AJ Hawk takes pickup football too seriously

Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk certainly won't be getting dinged for his lack of competitive spirit any time soon.

Last week, during the Inspiring Minds Celebrity Golf Outing in Warren, Ohio, Hawk participated in a game of touch football.

The guy on the losing end of the play ends up in a lake -- and reminds me a little of the football scene from Wedding Crashers.

Michigan close to hiring Terps' Bakich

Following a steady uptick in wins in his first three seasons with Maryland baseball, Terps head coach Erik Bakich appears to be headed to a different U of M to continue his coaching career.

The University of Michigan is reportedly close to making a lucrative offer to Bakich, who guided Maryland to just its second winning season since 2002.

On Tuesday afternoon, Perfect Game USA's Kendall Rogers tweeted "All signs at this point on ‪#Michigan‬ gig point to ‪#Maryland‬ coach Erik Bakich. With Stricklin out, that'd be a nice hire. ‪#bigten."

Sources say Michigan will offer more than $400,000 in annual salary -- approximately four times the size of Bakich's deal at Maryland.

Prior to hiring Bakich, the Terps fired Terry Rupp, who went 415-324 in 13 years at Maryland, including 149-184 in his final six seasons.

The Terps have not reached the NCAA Tournament since 1971 or the ACC Tournament since 2005. But under Bakich, previously an assistant coach at Vanderbilt, the future looked promising.

The Terps won just 17 games in 2010 and 21 in 2011, but improved to 32 wins this past season in Bakich's third year under the helm.

Bakich is known for his recruiting prowess, and in his first season landed a top 25 class according to Baseball America, the first-ever time the Terps ranked among the top 25 in recruiting rankings. He followed that up with another top 25 class this year, according to Perfect Game USA.

Bakich helped Maryland greatly improve its facilities, including upgrades to the Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium and practice facilities.

The move would be a huge blow to Terps baseball -- arguably enough to consider shutting the team down.

With Maryland in dire straits financially, a nonrevenue sport like baseball could conceivably be among future varsity sports cut. Last July, school president Wallace Loh announced plans to evaluate the athletic department's individual sports, and in November, he announced eight sports would be cut -- baseball excluded.

But without a star head coach like Bakich, the Terps could justify cutting the sport and saving money, rather than hiring a coach of Rupp's caliber and drifting along the bottom of the ACC for the foreseeable future.

NCAA (finally) approves football playoff

Over the past two seasons, I have begged -- pleaded even -- for college football to implement a four- or six- or eight-team playoff system to truly determine college football's best team.

In 2010, Oregon, Auburn, TCU and Boise State remained unbeaten through Week 13.

All but Boise State finished the regular season undefeated, and Oregon and Auburn faced off in the BCS National Championship game.

TCU topped fifth-ranked Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, leaving people wondering if the Horned Frogs deserved a shot at a National Championship.

Things were equally frustrating last season, with West Virginia (9-3) beating Clemson (10-3) in the Orange Bowl while Boise State (11-1) and Houston (12-1) toppled their opponents in the MAACO Bowl and TicketCity Bowl, respectively.

While college basketball mid-major darlings Butler and Virginia Commonwealth have made deep runs in March Madness, capturing the hearts of millions of hoops fans, college football has lagged behind without a playoff system to fairly determine which unbeaten team is the best of them all. 

The system was clearly flawed. And finally, after hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of sports writers and fans begged the NCAA to make a change, a change has finally been made.

Yesterday, the NCAA announced plans to implement a four-team playoff system starting in 2014. Exactly how it will play out remains to be seen. But the move is a big step forward in the progression of college football.

"The access for conferences throughout the FBS is going to be better in this system than the current system. That's an important part of this. But you have to play your way in. That's a plus," said ACC commissioner John Swofford.

Parker questionable for Olympics

San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker is known for his stellar court vision.

But a few weeks ago, he was caught in the middle of a New York nightclub celebrity brawl between rappers Drake and Chris Brown, took a shard of broken glass to the eye, and nearly lost his eyesight.

At first, Parker said the injury was a scratched cornea. But more medical tests showed that the piece of glass penetrated his left eye, leaving him questionable for the upcoming Summer Olympics in London

"I almost lost my eye. ... I cannot believe that happened to me a month before the Games. Every two hours, I have five different products to put in the eye," Parker said.

Parker's unknown status leaves France's national men's basketball team -- which has just one top 10 finish at the Summer Olympics since 1964 -- in limbo.

Parker is slotted to be the team's starting point guard, ahead of Frenchmen Andrew Albicy and Steed Tchicamboud, both of whom star in France's top professional league.

But without Parker, a four-time NBA All-Star, the French team will be at a serious disadvantage when facing Team USA's Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul. Plus, Parker just finished a career year with the Spurs that included 18.2 points per game, a career-high 7.7 assists per game and a career-high 80% from the charity stripe.

