Taurean Thompson, a 6-foot-9 power forward who plays for Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley at St. Anthony’s, visited Maryland on Sunday, his mom confirmed to SNY.tv.
“He took a visit yesterday,” she said. “He loved Maryland and the staff. There were hardly any students on campus so it was quiet and really no distractions. It gave us more time to have a thorough detailed conversation and get our questions answered.”
Thompson has battled injuries throughout his high school and AAU career but is a talented big man with a high ceiling. He is currently coming off a broken rib suffered during the second half of the AAU season.
“He has a great shooting touch and range with a good skill set and feel for the game,” St. Anthony’s assistant Eric Harrield told SNY.tv. “Once he gets healthy he has the potential to play at the highest level.”
Thompson holds offers from numerous other schools, including Xavier, Arizona State, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Temple, St. Joe’s and Rice. He has taken unofficials to Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. Joe’s and Temple.
Thompson is slated to take an official visit to Xavier in early September but has no timetable on a decision.
“He just got cleared so his focus right now is taking care of his body,” his mother said. “He is much better than before and staying healthy.”
For Maryland, the Thompson visit is the latest good news for a program that is also expected to get visits from 2016 shooting guard Josh Jackson and 2016 small forward Mario Kegler and is expected to be a top-5 team in the preseason.