Mychal Parker set to transfer

This was supposed to be the first in a series about the seven returning player's from this season's Terps' team, but with today's news that Mychal Parker will be transferring at the end of the school year, it didn't make a ton of sense to break down the nuances of his game.

Parker wrote an exceedingly classy farewell letter to Terrapin Nation. Given that and how he always seemed to hustle while out on the court, it will be hard not to root for him wherever he ends up. The early schools mentioned included Loyola and UAB, both of whom have the former Maryland assistant connection with Rob Ehsan moving on from Virginia Tech this offseason.

Parker wraps up his career at Maryland with 3.4 points and 2.1 boards per game over 45 career games. His strength this year was in his rebounding as he was one of the best rebounding guards the Terps had seen in the past decade. He also shot very well at the FT line down the stretch, hitting 36 of 46 after starting off his career very poorly from the stripe.

Parker was also notable for his athleticism and his sporadic, but ridiculous, dunks. The athletic ability was never in question, but it was always a matter of whether the basketball skill will follow. Now he gets the opportunity to sit out a year and improve which should probably have happened last season, and when he does become eligible at his new school, he'll do so at a level where he could potentially put up big numbers in the scoring column.

The question now is what this says about the Terrapins going forward. Two weeks ago the team clearly had too much depth for next season in the backcourt with Parker still on board and Sam Cassell committing. Now with Parker gone and Cassell's status tenuous, the team will rely on five guys for the three backcourt spots, barring a late addition. Newcomers Seth Allen and Jake Layman seem like they'll get every shot to play right from the start of the season, and the team will need at least one to complement the three starters.