The rest of the French roster features NBA players Joakim Noah, Boris Diaw, Nicolas Batum and Kevin Seraphin. But other countries like Spain and Argentina boast rosters with several NBA stars. Losing Parker would be a devastating blow to France's chances at standing on the podium this summer.

Meet the Terp: Logan Aronhalt

Back in February, prior to the departure of star guard Terrell Stoglin, I surmised that the Terps' backcourt was looking a little thin. I expected head coach Mark Turgeon to either add another guard to the class (likely Sam Cassell Jr.) or go the route of a graduate transfer.

It turns out he did both.

In today's final "Meet the Terp" installment, we'll meet the eighth (and final) addition to the class of 2012: University of Albany graduate transfer Logan Aronhalt.

(If you've missed the other posts, check them out here: Seth Allen, Shaq Cleare, Jake Layman, Damonte Dodd, Charles Mitchell, Sam Cassell Jr. and Evan Smotrycz.)

Aronhalt was a two-time all-America East selection (and a two-time member of the all-academic team) for the Great Danes. The fifth-year senior is eligible immediately. After redshirting his freshman season and graduating in four years at Albany, he'll use his remaining year of eligibility to play right away for the Terps.

"From a basketball standpoint, [there's] no one with more tradition than Maryland. The facilities are incredibly amazing. The opportunity to play up there on a national stage and playing against the best competition in the country, just about every single night, is something that’s really great about the university," Aronhalt told the Baltimore Sun's Matt Bracken after his commitment.

Aronhalt is a shooting guard who gives the team a much-needed scoring option following Stoglin's departure. Equally important is that his addition allows incoming freshmen Seth Allen and Cassell Jr. to develop a little more slowly.

"I am impressed with Logan's toughness, leadership, and basketball IQ. He's a coach's son and his game reflects that. Logan had a great career at Albany ... His experience and ability will really be helpful on a team that will feature so many underclassmen," Turgeon said.

Aronhalt started 30 of 34 games for the Great Danes this year -- and would have started them all if his season wasn't cut short with an injury. Before he got hurt, he was playing 34 minutes per game. Though he's not a sharpshooting three-point specialist, Aronhalt had 10 games this year with three or more three-pointers.

The two-time team captain averaged 13.8 points per game this season and was a deadly accurate 89% free-throw shooter. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound guard is also an excellent rebounder for his size.

And whether or not they remember, Terp fans have actually seen Aronhalt live and up close. He scored 13 points in a loss at the Comcast Center last season in Alex Len's debut. Against high-level competition this season (Pittsburgh, Syracuse, George Mason, Siena and Maryland), he averaged 14.8 points per game.

"I think Coach [Mark] Turgeon was excited. I'm definitely excited, too. It was just an experience that I'll never forget, just playing there once. To have the opportunity to play there every home game was something I couldn't say no to," Aronhalt said.

Though he won't replace Stoglin's production without a bit of dropoff, it's an addition that has to excite Maryland fans, whose team looks better-positioned to make an NCAA Tournament appearance now. Because he's a graduate transfer, he'll play just one season while pursuing a graduate degree, and will free up a scholarship in 2013-14. He chose to transfer to Maryland over offers from Purdue and Penn State.

"I've talked to Coach Turgeon quite a bit. He said they're going to be a young team next year, with quite a few freshmen. There's an opportunity. I know he expects me to use my experience playing and definitely [provide] leadership," Aronhalt said.

He'll enroll in Maryland's top-ranked kinesiology program and pursue his Master's degree. Aronhalt has brothers who live in Annapolis and in Washington D.C., which he said were "two major things" that contributed to his commitment.

Three out (Mychal Parker, Stoglin and Ashton Pankey), eight in. In Turgeon's second year, he's completed a massive roster overhaul.

Meet the Terp: Evan Smotrycz

Over the last half dozen days or so, we at Benched Press have run a series of "Meet the Terp" posts. We've spent the last several days profiling Maryland's six-man class of freshmen: Seth Allen, Shaq Cleare, Jake Layman, Damonte Dodd, Charles Mitchell and Sam Cassell Jr. But head coach Mark Turgeon didn't stop there.

The last of Turgeon's additions to the jumbo-sized class of 2012 is Evan Smotrycz.

Unlike the other six incoming freshmen, Smotrycz is a transfer. He left the University of Michigan after an up-and-down sophomore campaign and Turgeon immediately targeted him.

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound Smotrycz also garnered interest from Baylor, Colorado, Clemson, Kansas State, Providence and Xavier, among others, before ultimately deciding to visit Maryland, Colorado and Providence.

But after spending time on Maryland's campus, he canceled his other two trips and committed.

