Evan Smotrycz heading to Maryland

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Former Michigan forward Evan Smotrycz is heading from the Big Ten to the ACC.

Smotrycz, a 6-foot-9 forward from Reading, Mass., said Monday he has decided to transfer to Maryland over his other two finalists, Colorado and Providence. He made an official visit to Maryland this weekend.

"I just felt really comfortable with the coaches and the guys on the team," Smotrycz said. "Maryland is such a big-time program that it would have been tough to beat. I didn't feel like I needed to go anywhere else."

Smotrycz leaves Michigan, where he started 42 games and was the team's fifth-best 3-point shooter by percentage of all time, after two seasons. Last season, he averaged 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Wolverines, but left the program citing the need for a better fit.

At Maryland, he feels like he has that.

"Where I fit in was kind of a four man who can pick-and-pop and come off screens and make plays and obviously shoot it," Smotrycz said. "I like the way coach (Mark) Turgeon ran his offense. He showed me a lot of film of where he thought I'd fit in and I thought it was what I was looking for."

Part of what sold him, he said, was the chance to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Comcast Center and the plan Maryland had for his development next season, when he has to sit out due to mandated NCAA transfer rules. After the transfer year, Smotrycz will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Maryland finished 17-15 and 6-10 in the ACC last season.

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Michael Rothstein | email

Reporter, WolverineNation

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• Reporter for WolverineNation
• Covers Michigan Wolverines sports
• Joined ESPN in 2011