Jake Layman commits to Maryland

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Mark Turgeon's first full recruiting class at Maryland got a little deeper on Tuesday when ESPNU 100 small forward Jake Layman (Wrenthan, Mass./King Phillip) committed to the Terrapins following an official visit to College Park.

The No. 53 overall prospect in the nation and No. 11 small forward, had planned on visiting Florida, Louisville and Syracuse but after stepping into the Comcast Center and getting a feel for Turgeon's program, he'd seen all he needed to see. Maryland was right for him.

"Right when I saw the Comcast Center I was amazed," Layman said. "It's huge compared to some of the other schools I've seen. At the end of my visit they actually had me and my parents watching a video. They took us into the Comcast Center with a spotlight shining on a bunch of chairs in a circle (at mid court) and we sat down and talked. It was cool."

Layman had no plans of committing before the visit began, but like his high school and AAU career, he proved to be full of surprises. Following an unlikely trip to the state championship game as a junior, Layman found himself empowered with the confidence to ramp up his game.

"It was just as much of a surprise to me as it was to anyone else," Layman said. "I knew I'd work hard but I'm surprised."

Credit Turgeon and assistant Scott Spinelli for staying the course with Layman. The stretch forward told ESPN he liked the staff at Texas A&M but he wasn't ready to go that far from home. Fellow Maryland commit SG Seth Allen (Fredericksburg, Va./Christian) said the same thing following his commitment.

Turgeon was on Layman early, switched to College Park, watched Layman blow up and he'll sign him in November. Spinelli, a former Boston University player, competed against Layman's uncle, a former Siena Saint in college.

In addition to Layman and Allen, the Terrapins own a pledge from C Shaquille Cleare (Houston/Village School), ESPN's No. 39 overall prospect.

PDave Telep is the senior basketball recruiting analyst for ESPN.com. His college basketball scouting service is used by more than 225 colleges and numerous NBA teams. He can be reached at espndt@gmail.com. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter.

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Dave Telep

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• Senior National Recruiting Analyst for ESPN.com
• Scouting service used by more than 225 college teams
• Covering basketball recruiting for 15 years