"I'm really excited. I'm kind of relieved that I found a spot and can kind of focus on getting better and getting out there. ... It's obviously a big-time program and I thought it would be a good spot right off the bat," Smotrycz said shortly after committing.

Michigan's loss is clearly Maryland's gain. The Wolverine fan base was disappointed to lose Smotrycz (pronounced SMAH-trich), who appeared poised for a breakout junior season.

"He was going to be an integral part of a top 10 team. And he probably would have started every game and have been the second- or third-leading scoring option," said ESPN college basketball analyst Tim McCormick.

Smotrycz's position is considered a "stretch four," a guy who plays the power forward position but possesses better ballhandling, shooting and passing skills than a typical 6-foot-9 big man.

He's got a good basketball IQ and used his unique skill set to average 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He led the team in three-point shooting at nearly 44 percent and started more than half the team's games. As a freshman, he won the team's Sixth Man Award.

"He's a stretch power-forward who can really shoot the ball. He has a good feel for the game. He played a lot of minutes on a Big Ten-championship team. Evan is a matchup nightmare at his position. He's a great kid and really wants to be at Maryland. He's another great piece to what we're trying to put together here," Turgeon said in a press release.

Smotrycz was sold by Maryland's staff showing him how he would fit on the team. "The way the coaches showed me coming off screens, picking and popping, making plays off the bounce, I feel like that would really suit my game and what I've been working at to get better," Smotrycz said.

And having played twice in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, Smotrycz knows what he's getting into.

"The ACC is definitely a different style of game than the Big Ten, which is something I'm looking forward to. I was just really comfortable around the coach and the kids on the team. They are great coaches and very relatable -- all really good guys," he told the Washington Post.

As an incoming freshman, Smotrycz reclassified from 2009 to 2010, spending the extra year at New Hampton Prep in New Hampshire. He gained offers from Michigan, Northwestern and Oregon State and was ranked the 59th overall player by Rivals and the 84th overall player by ESPN.

Due to transfer rules, Smotrycz is eating a scholarship and sitting out this year. He'll be able to play in 2013-14 with two years of eligibility left.

Meet the Terp: Sam Cassell Jr.

We've spent all of this week meeting Maryland basketball's 2012 incoming freshman class. (Specifically, Seth Allen, Shaq Cleare, Jake Layman, Damonte Dodd and Charles Mitchell.) And while it would have been easy to stop at five players, head coach Mark Turgeon felt there was more work to do on the recruiting trail.

Today, we'll meet the final piece of the top 15-rated freshman class, combo guard Sam Cassell Jr. (Tomorrow, we'll meet Michigan transfer Evan Smotrycz.)

If Cassell's name sounds familiar, it should. His dad, Sam Cassell, spent 15 years as an NBA journeyman, last playing in 2008 for the Boston Celtics.

Since then, Cassell's found himself a spot on the Washington Wizards' coaching staff. That worked out well for the Cassell family, as Junior played his high school ball at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore.

Cassell Jr. originally played high school ball at Towson Catholic, then transferred to St. Frances. He left for Massachusetts-based Notre Dame Prep after his junior year, spending his senior and prep years playing against high-level competition.

As Baltimore Sun reporter Matt Bracken wrote, "Over the course of his two seasons in Fitchburg, Mass., the 6-foot-4, 180-pound player went from mid-major prospect to highly coveted high-major talent."

He initially committed to Maryland in late March before reopening his recruitment.

"I thought I rushed into it, because I didn't get a chance to see any other schools. But after I seen the other schools, I knew Maryland was the place to be," he said after ultimately re-committing to the Terps over offers from South Florida and Pittsburgh. He appeared in the Capital Classic, scoring 12 points alongside his future teammates.

"They had identified him in the summer time [of 2011]. And they have been very, very persistent. Coach Turgeon identified him along with [assistant coach] Bino [Ranson]. Once the head coach gets involved, it's hard to get away," said Bub Carrington, Cassell's former AAU coach with Nike Baltimore Elite.

For a while, the 146th-ranked player in the 2012 class appeared to be a luxury addition to Maryland's roster. But after sophomore point guard Terrell Stoglin was dismissed in the offseason, landing Cassell became a necessity.

He and fellow incoming guard Seth Allen will be critical to the team's success this year, particularly on a team that has little returning experience in the backcourt beyond rising junior point guard Pe'Shon Howard and sophomore wing Nick Faust.

"He's a great kid and a local kid. Obviously you want to stress the local area in recruiting. Sam is a combo guard with the ability to score the basketball at three different levels -- at the rim, in the mid-range and from three-point range," Turgeon said in a press release.

Indeed, Cassell was recruited to help out with ball-handling and for his prowess beyond the arc. He and Allen give the team a pair of much-needed deep-scoring threats that will hopefully give opposing teams fits for the next four years.

