Terps' top hoops target announces commitment date, finalists

Maryland’s top recruiting target is ready to pick a school.

James Graham, a class of 2021 four-star forward from Milwaukee, announced Tuesday that he will reveal his college decision on August 17 at 10 a.m., and he has Maryland among the finalists, along with Wisconsin, Auburn and Memphis.

The timing of the announcement is promising for the Terps as they recently emerged as the favorite in Graham’s recruitment. The versatile 6-foot-8 forward told 247Sports last week that Mark Turgeon and company are recruiting him harder than any other coaching staff.

Graham was a little-known recruit outside of his hometown of Milwaukee during his junior year, but became one of the most popular players in his class after sending his film to college coaches across the country at the start of the pandemic. Maryland was the first Power Conference program to respond with an offer in May, and they’ve made it clear since then that he’s their top priority in the class. Turgeon and assistant coach Bino Ranson -- who helped the Terps pull Diamond Stone out of Wisconsin in 2015 -- have been in contact on almost a daily basis.

Graham, who averaged 20 points per game at Nicolet High (Wisc.), announced a top-9 last month that included his four finalists as well as Michigan State, Marquette, Florida State, Georgetown and Vanderbilt. If he picks Maryland, he’d join Baltimore products Ike Cornish and Julian Reese as the third member of the program’s 2021 class. The Terps have two scholarships available for next year, and they’re looking to add a forward and another wing. They made the final three for New Zealand shooting guard Taine Murray and the top-11 for St. Louis small forward Jordan Nesbitt earlier this week.