Maryland adds PG Fatts Russell in second major transfer of the day originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Have yourself a day, Mark Turgeon.
The Maryland men’s basketball coach has had a 24 hours to remember, starting with reports of a contract extension to keep him in College Park and continuing with the commitment of Georgetown transfer Qudus Wahab.
Now, he’s added a desperately needed point guard to the fold.
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Point guard Fatts Russell announced Saturday morning that he too would be transferring to Maryland, less than an hour after the Terps received a similar commitment from Wahab. Russell heads to College Park by way of Rhode Island, where he starred for the past few seasons while making multiple All-A10 teams and the All-A10 defensive team.
Russell averaged 14.7 points per game and 4.5 assists in 2020-21, and he averaged 18.8 points, 4.6 assists and 2.9 steals the season prior. He was considered one of the top available point guards on the market.
Russell isn’t known for his efficient shooting ability, but he is a strong all around player who can score, distribute the ball and be a pesky defender. He was the only major threat on Rhode Island’s team this past season, so defenses were forced to key in on him at all times. That won’t be the case in College Park, and Maryland fans will hope that means more efficient scoring and somebody who can run the offense.
Terps fans are still waiting for announcements from Eric Ayala, Aaron Wiggins and Darryl Morsell about their plans for returning to college for another season or not. If they do, Maryland will be one of the most talked about teams in the country entering next season.
Even if not, they’ve already taken a couple major steps on Saturday morning toward another NCAA Tournament berth in 2022.
