Laker Kendall Marshall.

Trimble is a powerful guard who has a rare combination of size, strength and speed. A natural shot-maker, Trimble has worked hard over the years to improve his actual point guard play. If a defender gets too close to him, he can bully his way into the paint for a short jumper or a layup. If the defender sags off, Trimble has range from well beyond the three-point arc. Just this week Trimble scored 26 points and added 12 rebounds and six assists in an upset win over rival Paul VI and then scored a career-high 47 points against another WCAC foe on Sunday.

Trimble is currently the primary leader to earn All-Met Player of the Year in the DC, Maryland and Virginia high school area. While he should be able to step in immediately to play for Maryland when the Terps start Big Ten play, Turgeon is also hoping that he will bring his winning attitude to the Terps. As a junior, Trimble led O’Connell to the WCAC championship and last summer he led his DC Assault AAU program into numerous tournament championship games.

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Seven Sweet Scoops: Chase Jeter’s Official Visit, HoopHall Classic, Myles Turner and More…

Posted by Sean Moran on January 17th, 2014

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Seven Sweet Scoops is a weekly column by Sean Moran, the RTC recruiting guru. Once a week he will bring you seven notes from the high-stakes world of college basketball recruiting. We also encourage you to check out his contributions at The Intentional Fouldedicated to recruiting coverage and analysis. You can also follow Sean at his Twitter account @Seanmohoops for up-to-date news from the high school and college hoops scene. If you have any suggestions as to areas we are missing or different things you would like to see, please let us know at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.

Note: Scout.com used for all player rankings.

1. Chase Jeter Sets First Official Visit

On Tuesday night, five-star power forward Chase Jeter announced that he will be making the trip to Duke on March 8 for his first official visit.

The No. 19 ranked prospect in the junior class (2015) is off to Durham for Duke’s senior night against UNC. The decision by Jeter to make Duke his first visit is a huge score for the Blue Devils. Not only does Coach K get the first visit from the 6’9” junior, but he also gets Jeter to make the coast to coast trip from his home state of Nevada. Heavily recruited by Pac-12 schools over the past year and a half, the Blue Devils started showing serious interest this past fall after several viewings during the July recruiting period. Jeter plays at Bishop Gorman (NV) High School and ended his first two years of high school with state championships in each year. As a freshman he was in the shadow of Shabazz Muhammad and as a sophomore it was his big man counterpart in Stephen Zimmerman (#3 – 2015) who garnered most of the attention. Despite the relative lack of attention, Jeter improved rapidly over the past year while putting in hard work in the weight room in order to achieve his goal of getting stronger. Now a junior, colleges such as UCLA, Michigan, Oregon, Louisville, Arizona, and North Carolina are showing strong interest in the up-and-coming Jeter, but it is Duke that nabbed the first visit.

2. HoopHall Classic Preview

The crown jewel of high school tournaments kicks off in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday featuring a plethora of five-star players and highly ranked teams. The first big match-up features Bishop O’ Connell (VA) vs. Rainier Beach (WA). O’Connell features high scoring Maryland commitment Romelo Trimble (#35 – 2014) and Rainier Beach features Louisville wing Shaqquan Aaron (#34 – 2014). The prime time game on Sunday features two prep powerhouses and a point guard delight when five-star Emmanuel Mudiay (#3 – 2014) squares off against four-star and Gonzaga commitment Josh Perkins (#25 – 2014). Come Monday, ESPNU will broadcast four games that will showcase UNC commitment Theo Pinson (#27 – 2014), the top ranked player in the country in Jahlil Okafor, and five-star prospect Stanley Johnson (#7 – 2014). The biggest game will feature man-child Cliff Alexander (#5 – 2014) against the top ranked team in the country in Montverde (FL) which features five-star junior Ben Simmons (#8 – 2015) and five-star guard D’Angelo Russell (#16 – 2014). Each year this tournament hosts the top players in the country and this year is certainly no different.

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