Maryland Terrapins Basketball: Ranking the Terps' Top 5 NBA Prospects

Over the past five NBA drafts, the University of Maryland has had a player selected every year except 2009, a year in which the Terps had zero seniors graduate.

In 2007, PG D.J. Strawberry was selected with the 59th pick by the Phoenix Suns. The San Antonio Spurs chose PF James Gist using the 57th pick in 2008.

While no Maryland alum was drafted in 2009, the 2009-10 ACC Player of the Year Greivis Vasquez was picked 28th overall in 2010 by the Memphis Grizzlies. The following year, PF/C Jordan Williams left after his sophomore season to become the 36th overall selection in 2011, by the New Jersey Nets. Williams was the only college stud out of these four to leave College Park before his senior campaign. 

Despite being a solid contributor for two NCAA tournament teams in his four-year career at Maryland, G/F Sean Mosley does not stand a chance to hear his name called on June 28th.

This means that for just the second time in six years, Maryland will not have one of its players selected in the NBA draft.

Although Maryland will not be well-represented at the Prudential Center in June, Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon is developing a new batch of talents who could potentially hear their names called in the future.

Here are the top five NBA prospects on the Maryland Terrapins' roster.

5. Evan Smotrycz

Class: 2015

Position: PF

Vitals: 6'9", 235 pounds

Evan Smotrycz opted to transfer out of the University of Michigan last month to come to Maryland.

Smotrycz displayed a plethora of promise and potential during his two-year tenure in Ann Arbor, but never blossomed into the full-fledged star many had hoped he would become.

Due to NCAA regulations, Smotrycz will be forced to sit out one year before playing for the Terps.

Smotrycz is your ideal inside-outside player. He possesses very favorable size at 6'9", but unlike most guys his height, Smotrycz can stroke it from beyond the arc. He shot 44 percent from long-range during his sophomore season in Michigan. Smotrycz is extremely versatile, averaging almost five rebounds per contest last season to go along with his stellar outside game. He is a true combo-forward.

Despite not displaying NBA skills just yet, there is plenty of hope for Evan Smotrycz to be drafted in the 2015 NBA draft. According to ESPNU, Smotrycz was the 84th best player in his high school class. Being ranked in the ESPNU 100 is very respectable, and it shows that he can produce more than what he has already shown.

Any NBA team can always use a lights-out three-point specialist with big-man size, so if Smotrycz can polish smaller parts of his game, maybe he sneaks in to the tail end of the 2015 NBA draft.

4. Nick Faust

Class: 2015

Position: SG/SF

Vitals: 6'6'', 175 pounds

The Maryland faithful were expecting huge production from Nick Faust as a freshman last season, and to state the matter bluntly, he disappointed.

According to ESPNU, Faust was the 37th best player in his high school class, but I would say his play as a freshman did not merit that high of a ranking. To be fair, Faust's potential glistened through at certain times last season. But at other times, Faust was chucking up air balls with 25 seconds left on the shot clock and turning the ball over on consecutive possessions.

Let's not destroy the young talent from Baltimore. Many future professional basketball players have freshmen seasons filled with immaturity, and fine-tune their game later in college.

Faust has unbelievable athleticism and often finds himself on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays. His jump shot is iffy, but that can be repaired with proper teaching. Faust is explosive and can attack the basket with admirable intensity.

If 2011-12 was any indication of what Nick Faust's career at Maryland will be like, he isn't going anywhere until after his senior season. His skill set is too raw, and his decision making and basketball IQ are very immature. If Faust can learn his limits and become a team player, his size and athleticism will likely warrant an NBA draft spot in 2015.

3. Shaquille Cleare

Class: 2016

Position: C

Vitals: 6'9'', 270 pounds

It's not easy to find human beings the size of Shaquille Cleare.

Standing at 6'9'', his height is not what sets him apart physically from most big men. The differentiating factor is his broad frame. Cleare weighs 270 pounds, making him a force in the low post. 

