Local three-star wing Noah Batchelor commits to Maryland

Maryland basketball landed the first commitment of the Kevin Willard era April 18 when Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy three-star small forward Noah Batchelor announced his pledge to Willard and the Terps via social media.

The 6-foot-6, 185-pound Batchelor chose the Terps over Creighton, LSU, Pitt and others.

Batchelor originally committed to Penny Hardaway and Memphis back on July 4 of 2021 before deciding to open his recruitment back up in early February of this year.

Maryland was one of the first schools to reach out to Batchelor after he decommitted from Memphis, his recruitment led by Terps assistant Greg Manning Jr.

The Terps got Batchelor on campus for an unofficial visit in late February following his decommitment from Memphis but he held off on making a commitment as he wanted to wait and see who would be Maryland's next head coach.

Once Willard was hired, he and his staff worked quickly to get Batchelor on campus for an official visit Easter weekend to seal the deal.

A Maryland native, Batchelor has played against some of the top competition both locally and nationally during his prep career. He spent three years at Ellicott City (Md.) Glenelg Country School, playing in Maryland's MIAA A conference. He also competed in a USA Basketball minicamp back in 2019 against some of the nation's top high school players.

Rated the No. 45 small forward in the 2022 class according to Rivals, Batchelor is Maryland's first commit under new head coach Kevin Willard. The Terps will look to continue to add to their incoming class both through the high school ranks and the transfer portal as Maryland currently has four more scholarships available for next season.