"He's got a great feel and understanding of the game and is passionate about basketball. He'll be a great piece to the puzzle and addition to the team next year," Turgeon said.

Meet the Terp: Charles Mitchell

In this week's "Meet the Terp" series, we've already been introduced to Seth Allen, Shaq Cleare, Jake Layman and Damonte Dodd. Today, we meet the fifth member of Maryland's class of 2012.

While not ranked the highest prospect of the class by various recruiting websites, Georgia big man Charles Mitchell was arguably the biggest coup of the class.

Most prospects from the south stay in the south, but Turgeon was able to pry Mitchell away from the likes of Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee. He also held offers from Cincinnati, Memphis and Seton Hall, among others.

But after his official visit in early March, Mitchell knew he had seen enough and informed Turgeon of his commitment.

The 6-foot-8, 260-pound Mitchell, ranked 92nd in the nation by recruiting website Rivals, averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds for Wheeler High School en route to a regional championship. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named Mitchell second-team All-Metro.

Wheeler has produced serious basketball talent, most notably Portland Trail Blazer J.J. Hickson and former Vancouver Grizzlies forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Mitchell would love to follow in their footsteps and play at the next level one day. But first, he'll showcase his talents in College Park.

"I'm actually very excited about it because I feel like we can come in and really make a difference. We want to come in and be a real competitive program in the ACC and nationally," Mitchell said after his commitment.

Turgeon was rightfully excited about the signing, noting that his staff "recruited Charles hard since we got to Maryland. His mom did a lot of things right while raising Charles to be a respectful kid and extremely hard worker. He is going to be a great addition to our frontcourt."

Mitchell is generously listed at 6-foot-8, though appeared to be closer to 6-foot-6 at the Capital Classic in April. Still, his stocky frame and excellent footwork allow him to be stealthy and effective on both sides of the court. He, like fellow incoming big man Shaq Cleare, needs to spend the summer shedding some weight and improving his conditioning before he'll be a force in the ACC.

Turgeon noted that he's an excellent rebounder with an aptitude to score around the basket. ESPN senior recruiting analyst Dave Telep agreed with Turgeon's scouting report.

"There are no secrets about Charles, you know what you're going to get. He's a presence in the lane is going to be a blue-collar post player. When he finds a strength and conditioning program, he'll have a chance for his game to take a notch up," Telep said.

Meet the Terp: Damonte Dodd

As I've mentioned all week, this week is dedicated to meeting the Terps' incoming class of 2012 recruits. So far, we've met Seth Allen, Shaq Cleare and Jake Layman.

The fourth member of Maryland's top 15-ranked, seven-man class of basketball recruits flew far under the radar.

Little was known about Centreville, Maryland's Damonte Dodd. The 6-foot-9, 230-pound senior was averaging eye-popping numbers against subpar competition.

During the summer, he didn't travel around the country with a high-profile AAU basketball team. 

"Damonte has had very little exposure. He played for a very small AAU program out of Annapolis, and also in a couple of summer leagues around here. But he's never been on the national AAU circuit, and this area is not a basketball hotbed, per se," said his high school coach, Dale Becraft.

After Maryland assistant coach Scott Spinelli watched one of Queen Anne's High's games in late December, head coach Mark Turgeon caught wind of Dodd's performance -- an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Despite shooting 79% from the floor and averaging 24 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks per game this year, Dodd continued to gain little attention from high-major basketball programs. His high school competition pitted him against 6-foot-3 centers rather than guys who would give him a true test.

He wasn't listed on Rivals or ESPN prior to his commitment, which is highly unusual for a player who lands at an ACC program. He held offers from low- and mid-major schools like Coppin State, Delaware, Delaware State, Morgan State, Niagara, Radford and Rider. Dayton and Georgetown had become involved by the time Turgeon hosted Dodd on campus for a visit.

According to the Washington Post, "when Turgeon said the Terps were offering a scholarship, Dodd needed only seconds to react – though he tried to play it cool."
"I told him that it was my dream come true and I'm happy to be a part of the Terps," Dodd told the Post. 

In the playoffs, Dodd's Queen Anne's High team fell 78-73 to Wicomico. Dodd put up 31 points and 30 rebounds in the loss and was named North Bayside player of the year after the season.

Dodd is just a 17-year old senior. Because he's young for his grade and hasn't been coached up like many kids entering the ACC, he's considered a project. Because of that -- and the fact that Maryland brought in fellow big man Charles Mitchell and Shaq Cleare -- he's spending the summer on the AAU circuit with DC Assault and is headed to prep school next year. After that, he might even redshirt to get used to the speed and physicality of college basketball.

"There's not a whole lot of pressure for him to come in and contribute a whole lot right away. Down the road, they basically see him as a power forward kind of a guy," Becraft said.

