Maryland misses out on top remaining transfer target
Maryland recruiting target Both Gach will continue his college basketball career at Minnesota, he announced Monday.
Gach, who averaged 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game last season as a sophomore at Utah, was one of the most sought after transfers in the market. Dozens of programs expressed interest when he entered his name into the portal last month, but his decision came down to the three programs closest to his Austin, Minn. hometown, along with outsiders Maryland and Auburn.
The hometown Gophers were considered the favorite throughout the process in large part due to their location. Gach wants to play next season, and being closer to home presumably increases the chances the NCAA grants him a hardship waiver. Iowa State and Creighton, two other programs within driving distance, were also among the finalists.
Gach represented perhaps the Terps’ final chance to land an impact transfer to the backcourt this offseason. Maryland coach Mark Turgeon has tried unsuccessfully to add another impact guard to the roster since the end of the season, finishing as a runner-up to Seton Hall for Harvard graduate transfer Bryce Aiken in April and then scouring the market for other options before turning his focus to Gach, who had a pre-existing relationship with Terps center Chol Marial.
Turgeon has had some success in the transfer market this spring, adding Boston College forward Jairus Hamilton and Alabama big man Galin Smith to the roster, but the Terps have three unused scholarships heading into next year and the only known potential additions left are junior big men Franck Kaepnang and Efton Reid, who are each reportedly considering graduating early and reclassifying to 2020.
