Torian Graham Decommits from N.C. State; Look for Maryland to Get Involved

Back when Dalonte Hill was first hired at Maryland as an assistant, I kept mentioning the name of Torian Graham, a top-25 shooting guard who had just committed to N.C. State. Although a native of Durham, NC, Graham played for D.C. Assault, Hill's old stomping ground and the very program that launched him into stardom. It was only a matter of time, I thought, before MD made an inquiry, regardless of his commitment status.

It never really materialized, potentially out of respect for Graham's commitment. But now Graham is re-opening his recruitment, and you can expect Maryland to be a major player:

Shooting guard prospect Torian Graham has withdrawn his commitment to play at North Carolina State starting in 2012, according to PackPride.com.

"I just feel like I made a decision too fast. I don't feel like I gave everyone a chance to recruit me," Graham said.

"I'm still listing them. They are still at the top." He did not provide the rest of the list, but there were about a dozen schools previously listed as possible destinations by Scout.com, including ACC members Boston College, Clemson, Miami and Wake Forest.

He told our friend Joe Davis at ScoutsFocus that he's looking at schools like Kentucky, N.C. State, UNC, Duke, UCLA, Baylor, Louisville, and Xavier, and it's a safe bet that every school on that list will give him a call. While that used to be a traditional sign to stop watching the recruitment, especially with a DCA kid, Maryland has something that no other program has: Hill, the pied piper who's worked his magic on the AAU program so many times before.

Graham came through DCA's program, so he undoubtedly has some sort of relationship with Hill, and you can be sure Maryland will look to exploit that. Combined with the high-energy strategy Turgeon's used, and even though Maryland isn't being listed right now, I'd be shocked if they didn't get themselves involved in a major way.

Which is a very good thing. Graham used to be known as a pure athlete the way Nick Faust used to be known as a pure shooter, and like Faust he's serious developed the rest of his offensive game over the spring and summer. He's a good shooter from deep, as well, and has a developing mid-range game. A varied offensive game combined with top-notch athleticism will make him a heavily coveted prospect, and it's why he's a four-star, top 30 recruit on all three services.

And, of course, it'd be fun to steal a recruit from the Wuffies.

Requisite drool-worthy YouTube: