What Fofana Means To Maryland

Gary Williams continues to built great momentum for the Maryland basketball program. This morning, around 7 AM ET, Hassan Fofana, a 6-9, 260-pound center from Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, made the call to the Maryland staff and gave a commitment to the Terps.

This is an outstanding pickup for the defending National Champions. Fofana is one the better inside players in the 2003 class. He has the ability to play two positions right now -- center and power forward. His perimeter skills are still in the process of being polished. But he is a big catch for Williams and his staff.

The Maryland fans will love Fofana's style of play. He crashes the boards with recklessness but is becoming much smarter in keeping himself out of foul trouble. Fofana will have stretches of committing too many fouls but it isn't because he's not trying. It's just the opposite. Fofana runs the court hard and plays hard on every defensive and offensive possession.

You do hear the term "upside" quite a bit when discussing big men. But in the case of Fofana, it is true. His best days are ahead of him because a. he's coachable. b. he plays hard. c. he wants to win. d. he doesn't care if he scores a bunch of points.

The Maryland commitment is no surprise. Hargrave Military Academy head coach Mike Preston had already told RivalsHoops.com that Hassan had Maryland very high on his list. What is surprising was that Fofana decided against visiting any more schools. He had five other schools pursuing him for visits -- Connecticut, Virginia, Purdue, Memphis, and St. John's.

Fofana worked out yesterday at Hargrave Military Academy and a source told us that the only schools watching were St. John's and Connecticut. What they didn't know was Fofana was close to making a decison. He made it this morning.

Fofana, who hails from West Africa, played this summer for the the Middlesex Magic.