Maryland looks to expand recruiting territory with latest offer
Huntington Prep (WV) guard Maki Johnson picked up an offer from Maryland, he announced Tuesday.
Johnson, a member of the 2023 class, is the second West Virginia native to receive a Terps offer this month, joining class of 2022 guard Isaac McKneely. Johnson and McKneely are the state’s top-ranked players in their respective classes according to Prep Hoops, and they play summer ball together with the Wildcats Select, an Adidas-sponsored AAU program.
Maryland’s increased presence in West Virginia began with the hiring of former Michigan assistant DeAndre Haynes last summer, whose first offer was to a center from a small town in Ohio along the West Virginia border. Haynes spent the previous three years under former Mountaineers coach John Beilein at Michigan, helping the Wolverines land players throughout the Midwest. Terps coach Mark Turgeon acknowledged at the time of his hiring that Haynes broke the mold of his previous assistant hires at Maryland who either had ties to him or the local AAU scene, and expressed excitement about his ability to open up new pipelines for the still-adjusting Big Ten program on the recruiting trail.
“To me, it felt right, and that’s why I did it. I think Maryland can recruit nationally, we can recruit internationally,” Turgeon told The Baltimore Sun last June. “He’s got some recruiting areas he knows well that might be able to help us get into some areas in the Big Ten that we haven’t really been able to get into. I’m excited about it.”
Haynes grew up in Detroit and spent his entire coaching career up until last year in the Midwest, making stops at Kent State (his alma mater), Toledo and Illinois State before Beilein added him to his staff ahead of the 2017-18 college basketball season.
“I have strong ties out here in the Midwest,” said Haynes. “There’s a lot of talent out there in the Midwest. That gives us a different reason to bring it to Maryland that I can I tap into. I’m excited about building new relationships, too, on the East Coast. I’m not afraid to go anywhere. My phone is blowing up with guys saying, ‘Dre, I’m a Terp and I got you. I’m a Terp fan now.’ That means a lot to me.”
Haynes has the Terps in early on Johnson, who held just one Power Conference offer before Maryland, Virginia Tech and Auburn jumped into the mix Tuesday. The Terps were also one of the first Power Conference programs to offer McKneely, who picked up offers from Wake Forest, Iowa and NC State on the first day college coaches could contact rising juniors last Monday. Both players are combo guards with an exciting mix of athleticism and skill.
