Rasheed Sulaimon to play at Maryland
Former Duke Blue Devils guard Rasheed Sulaimon told ESPN he has committed to Maryland and will spend his final season in college with the Terps.
"For everything I've been through, my family and I wanted me to be at a place where I trusted everyone," Sulaimon said. "I've known Coach [Mark] Turgeon and [assistant coach Dustin] Clark since I was 13. I trust them."
Turgeon announced Sulaimon's addition to the Terrapins in a statement Monday.
Sulaimon, who was dismissed from the Blue Devils program in January, took a visit to College Park over the weekend and met with athletic director Kevin Anderson, president Wallace D. Loh and Maryland players.
"We did our due diligence," Turgeon told ESPN. "We were extremely thorough and talked to a lot of people and vetted the entire situation. I've known Rasheed and his family since he was 13, and I believe in him. There's a trust factor, and we've had a strong relationship."
Sulaimon said he is on track to graduate in early August. Because of the NCAA's graduate transfer rule, he will be eligible next season -- his final one in college.
His addition makes Turgeon's team a legitimate candidate to cut down the nets in April 2016.
"They have a chance to be a special team," Sulaimon said. "They are great guys off the court, and they embraced me. At the end of the day, I wanted to go somewhere to have the opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself."
Said Turgeon: "He wanted a chance to win at the highest level. He's a piece that fits what we're doing here -- both personalitywise and on the court. He'll add leadership. We had other options, but we felt like Rasheed was the best one."
Sulaimon was considered a potential NBA first-round pick following a freshman campaign in which he averaged 11.6 points per game. However, his production dwindled over the next two seasons, and he came off the bench half of his sophomore year and every game as a junior before he was dismissed.
When Sulaimon was dismissed, Duke coach MikeKrzyzewski said the player had failed "to consistently live up to the standards required to be a member of our program."
Sulaimonrecently spoke to ESPN and denied he had committed a sexual assault at Duke. The Chronicle, Duke's student newspaper, reported two separate allegations during Sulaimon's freshman year. The newspaper said neither student filed a complaint through the office of student conduct, and ESPN confirmed that there was no report on file with the Durham Police Department involving Sulaimon.
"This allegation is just that, a charge that has no proof," said Sulaimon, who told ESPN he met with the office of student conduct regarding one allegation and later was told the matter was closed. "There's no proof because I didn't sexually assault anyone."
Sulaimon's addition gives Turgeon one of the most potent starting lineups in the country. Sophomore point guard Melo Trimble and forward Jake Layman both decided to return to school, and Maryland adds a pair of big men -- highly touted freshman Diamond Stone and talented Georgia Tech transfer Robert Carter. The Terps could bring guards Dion Wiley and Jared Nickens and developing big man Michal Cekovsky off the bench.
