After finishing his second season at the University of Maryland, guard Terrell Stoglin has declared for the NBA draft. As a sophomore, Stoglin averaged 21.6 points per game, leading the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) and was sixth overall in the NCAA. This was his first season with a leadership role. Stoglin was predicted to carry the Terrapins next season. If drafted, the 6’1, 185 pound guard from Santa Rita High School would join an elite group of players from Tucson to make it into the NBA.
However, after receiving a season long suspension that would have sidelined Stoglin for his entire junior season, he forwent the remainder of his college career. Although the university will not disclose the details of his suspension, it was classified as a violation of university policy, not NCAA rules. According to sources, he violated the “Policy on Conduct and Ethics for Student-Athletes” and the “Drug Policy for Student-Athletes.” The drug policy specifically authorizes a year-long suspension for the third violation of the policy.
Stoglins’ tweets have really told the tale. He began with saying that he would return to College Park for his junior season to become a more complete player and lead the Terrapins to the NCAA tournament. On April 30th, he tweeted “wish I had the option bro”, responding to final wishes from his fans that he return to Maryland next year.
Stoglin was one of the last underclassmen to declare for the draft, entering only a few hours before the deadline. There is a strong feeling that Stoglin isn’t truly ready to enter the draft, but he didn’t want to sit out an entire season. He currently isn’t projected to be drafted. College basketball experts had predicted that Stoglin would have been drafted in the second round if he stayed all four years at Maryland.
Although an extremely talented player and tremendous scorer, Stoglin has his flaws. Most people see him as a scorer only, which was fine in college and even a selfish shooter in the NBA wouldn’t be bad, but for Stoglin it wouldn’t work. He would be undersized in every position other than point guard. Even though he has played the position before and is comfortable handling the ball, he isn’t professional point guard material. Stoglin has simply not proven the ability to distribute as a point guard. At times, he lacks motivation on defense but nowadays who really does play defense in the NBA. The real question is if Stoglin can become the guard that teams want.
Stoglin has put himself in an interesting predicament. He has played shooting guard all through college and has made a name for himself through scoring. However, at this point he is almost forced to move down to point guard. In addition, point guards are the leaders of their teams and must have the trust of the players and the coach in order to be successful. Stoglin is coming into the draft after being suspended, which may be a red flag for some teams. Trust could be the difference between Stoglin being drafted and not.
