Chol Marial, a center from South Sudan currently playing basketball for Compass Prep in Chandler, Ariz., announced Monday via Instagram that he is signing with Maryland after visiting the campus last month.

“It has been a long journey, and I am blessed to have my health and athleticism,” Marial said in the post. “I am proud to say I’ve committed to the University of Maryland.”

Marial will take the last scholarship available, the one belonging to sophomore center Bruno Fernando, who announced last week that he is forgoing the last two years of his college eligibility to play in the NBA.

“I’ve watched Chol the last three years and I can’t say enough about him as both a person and a basketball player,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said in a statement. “One of the top players in his class when healthy, Chol’s tremendous size and length make him an excellent rim protector. Chol possesses a humble demeanor and a strong work ethic that will fit well with our family. We can’t wait to have him in College Park and lookforward to helping him reach his dreams.”

Considered a five-star prospect as a sophomore in high school, Marial saw his ranking drop precipitously because of injuries and eligibility questions.

He is currently a three-star recruit ranked 132nd in the country, according to the 247 Sports Composite rankings.

His Compass Prep coach, Pete Kaffey, said Marial’s latest injury — shinsplints — has healed and that he should be academically eligible to play.

“Coach Turgeon and I have gotten along really well and I really enjoyed spending time with the rest of the coaching staff and players,” Marial said in a statement. “Bruno Fernando and I have similar backgrounds and I saw how much he improved as a player at Maryland. I’m looking forward to getting better every day and playing for Terp Nation.”

Even without Fernando, who was first-team All-Big Ten and on the league’s all-defensive team last season, the Terps return seven of their top eight players from a team that finished 23-11 (13-7 in the Big Ten) and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. Maryland has been picked as a potential top-10 team in a couple of way-too-early Top 25 polls.

The signing of Marial gave the Terps a boost in the national recruiting rankings. After signing the No. 1 class in the Big Ten last season and the No. 7 class in the country, Maryland is currently 26th overall, third in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (No. 12) and Michigan State (No. 23).

Marial will join twin power forwards Makhi and Makhel Mitchell, both of whom are listed at 6-9, 230 pounds, in helping the Terps overcome the loss of Fernando. Makhi Mitchell is a four-star prospect and Makhel is a three-star.

Maryland recently signed Hakim Hart Jr., a 6-7 shooting guard from Philadelphia and a two-star prospect who committed after decommitting from Saint Joseph’s (Pa.) following the firing of longtime coach Phil Martelli. Interest in Hart soared after he was named the MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League.

The other player in the recruiting class is Donta Scott, a 6-7 forward from Philadelphia who is also a three-star prospect, according to 247 Sports. (ESPN has Scott listed as a four-star prospect ranked No. 82 in the country, while Rivals has him as a four-star ranked No. 113.)

Former assistant coach Kevin Broadus, who was hired last week as the head coach at Morgan State, was the lead recruiter on all five players.

Marial would be one of the tallest players in Maryland history. Listed on various websites as being 7-1, 7-2 or 7-3, the 220-pound Marial is “every bit” of 7-3, Kaffey said last month. Maryland’s announcement split the difference and listed him as 7-2.

Turgeon has to hope that Marial has a more productive career than Matt Slaninka did for Gary Williams.

The 7-4 Slaninka joined the Terps in the fall of 2000, and after redshirting that season, left the team before the 2001-02 season — the one that ended with Maryland winning a national championship — had even begun.

“If you’re going to gamble, you gamble on a big guy, and [Slaninka] is as big as they come,” the future Hall of Fame coach said at the time . “You hope he can play. Everything has to fall into place. I think he’ll be more comfortable in a smaller situation. He wants to go someplace where he can play. That’s just the way it goes.”

Marial is expected to play immediately, and if he can stay healthy, could wind up playing a significant role next season — in particular on defense. In “seven or eight” games he played at Compass Prep last season, Marial averaged better than eight blocks a game, Kaffey said.

Last month, Kaffey called Marial, who has a 7-11 wingspan, a “generational” defender.

don.markus@baltsun.com

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