Maryland men’s basketball freshman guard/forward James Graham III announced Thursday that he will enter the transfer portal.
In a Twitter post, Graham stated his intentions to leave the program after having discussions with his family.
“I love each and everyone of my teammates and I’m really sad I won’t get a chance to enjoy this ride with them,” he wrote. “I wish them all the best.”
The NCAA transfer portal was introduced in the fall of 2018 to allow players to make it known of their intention to transfer and for college coaches to see which players might be available to sign national letters of intent.
The decision comes as no surprise since Graham barely touched the floor during his short time in College Park. Since enrolling early last season, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native played in nine games while averaging 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds in less than five minutes per game.
The 6-foot-8, 205-pound Graham played in five minutes during Maryland’s season-opening win over Quinnipiac before being suspended two games for a violation of team rules. Graham returned from his suspension against George Mason on Nov. 17, but still did not receive any playing time.
Graham, a former four-star recruit, was ranked the second best player in Wisconsin and the No. 25 small forward in the 2020 class, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
During the team’s media day in October, Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said he believed Graham vastly improved as a player and could be a game-changer with his 3-point shooting, an area Maryland has struggled in through eight games. The Terps are shooting 26.8% from 3-point range.
“James is an excellent shooter,” Turgeon said in October. “He could be one of the best shooters on a team that has a really lot of good shooters. James can make three [3-pointers] in five possessions and can really change a scrimmage. He’ll change games that way too, and he can make tough shots.”
Graham’s departure comes after the Terps lost to Virginia Tech, 62-58, dropping to 5-3 on the season.