Becraft said Dodd runs the floor well for a big man. "He's got tremendous timing as far as altering and blocking shots. He rebounds well. ... He needs to work on his go-to moves. Most of his shots are throwing the ball down through a bucket," he said.

Dodd appeared alongside a handful of future teammates at the 39th annual Capital Classic in April, where he scored six points and showed Terps fans a peek at his potential.

"It feels great to be a part of the Maryland Terps. I knew they were looking at me, but I was just waiting to see how things played out. When they offered me, it was pretty exciting and I verbally committed," Dodd said.

Meet the Terp: Jake Layman

If you haven't noticed yet, this week, we're giving you an introduction to Maryland's incoming class of basketball recruits. So far, we've covered guard Seth Allen and big man Shaq Cleare. Today, we meet the third member of the eight-man class: small forward Jake Layman.

Just two weeks after Cleare's commitment, Layman visited campus with the intention of taking future visits to Florida, Louisville and Syracuse.

But shortly after leaving campus, Layman phoned those coaches and told him he wouldn't be coming after all: he was going to be a Terp.

Layman was named all-state in Massachusetts by ESPN Boston, and earned a national ranking between 61st and 70th among the major recruiting websites after a breakout AAU season heading into his senior year.

As a junior, Layman averaged 25 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks for King Philip Regional in a league not known for its basketball excellence. He ran with Boston Amateur Basketball Club, an AAU squad that featured Class of 2012 No. 1 overall player Nerlens Noel and caught fire on the cross-country circuit.

His games with BABC at Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League included an 8-for-8 shooting night from three-point range and a 9-for-10 night from beyond the arc in another.

His lanky 6-foot-8 frame and ability to stretch defenses with an outside shot create serious matchup problems for opposing defenses, who are forced to guard him with a shorter player or a slower player.

"I think the Maryland staff sees Jake as a player, not necessarily plugged in to a particular position. The thing is, Jake can guard different positions defensively, and that allows the staff to use him in different ways against different opponents," said Sean McInnis, Layman's high school coach.

So it was no surprise that high-major programs like Florida, Louisville, Maryland, Missouri, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Wake Forest were chasing him.

Layman, who has a game similar to former Duke star and NBA forward Mike Dunleavy. ESPN's Dave Telep noted that he is "a very good athlete ... He has good touch on his jump shot and projects as a very good three-point shooter down the road."

But because he's just 190 pounds, he's going to have to get stronger to be able to defend college big men. He's great at shooting off picks, but struggles at times to create his own shot.

"It's a dream come true for me to sign with Maryland and I couldn't be happier. The school, Coach Turgeon and all the other coaches, I love them and I get along with the players really well so that was good. ... I'm very excited about the opportunity to play in the best conference in America and play at the Comcast Center," Layman said after committing.

As a senior, he averaged 27 points, 16 rebounds, six blocks, three assists and three steals. He'll be the last member of the incoming class to arrive on campus as he made the final roster for Team USA's men's U-18 squad, led by Florida coach Billy Donovan.

Meet the Terp: Shaq Cleare

As I explained yesterday, this is a series of posts designed to get to meet Maryland basketball coach Mark Turgeon's first incoming class of Terps. Yesterday, we profiled combo guard Seth Allen. Today, we'll meet big man Shaq Cleare.

The highest-rated player in Maryland's top 15-rated class, Cleare was actually a Maryland lean back when Gary Williams was the head coach, and some folks speculated that he would have ended up a Terp.

Lucky for Maryland, Cleare's second-favorite team was Turgeon's Texas A&M. So when the Terps hired Turgeon as Williams' successor, it was a no-brainer.

"It had a huge effect. He liked Texas A+M and Maryland, they were his top two schools. When Williams retired, that was tough for him. He was down and we didn't know what he was going to do. Then Turgeon gets the job and that made him like Maryland even more," said Village School coach Donald Harvey.

Cleare committed in August, three months after Seth Allen. He chose the Terps over offers from Arizona, Baylor, Miami (FL), South Florida, Texas and Texas A+M.

He's ranked between the 30th and 53rd overall prospect in the country across Rivals, ESPN and 247sports.

As a junior, he averaged 22 points and 14 rebounds a game for Houston's Village School. In the process, he drew comparisons to Boston Celtics big man Glen "Big Baby" Davis.

"A lot about him reminds me of ... Big Baby, in that he has surprising quickness, he can rebound and he really knows how to score. He can step out and hit the 12-to-15 foot jump shot," said Van Coleman of Hot100Hoops.com.

Perhaps the most impressive of his attributes, beyond his strength, footwork and soft hands, is his ability to finish around the basket. At one point during his senior season, he was shooting 83 percent from the field. And Houston Defenders AAU basketball coach Aaron Harrison Sr. noted that "he scored 72 percent of the time we gave him the ball."

