The moment St. Frances guard Sean Mosley announced his intentions to play college basketball at Maryland, the crowd of about 50 who attended the media conference at the Baltimore City private school?s gymnasium erupted in applause.
Mosley said he was excited about playing in front sold-out crowds at the Comcast Center and felt Maryland provided him a better opportunity than other schools interested in him, including Syracuse, Seton Hall and Indiana.
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“I think it was just the best situation for me and my family so they can watch me play,” Mosley said.
But Mosely won?t be the only player with ties to the Baltimore Catholic League on the Terrapins? roster, as center Braxton Dupree (Calvert Hall) and forward Dino Gregory (Mount St. Joseph), will play for Maryland this season.
When Mosely arrives for the 2008-09 season, 20 percent of coach Gary Williams? team will have roots to Baltimore-area high schools, which less than two decades ago had a history of sending their best players to other colleges.
Back then, Maryland just got off probation following a series of NCAA violations involving former coach Bob Wade?s handling of players and recruits. Many in Baltimore City revered Wade for turning Dunbar into one of the nation?s best teams before taking the job at Maryland.
Wade?s resignation in 1989 reportedly did not sit well with many in the Baltimore community who felt the school mistreated the first African-American to lead a major Atlantic Coast Conference program.
Enter Keith Booth.
The former Dunbar standout gave Williams a much-needed foothold in Baltimore by playing for the Terrapins from 1993-1997. Booth?s arrival paved the way for future Baltimore stars like Rodney Elliott (Dunbar) and Juan Dixon (Calvert Hall) to come to College Park. Now, Booth provides Williams a constant link to Baltimore as an assistant coach for the Terrapins.
“You?ve got a lot of guys who are like Keith Booth from the Baltimore area going to Maryland just by what he did when he went to Maryland [as a player],” Mosley said.
St. Frances boys? basketball coach William Wells said the path taken by Mosely, Dupree and Gregory proves the relationship between Baltimore and College Park is strong.
“That is a great run for Baltimore City,” Wells said. “I always get goose bumps when my kids go real big and I think Sean will be a gem for Maryland.”
Maryland women?s basketball coach Brenda Frese said landing the Baltimore area?s top players is also a high priority for her program. The Terrapins landed arguably state?s top player last year when Towson Catholic?s Marah Strickland signed a letter-of-intent to play for the Terrapins.
“Our biggest priority is keeping the best talent at home and it says a lot when we can land a player of Marah?s ability,” Frese said. “As a top-five program, players want to come here, but you still have to do a lot of work to show you want them.”
Maryland enters this season with two in-state players: Marissa Coleman and Strickland. Frese said she has recruited other local players, but acknowledged some preferred to play for a school further from home.
“You always have to do your homework to understand what players are looking for in a school,” Frese said. “Unfortunately, there are times when we?ve gone to every game we could see, and used up all of our allotted contact with her and they still went to another school.”
