Maryland basketball likes what it sees in Dwayne Morgan - ALL-MET ELITE

Maryland basketball likes what it sees in Dwayne Morgan 

 ALL-MET ELITE

6-7, Morgan showcased the same on-court demeanor — this time against male teenagers — during the recent Under Armour Hoop Group Jam Fest outside Philadelphia, where he sprang off legs as thin and explosive as pogo sticks to block shots and convert dunks in front of a crowd that at times included hundreds of college coaches.

Ranked as the nation’s eighth-best small-forward prospect in the high school class of 2014 according to Scout.com, the Baltimore City College sophomore already has scholarship offers from North Carolina State, Nevada-Las Vegas and Seton Hall. But he said no school is recruiting him as hard as Maryland has been under Coach Mark Turgeon.

“They are really coming after me,” said Morgan, who attended four Maryland games during the season. “It’s a good feeling when you go to a Maryland game and they know who you are when they give you tickets.”

After securing a much-needed, highly regarded recruiting class in his first full year in College Park, Turgeon has his sights set on landing elite prospects from the region, many of whom took part in the Under Armour event. Maryland assistant Dalonte Hill witnessed the only game played by fast-rising Philadelphia guard Rysheed Jordan before Jordan withdrew from the event to spend time with his ill mother. The D.C. Assault summer league program, which won both the 15-under and 16-under tournaments, also had several standouts in action.
But among the most intriguing players was Morgan, whose game bears some resemblance to that of a young Rudy Gay — another Baltimore area product whom Morgan models his game after. NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from commenting publicly on unsigned prospects, but one coach from the region called Morgan a “high-, high-major talent.”
He began attracting the attention of national recruiting analysts this past fall, when he authored a breakout performance at the Elite 75 event in North Carolina. And up next is the USA Basketball Under-17 team trials in Colorado Springs in mid-June.
While some of his offensive skills need refinement, analysts and coaches said, Morgan plays with unrelenting energy. Even while holding his lower abdomen during part of one game (cramps), Morgan quickly raced to the other side of the basket to swat a shot attempt out of bounds with the other arm.