With a little conditioning over the summer, the wide-bodied Cleare will likely be the highest-impact freshman big man for the Terps. And amazingly, the Bahamian-born Cleare has only been playing basketball since he was 14 years old.

"He has the best hands that I've seen in such a long time. I don't think there's a limit to his potential to be honest. If you play him one-on-one, because he's so big and strong, he puts his body on the defender and scores," Harrison said.

Cleare's reasoning for joining the Terps was fairly simple: "It's a strong conference, they have great coaches and they're good at developing players," he said.

Meet the Terp: Seth Allen

There is seriously nothing interesting going on in the sports world right now. I had queued up a multi-entry series of "Meet the Terp" blog entries, planned to start next week, but things are so dead -- and the incoming class is so large -- that we're starting a bit early.

Maryland basketball coach Mark Turgeon has added several players to next year's roster. Over the next several days, you'll meet all eight players who comprise the nation's 15th-ranked recruiting class, according to ESPN.

First up, Fredericksburg, Virginia native Seth Allen.

Just five days after Turgeon was introduced as Maryland's head coach, Allen announced he had committed to the Terps, becoming the first member of Maryland's recruiting class of 2012.

At the time, Allen wasn't a household name in recruiting circles. While he held an offer from Turgeon at Texas A&M, Allen wasn't interested in attending school so far away from home.

He was also being pursued by Virginia, Virginia Tech, Miami (FL) and Central Florida. So when Turgeon was named the coach at Maryland, Allen jumped at the opportunity.

"When [Turgeon] got the Maryland job, the decision to commit became pretty easy. I live in Woodbridge, and that's only 45 minutes from College Park. I saw no need to wait around and see what other offers might come my way," Allen said.

As a junior at Fredericksburg Christian, Allen averaged 24 points, four rebounds and four assists per game, while shooting 42% from three-point range. He led the Eagles to a school-best 31-2 record and was named a first-team All-Virginia selection.

But because he played on a small high school team in an area not known for its basketball -- and then spent the summer playing on a local AAU team rather than one that traveled nationally -- he flew under the radar. 

 

Turgeon liked what he saw, though. In Allen, he scored a point guard with a scorer's mentality, similar to what now-removed star Terrell Stoglin gave the team last year. He's a deep-shooting threat who excels in transition. He's athletic and slippery. And perhaps most importantly, he was a guy who Turgeon identified as a priority recruit, offered and landed.

And now, with Stoglin off the team, Allen may be inserted into the starting lineup to handle the point. At the least, his minutes as a freshman will be significantly increased from Day 1.

As a senior, he missed 13 games with a broken left hand. He came back to help navigate Fredericksburg Christian to a state semifinals appearance, averaging 20 points, five assists and four rebounds along the way. As a result, he's not ranked among the top prospects in the class. And he seems to have a chip on his shoulder.

"It means a lot [to be his first recruit]. I think I'm underrated and nobody knows about me. But Coach Turgeon knows what I'm capable of doing. He put a lot of trust in me and I trust him," Allen said.

Feinstein says Wizards should deal Wall

People in the Washington D.C. area tend to either love or hate Washington Post columnist John Feinstein.

He's authored some terrific books, has a rare passion for mid-major basketball and is a fixture on local TV and radio stations.

When the Washington Wizards finished last season with a 20-46 record and missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season, the local media tends to pick the team apart in the offseason and discuss what pieces could be moved to improve the team.

Hat tip to Washington Post blogger Dan Steinberg, who shared a bit of Feinstein's wisdom from a radio appearance on 106.7 The Fan.

Feinstein, who doesn't regularly cover the Wizards, suggested that Washington ought to trade star point guard John Wall because he's convinced that soon-to-be-rookie point guard Kendall Marshall should be the team's floor general.

"I think Kendall Marshall's gonna be a terrific NBA guard. I really do. He reminds me a lot of Jason Kidd. He's not a great shooter, but he'll become a better shooter as time goes along. He knows how to run a team, he's smart, he plays defense," Feinstein said.

Never mind that Wall averaged 16 points and eight assists per game last season, dishing the ball to a frontcourt that included Andray Blatche, Jan Vesely, Kevin Seraphin and JaVale McGee. Certainly not a group of world-beaters, and not a group that would improve markedly with a pass-first Marshall running the point.

But don't let that stop Feinstein.

"If I was the Wizards, I swear if I could pull off a deal, I would trade down. I would take John Wall, trade down, get a player or two, and use the first pick on Kendall Marshall. I swear to God I would do that, I think that highly of Kendall Marshall," he said.

And let's not forget that Marshall's stock soared only because he was surrounded by some of college basketball's most talented players, including Harrison Barnes and John Henson, both of whom are projected as possible lottery picks.

