Terps Insider

Tweet from Dez Wells announcing his decision

After spending the past Saturday in College Park, Xavier transfer Dezmine Wells announced Tuesday morning via Twitter that he will attend the University of Maryland. Wells chose the Terps over Kentucky, Memphis and Oregon.

Wells was expelled from Xavier University on August 21, but an Ohio grand jury later declined to indict Wells on sexual assault charges.

After being cleared criminally, Wells began to put together a list of potential schools that he would visit, including Maryland. Wells’ initial visit was to the University of Kentucky, but the last day to add/drop classes had passed and with the NCAA already sniffing around with regards to Nerlens Noel, it was likely that any hopes of playing this school year were non-existent in Lexington. After spending two days at Kentucky, Wells and Calipari decided to go their separate ways, leaving Maryland as the heavy favorite to land his services.

Wells is expected to file a waiver with the NCAA for immediate eligibility and while some experts believe his chances of playing in the upcoming season are slim-to-none, this is uncharted waters for the NCAA, who has been known to make rulings arbitrarily in the past.

Should Wells be forced to sit out the upcoming season, he’s still a nice piece for a resurgent Maryland program in 2013-2014. The Terps already have Michigan transfer Evan Smotrycz in the fold and Damonte Dodd is already committed for next year’s class. With the departures of James Padgett and Logan Aronhalt, that would put the Terps at 11 scholarship to-date for the 2013-2014 season, barring any early attrition. With the Terps as finalists for the Harrison twins as well as Roddy Peters, the addition of Dezmine Wells should have Maryland well on their way back to national prominence.

(Photo Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

According to reports, former Xavier forward Dezmine Wells is strongly considering the University of Maryland and will take a visit to College Park in the very near future.

Wells was expelled by Xavier University  on August, 21 following sexual assault charges.

On Tuesday, however, Hamilton County (OH) prosecutors took their case in front of a grand jury which declined to indict Wells on the sexual assault charges brought against him. In an even more bizarre twist, the prosecutor then urged Xavier University to reconsider Wells’ expulsion in a prepared statement. The university, however, has decided to stand pat on it’s ruling and Wells is now looking to land at a new school as early as next week.

Wells, an explosive 6-5 forward, finished his freshman season at Xavier averaging 9.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He was the team’s fourth-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder, recording two double-doubles last season and helping the team advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

Following the grand jury’s decision Tuesday afternoon, both Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com and Dave Telep of ESPN.com reported that Wells is scheduled to visit Maryland in the next week, along with both Louisville and Memphis.Continue Reading »