Darryl Morsell has had a good summer. Maybe the best summer among under-the-radar Class of 2017 prospects. The Mount Saint Joseph combo guard's star turn for Baltimore-based Team Melo in Amateur Athletic Union action got everyone's attention, Maryland included.
The Terps offered the All-Metro first-team selection in July. Then a raft of other high-major schools followed. On Tuesday, Morsell, a rising senior, released his top five: Virginia Tech, Villanova, Dayton, Notre Dame and Maryland.
Morsell plans to take an unofficial visit to College Park later this month, according to SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria. He also will take an official visit to Notre Dame in mid-September.
He detailed his top five choices for madehoops.com. Why Maryland? "They are close in proximity to me and I grew up watching them," Morsell told the website. "I like the relationship I have with head coach Mark Turgeon and assistant coach Bino Ranson. I've gotten to learn a lot about their program and I'm happy to have a strong relationship with them."
Morsell helped lead the Gaels to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and Baltimore Catholic League title games last season, averaging 10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He is rated a four-star prospect by Scout.com and a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, and is unranked by ESPN.com and 247Sports.com. After his summer, he's likely to move into the top-100 range nationally.
Morsell's the third Baltimore-area player to receive a Terps offer, joining Gaels teammate and forward Jalen Smith as well as John Carroll point guard Immanuel Quickley, both rising juniors.