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Maryland's Wells eligible to play in 2012-13

Nov 7, 2012

The Maryland Terrapins received big news Wednesday when Dez Wells was declared eligible by the NCAA.

Wells, a guard from Raleigh, transferred to Maryland this summer after he was expelled from Xavier for allegations of sexual assault. Hamilton County prosecutors declined to pursue a sexual assault case on Wells citing a lack of evidence, but Xavier upheld his expulsion. Slideshow     Our lens on Dez Wells

Wells was expected to have to sit out the 2012-13 season due to NCAA transfer rules, but Wednesday’s surprising ruling allows him to play with Maryland immediately. He was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team while averaging 9.8 points per game for Xavier last season.

The addition of Wells fills the void left by Terrell Stoglin, who declared early for the NBA Draft when Maryland coach Mark Turgeon suspended him for a year for violating team rules. Wells arguably becomes Maryland’s top scoring threat right away. He’ll pair with center Alex Len and a handful of talented underclassmen to form a Maryland team that should challenge to finish in the top third of the ACC. The Terrapins were predicted to finish sixth in the conference in preseason polls before Wells was deemed eligible to play.

Wells played at Word of God in Raleigh before transferring to Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia to finish his prep career. At Hargrave, he played with current North Carolina guard P.J. Hairston.