Updated: August 23, 2012, 6:59 pm ET

‘Committee’ will replace Stoglin at Maryland

By HOOPSWORLD
Basketball News & NBA Rumors

By Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY

Terrell Stoglin’s abrupt departure from the Maryland men’s basketball team last spring-aafollowing the announcement of what would have been a year-long suspension had he stayed in school-aaleft the Terps with a gaping hole on their roster.

Stoglin, a 6-1, 185-pound guard, averaged 21.6 points per game last season before going pro. He was the first Maryland player in 17 years to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring.

And now he’s gone.

But second-year coach Mark Turgeon, already knee-deep in a rebuilding project, isn’t worried. Or if he is, he’s not letting on.

“Terrell had to do so much for us last year,” Turgeon told USA TODAY Sports Thursday. “Right or wrong, he had to do it. He took good shots, took a lot of bad shots, too. But I think by committee we can replace Terrell. There will be situations in a game where we might not be able to get buckets like Terrell could just go out and get. He could make incredible shots.

“(But) even though we’ll be young, we’ll have more depth if we can stay healthy.”

That committee includes Pe’Shon Howard, who’s coming back from knee surgery, as well as sophomore Nick Faust, who averaged 8.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season. Maryland will also hope that its two freshmen guards, Sam Cassell and Seth Allen, develop quickly.

That is more depth than the Terps had last year, when their offense went as Stoglin went — for better and for worse.

This season, Turgeon will rely on a more experienced Faust, a healthy Howard and a supporting cast to make up for the loss of Stoglin’s offensive production. Turgeon has confidence in his Terps, who finished last season 17-15 (6-10 in the ACC), and he certainly seems more relaxed heading into his second season.

“Obviously, we’re all a lot more comfortable,” Turgeon said. “I’ve got the whole staff back (and) we’re used to being around each other and know what to expect out of each other. … It’s so much easier. We’re going to be young. but we’re more talented. We’re deeper. We’ll see if we stay healthy and can … [For more on 'Committee' will replace Stoglin at Maryland, click here.]

Your comments are important to us, so please share your thoughts. We will be rolling out prizes and giveaways for our active Commenters. Please keep the comments above board and respectful to everyone and you could win some great stuff from us at HOOPSWORLD.