Is Maryland's new pledge a late-bloomer?
By Dave Telep
This is the time of the year when players emerge from the obscure and wind up signing with major college programs. One example is Georgetown freshman Greg Whittington who went from “who’s that” to “he’s going to have a good career at Georgetown.” For me, the difference between Whittington and brand new Terrapin pledge Damonte Dodd (Centreville, Md./Queen Anne) is simple: we saw Whittington play; no one on our staff at ESPN has seen Dodd.
Until two months ago, neither had Maryland. Acting on a tip from a friend of the staff -- either an alum or a hoops junkie -- Dodd was brought to the Terps' attention. Maryland, in particular assistant coach Scott Spinelli, did his homework and in the end, the Terps edged out Georgetown, Niagara, Central Connecticut, Morgan State and a bunch of other small Division I schools that once thought they might have a steal or at the very least, a 6-foot-9, 240 pound prospect on their hands.
Though he played against hardly any Division I competition, Dodd nearly doubled his numbers from the previous year (always a great sign) to 24 points, 16 rebounds and a half dozen blocks. Turgeon and Spinelli each saw him twice and they watched countless matinees of film on the big fella before they pulled out the scholarship offer.
Dale Becraft, Dodd's coach, sees a guy who needs post moves and time to develop them.
“Personally, I think they did a really good job of doing their homework without dragging their feet,” Becraft said. “Here at the end Georgetown and Dayton had gotten in the mix. Even though he’s a sleeper he has tremendous upside. He rebounds and blocks shots really well. The only thing he’s lacking is (scoring) against guys bigger or the same size; he’ll adjust to that. Obviously he has some work to do because he doesn’t get pushed really much against the competition we’re playing.”
The plan is for Dodd to enroll at Maryland with the other senior recruits. He may redshirt but only because Turgeon himself wants to be tasked with the kid’s development. It sounds like Maryland is into him for the long run and according to the coach, is willing to be patient and bring him along properly. Again, this is a long term situation for both parties. However, in talking with Becraft, he has some traits that bode well.
Production is on the upswing
Late growth spurt
Commitment to improve; had a good summer of work
Small AAU teams (Annapolis Advantage, Delmarva Lakers)
Well liked by peers and highly regarded at school as player and student
When looking at kids like this, one has to pay attention to the markers. Dodd has some of them and while it’s no guarantee for success down the road, having the traits of a late-bloomer gives him a chance going forward. His high school coach had previously been around Division I players and thinks Dodd has what it takes to be a player in time.
At this point in the year, there’s a significant difference in taking a big who has been a commodity with little résumé versus a prospect like Dodd who appears to just be coming into his own. The “known guys” who haven’t made strides often flame out. A lot of times they either aren’t invested enough in their own development, don’t love the game or can’t live up to the expectations set for them at an early age. College coaches will convince themselves they either need the size or can change them once they are in the program. Those odds tend to be long.
On the other hand, Dodd's chance is coming next fall. As an evaluator, taking a kid like Dodd can be exciting. He hasn’t been spoiled by the process of playing with a big AAU team or overexposed at camps. He’s more apt to listen and value coaching without having a big ego. Essentially, he can be moldable clay and for a guy like Turgeon who owns a track record of improving under-the-radar bigs, the coach has to be excited to work with a player like Dodd.
While we haven’t seen Dodd and can’t offer an evaluation or expectation, we can let you know why Maryland took him, the traits that give him a chance and set the table for what is going to happen to him next season in terms of development.
Twenty years ago, taking players like Dodd was more frequent. Guys flew under the radar easier and were less exposed. Coaching staffs weren’t under the same time constraints created by high salaries, increased media exposure and 24/7 fan bases. The Damonte Dodd’s of the world were able to develop over time, without the expectations. A kid like this in 1985 would have been redshirted and brought along slowly unless he demonstrated unusual adaptive skills to the level of play over the summer.
I’ve never seen Dodd but I understand why he’s a Terp and what Maryland's motives were. Turgeon got a tip, did his homework and then seemingly became excited about the chance of cultivating this kid. Makes sense to me.