"They're not gonna do that because that's thinking out of the box. And they've made such a big deal out of John Wall they can't afford to trade him. But I think that would be a good move. I think Kendall Marshall, in terms of running a team, potentially is a lot better than John Wall," Feinstein said.

Feinstein is on a lonely island with that point of view. From a locker room perspective, changing starting point guards, drafting a rookie point guard and adding yet another first-year starter is the kind of turnover that would cripple the Wizards' chemistry.

Let's all be thankful that Feinstein isn't going to be pulling the trigger on draft day in the nation's capital.

Jordan Crawford refrigerates his sneakers

Washington Wizards guard Jordan Crawford is your typical 24-year old athlete.

As a pro basketball player, he spends a lot of time on the road. He's not home often enough to merit having a stocked fridge all the time.

But dating back to the days of MTV Cribs, most celebrities and athletes just keep their fridge mostly empty. Some booze, juice, milk, energy drinks, condiments and maybe a couple steaks was pretty standard for a typical celebrity fridge.

But one thing I never saw in all my days of watching MTV Cribs was what Crawford tweeted and put on Instagram last week: he put Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant's sneakers in his fridge.

Durant has been dynamite this playoffs, leading the Thunder to the NBA Finals behind 28 points and nearly eight rebounds per game. So hot, perhaps, that Crawford felt the need to cool him down by putting his kicks in his fridge.

It is odd, though, that Crawford has at least three other pairs of sneakers in there with them. Maybe he's marinating a pair for dinner. Let's just hope he has some baking soda -- or Odor Eaters -- in there so that the rest of the food in his fridge doesn't start to smell like an NBA locker room. 

Bradley beats Pacquiao amid controversy

In front of a sold-out MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday night, heavy underdog Timothy Bradley beat WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in a controversial split decision.

Two judges scored the fight 115-113 in Bradley's favor, the third had it 115-113 Pacquiao, but the result was an arena full of dissatisfied, booing fans who wanted to see the fan-favorite Pacquiao successfully defend his belt.

But it wasn't just the fans who were sour about the decision. The overwhelming majority of the national boxing media felt the decision was far from fair.

ESPN's Stats & Information department claimed Pacquiao outlanded Bradley in punches 190 to 109. WBO statisticians had Pacquiao outpunching Bradley 253 to 159, including landing more punches in all but two of the 12 rounds.

As a result, the Associated Press scored the fight 117-111 Pacquiao. HBO boxing commentator and ex-judge Harold Lederman had it 119-109. And promoter Bob Arum, who works with both fighters, said he has "never been as ashamed of the sport of boxing as I am tonight."

According to Arum, even Bradley thought he had lost it.

"I went over to Bradley before the decision and he said, 'I tried hard but I couldn't beat the guy,'" Arum said.

"You talk about killing boxing? All three scorecards you throw out," Arum said.

But all hope is not lost for boxing fanatics: the rematch is tentatively set for November 10.

Boston mayor flubs KG, Rondo names

Boston mayor Thomas Menino has guided Beantown for 19 years.

He was born and raised in the town. Therefore Menino is a sports fan in a fanatical sports town. He was mayor when the Celtics won the NBA Championship in 2008.

That team included stars Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo, both of whom have been on the roster for at least five years.

Yet in a recent meeting with the media, Menino spit off the following soundbite:

"There's a lot of heart in this team, let me just tell you. KJ is great but Hondo is really the inspiration. Hondo drives that team."

KJ and Hondo? Really? KJ, obviously, was referring to Garnett, whose nickname is KG. Hondo, well, what the hell, man?

When the mistake happened, Menino took to Twitter to correct his oops.

"You know it's championship season when I flub our athletes' names! Sorry KG & Rondo, it's kind of my thing- another Menino-ism! #GoCeltics," he tweeted.

ESPN Boston noted Menino has a history of flubbing names, calling Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski "Grabowski" and wide receiver Wes Welker "Weckler." Apparently he also confused Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek for Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, mistakingly saying that Varitek kicked the Super Bowl-winning field goal in 2002.

Watch the flub below.

Kid sends life savings to B. Jacobs

San Francisco 49ers running back Brandon Jacobs spent seven seasons with the New York Giants, running for 56 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 rushing yards, earning a pair of Super Bowl rings.

As a result, some fans were probably bummed when the Giants cut him in March. Among those that were heartbroken was six-year old Joe Armento, who admired Jacobs enough to ask his mom to draft a letter to the Niner.

Mom, write this down.

"Dear Brandon Jacobs,

So you could go to the Giants, here is my money.

Love, Joe."

Included in the envelope was a letter from his mom, explaining that her son is a huge Giants fan and that Joe was upset when he heard Jacobs wasn't going to be on his favorite team anymore.

