MARYLAND
on that. I’ll leave it at that.”
In their statement released by the team, the Mitchells said, “We want to thank Coach Turgeon for the opportunity to attend the University of Maryland. We are extremely appreciative of our time in College Park but decided it was best to seek a new opportunity.”
The Mitchells could not be reached for further comment.
Asked if the departure of the Mitchells midway through their freshman year could be a distraction to the players who remain, Turgeon said, “Kids are more resilient than we are as adults. They move on.
“There are some guys in that locker room that are really excited that they’re going to get a chance to play — Chol [Marial] and [Joshua] Tomaic,” Turgeon said. “I think that helps. There’s maybe a new energy about us because this is it. This is what we’ve got. You’ve just got to move forward.”
Sophomore guard Eric Ayala acknowledged that such an abrupt roster move could be a distraction “in a way,” then quickly noted: “At the same time, [it’s] next-man-up kind of [mentality]. It’s a business unfortunately. Wishing those guys the best of luck, but we’re all here for a reason. It’s sad, but at the same time we’ve got to continue to keep growing and getting better. It’s about Maryland; it’s not about any individual on our team or in our program.”
The decision comes at the same time that the 7-foot-2 freshman center Marial will likely make his college debut. He underwent surgery Sept. 4 to help stress fractures in both of his legs heal properly and resolve a recurring issue with shin splints that has bothered him the past three years by inserting titanium rods in each leg.
Turgeon said that Marial, once among the top three high school players for his class when he was a sophomore at the Cheshire Academy in Connecticut in January 2017, will play against Bryant after practicing fully for about two weeks.
“He’s a shadow of himself, [but] his shadow is pretty good with his length,” Turgeon said, referring to Marial’s 8-foot wing span. “He’ll be a great rim protector when he starts getting healthy. I’d say Chol is probably 70% of what he was before he was hurt the last couple of years, but we’re excited about Chol coming back.”
Said Marial, “I don’t know how to put it in words, but I’m really excited.”
Along with Marial, Turgeon expects to play little-used fifth-year senior Joshua Tomaic as part of the rotation for the first time since his redshirt sophomore season in 2017-18. Sophomore forward Ricky Lindo Jr., who has averaged 15 minutes off the bench the past two games, also will get more playing times. It is also likely that freshman Donta Scott could continue to start at power forward, with sophomore Jalen Smith at center.
“Donte, we’re really comfortable with,” Turgeon said. “We want to play Donte more. He finished the Illinois game, so we have a lot of confidence in him out there.
“I think Ricky gets a little bit better every game. He’s doing his role — he’s rebounding [and] he’s had a couple of really good days of practice for us. But I think it really comes down to Josh Tomaic and Chol. They can play the [center] position.
“We’ll figure it out. We’ve got plenty of players.”
Ayala said the team has shown “a lot of positive energy” the past couple of days at practice, particularly those whose roles could expand with the departure of the Mitchell brothers, who together were averaging 16.1 minutes while contributing four points, 6.5 rebounds and a little under one block a game.
“Even in practice, Josh, Ricky, Chol, everybody, they’ve been stepping up, playing harder [and] even better than before,” Ayala said. “I noticed Josh significantly. He doesn’t get much credit. This past week he’s been playing pretty well.”
Said junior guard Darryl Morsell: “I feel like we’re going to have be a lot more scrappier. We might play some small lineups. That’s up to Coach Turgeon, but if we’re playing small lineups, we’re going to have to be scrappier, find ways to get loose balls. Find ways to rebound the ball.
“It’s something that I embrace, and as a team we’re certainly going to have to embrace it in order to be successful.”
The announcement regarding the Mitchells came as the 13th-ranked Terps enter a critical point of their season. Along with the two straight losses, Maryland (10-2) has dropped nine spots in the Associated Press Top 25 the past two weeks and 10 places overall since being ranked as high as No. 3.
After Bryant — an 8-4 team ranked No. 219 in Kenpom.com but capable enough to lose by only two to Rutgers, which beat Seton Hall by 20 — the Terps resume Big Ten play with home games against Indiana on Jan. 4 and No. 2 Ohio State on Jan. 7.