Shaq is currently completing his senior year at The Village School in Houston, Texas. He plays AAU basketball with Andrew and Aaron Harrison, Maryland's two top targets for the 2013 recruiting class.

Cleare is a bully on the glass, snatching every rebound away from opposing players. He clears out the lane for his guards to drive to the basket and creates a hazard by the hoop for guards on the opposing team. Cleare is your traditional, back-to-the-basket center.

The major weakness in Cleare's game is conditioning. It is terrific if you can dominate the low post, but you have to get to the low post first. He definitely is muscular, but not 270 pounds worth of muscle.

Before he becomes an NBA-caliber talent, he needs to shed some weight. Cleare probably has more upside than other overweight centers Joshua Smith and Reggie Johnson, but needs to accomplish a lot at Maryland before he eclipses those two players. 

It is tough to imagine Cleare being able to leave school early to enlist his name into the NBA draft within the next three years, but Shaq should definitely hear his name called in 2016. 

2. Terrell Stoglin

Class: 2014

Position: SG

Vitals: 6'1'', 185 pounds

Terrell Stoglin is the first player on this list that Maryland fans need to worry about leaving school early.

Stoglin is the type of player that makes you scream in disgust when he pulls up for a shot, but have a sigh of relief after the shot somehow goes in. He is arguably the most prolific scorer in the ACC, hence his conference scoring title in 2011-12. He can put the ball in the basket from anywhere within 25 feet of the hoop, but specializes in attacking the rim.

When watching Maryland play, it seems like Stoglin can get to the tin whenever he wants. He is quick and elusive and is one of the top finishers in traffic in all of college basketball.

Stoglin's major issues deal with team chemistry and selfishness. His 1.9 assists per game total from last season don't help his cause there, and he often got benched by Mark Turgeon for shooting unnecessary shots early in the shot clock. Despite shooting a solid 39 percent from long range as a sophomore, many of his three-point attempts should have been passed off to open teammates.

In addition, Stoglin can't play point guard in the NBA, and he is well undersized as a shooting guard. He'll need to make up for his lack of size with speed and quickness. Stoglin can light up the scoreboard, which he proved with his 21.6 points per game last season.

The big question concerns his ability to win—something he has never done exceedingly well in College Park.

With a another ACC scoring title, Stoglin may be able to sneak into the end of the second round in the 2013 NBA draft, but he would be better suited by waiting until 2014 and possibly moving up to the first round. 

1. Alex Len

Class: 2015

Position: C

Vitals: 7'1'', 225 pounds

Alex Len was suspended for the first 10 games of last season due to eligibility issues in his homeland, Ukraine. Despite teasing Terp Nation with some tremendous outputs before conference play, Len never really developed during his freshman season.

Contrary to Nick Faust, Len had zero expectations from Maryland fans heading into his freshman year. He signed late in the recruiting period, and no one knew who he was from his playing days in Ukraine. ESPNU didn't even have a recruit profile for him.

Len has an extremely unique combination of size, athleticism, and range. He runs the floor particularly well for someone as massive as he is, and he can stretch it, managing about 18 feet from the basket on his jump shot. Mark Turgeon even stated that Len will eventually start taking three-pointers in games. Regardless of whether that is true or not, the fact that Len is far from clumsy at 7'1'' is a plus all by itself.

Len is super slender and needs to hit the weight room. He gets pushed around in the low post and never goes up strong because he isn't physically built to compete against top ACC opponents. With the proper training, those worries will be calmed.

According to NBADraftNet's 2013 mock draft, Len is projected to be drafted sixth overall after his sophomore season if he elects to leave College Park. His potential is unlimited, and not too many NBA teams are going to be able to pass on that.

Len could be the next Dirk Nowitzki, or he could be the next Darko Milicic. For now, his draft stock is sky-high, and he will be featured on an NBA roster sooner rather than later.