"When he asked me why you were going to SF I explained that the Giants did not have enough money to keep you. So, in an effort to convince you to return to NY he wrote you the enclosed letter, and included money from his piggy bank."

Nice kid. Jacobs tweeted the heartfelt letter, along with the $3.36 in cold, hard cash. "I almost cried, I am still trying to hold it in. I may have to pay him a surprise visit," Jacobs tweeted. Check out the letter below.

Ohio track star carries injured opponent

Heading into Saturday's Ohio Division III girl's state track and field meet, Meghan Vogel was just another star runner.

The junior from West Liberty-Salem High had already won the 1,600-meter title earlier in the day. But in her next race -- the 3,200-meter event -- she put on a display of heroic sportsmanship.

Just 20 meters from the finish line, fellow racer Arden McMath, a sophomore at rival Arlington High, fell to the ground, her legs giving way beneath her.

Rather than race by her, Vogel stopped and picked up McMath and helped carry her to the finish line, actually pushing McMath ahead of herself across the finish line.

"I just couldn't believe she'd done that for me. We're all in it together as distance runners. Everyone is trying to do their best. It's a lot harder on your body than a lot of the other races," McMath said.

For her efforts, Vogel finished 15th in the event. But her act of kindness has caught the attention of national media. The embedded video below gained more than 100,000 views one day after being posted.

"If you work to get to the state meet, you deserve to finish no matter who you are. I was going to make that happen for her no matter what," Vogel said.

Vogel's mom, Ann Vogel, is also her daughter's coach.

"It was really emotional and people came up to us in tears moved by what Meghan had done," Ann said.

Since her actions went viral, Meghan admits she's been getting hounded by Twitter messages and Facebook friend requests.

The story is fairly reminiscent of the Central Washington University softball players who carried Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky around the bases after Tucholsky hit her first career home run -- and subsequently blew out her knee.

As for Vogel, she's looking forward to things quieting down again.

"It's been nice, but it also will be nice to get back to normal," she said. Check out the inspirational video below.

Orioles draft LSU pitcher Gausman

With the fourth pick in the 2012 MLB first-year player draft, the Baltimore Orioles bolstered their pitching depth by adding LSU sophomore Kevin Gausman.

MLB.com notes that the Orioles had been in the running to land the draft-eligible sophomore for some time. And after Houston, Minnesota and Seattle all took position players, Baltimore had its choice of any pitcher in the draft.

The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Gausman in the sixth round of the 2010 MLB Draft, but Gausman chose to attend LSU instead.

Today, he boasts "a fastball that runs up to 94 mph, a smooth and easy delivery and a changeup that projects to be an above-average pitch to go with a breaking ball," MLB.com writes.

Gausman finished his 2011 season with a 3.51 ERA, but improved his game and lowered his ERA to 2.84, collecting 125 strikeouts in 107 2/3 innings.

MLB.com notes that Gausman sometimes "struggles a bit with command, particularly with his breaking pitch. But it's a minor quibble, particularly given Gausman's makeup, which is a big part of what put him ahead of another pitcher on the Orioles' board."

ESPN's Keith Law calls Gausman an eventual likely No. 2 in the starting rotation, with No. 1 starter upside. Unlike Stephen Strasburg or David Price from previous drafts, Gausman is not necessarily a bona fide star and franchise gem.

In a detailed scouting report, Orioles-Nation.com called Gausman "a rarity. It's not often you find a college sophomore with his potential."

Epic tennis rally ends in cramps, puke

Pro tennis players Richard Gasquet and Grigor Dimitrov are names that only the most extreme tennis fans have ever heard of before.

Well, until the two faced off in the second round of the French Open last week, at least.

The French Gasquet and Bulgarian Dimitrov had an epic 38-stroke rally in which Gasquet ended the minute-long point with a winner.

Following the point, Gasquet lost his lunch -- a banana, to be more specific -- while Dimitrov collapsed to the ground with leg cramps and needed to be helped off the court.

"The banana is still on Suzanne Lenglen [Court]. I was really feeling bad. But he was on the ground. He was even in a worse situation than I was," Gasquet said afterwards.

The Frenchman won the next three sets and took the match. Check out the video evidence below.

ESPN typos during Spelling Bee

Longtime Benched Press readers know that I'm a big fan of ESPN's annual Spelling Bee.

It's an event that pits America's most awkward teenagers against America's other most awkward teenagers.

I've learned to expect the unexpected during the event. Hell, we've seen people faint.

And while you can't expect the hosts to all be spelling masters or never make mistakes in polysyllabic pronounciations, the one thing you can expect is that people won't be making obvious blunders.

Yet on Day One of the event, sure enough, ESPN screwed something up. And not something you normally screw up.

While displaying the definition for some crazy-difficult word, ESPN misspelled South American -- S-O-O-U-T-H.

Oof.