Both Rasheed Sulaimon and the University of Maryland have confirmed the former Duke forward's transfer to play his final college basketball season for the Terrapins.
According to ESPN, Sulaimon is on track to graduate from Duke in Aug., making him eligible to transfer without penalty to play his final season elsewhere. Duke head men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski dismissed Sulaimon from his team in Jan. without providing a specific reason.
"I've known Rasheed and his family since he was in the seventh grade, first meeting him when he attended our basketball camp at Texas A&M," Maryland head men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon said in a press release. "He was a very polite and poised young man and I recruited him while I was at Texas A&M because of his commitment to both academics and athletics. We competed against Rasheed on multiple occasions in the ACC and I was reminded of his dynamic playmaking ability. During our conversations with Rasheed and his parents, Kenny and Angela, Rasheed expressed the importance of proving that he is committed to being a great student-athlete and a selfless teammate. I have full confidence that Rasheed will embrace this opportunity at the University of Maryland."
In a previous interview with ESPN, Sulaimon denied allegations he was dismissed from Krzyzewski's team for committing sexually assault. The forward said he never sexually assaulted anyone and indicated he was dismissed for poorly handling his reduced role on the team.
"We did our due diligence," Turgeon told ESPN. "We were extremely thorough and talked to a lot of people and vetted the entire situation. I've known Rasheed and his family since he was 13, and I believe in him. There's a trust factor, and we've had a strong relationship."
Sulaimon has not faced any formal sexual assault charges in two such incidents first reported by the Duke Chronicle. The newspaper said neither alleged victim reported the crime, committed during Sulaimon's freshman season. Duke indicated Sulaimon's dismissal was the result of a buildup of personal conduct issues and not one single incident.
"They have a chance to be a special team," Sulaimon told ESPN of the Terrapins. "They are great guys off the court, and they embraced me. At the end of the day, I wanted to go somewhere to have the opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself."
