... Cincinnati? That's right, the talented guard out of Brooklyn who Maryland at one point highly coveted signed a financial aid agreement on Tuesday with Cincinnati, according to a statement released by the Bearcats. Several news outlets reported Stephenson's signing Tuesday morning, and it was officially announced that afternoon.

At one point this spring, the Terrapins were said to be among Stephenson's final three choices, and even into the summer Maryland pursued the services of one of the top-rated guards in the Class of 2009.

But for many reasons, including a sexual assault charge brought against Stephenson (which was adjourned Monday until July 15) as well as concerns over potential eligibility issues stemming from a web-site reality series created to center on Stephenson, Maryland stopped recruiting Stephenson in the past month.

By now you've probably heard that the Maryland women received an unofficial commitment from Laurin Mincy, a 6-foot shooting guard from Newark who is considered to be one of the top players in the class of 2010. She is 13th in the ESPNU HoopGurlz 100 rankings, and joins 6-foot wing Alyssa Thomas (ranked 42nd) and 6-fpot guard Natasha Cloud (ranked 95th), who previously made oral commitments to the Terrapins.

Here are three things to know about Mincy, who averaged 18.8 points and 5.8 rebounds for University High as a junior and has scored more than 1,800 points in her three-year career.

Judging by the comments made on the blog yesterday afternoon, as well as e-mails I received last night, there seems to be a mixed reaction to the announcement that Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez will return for his senior season.

Some readers, justifiably, point to the fact that he led the Terrapins in scoring, rebounding and assists last season. Or that he was Maryland's most clutch performer. Or that he was a reliable source of energy, charisma and flair. Readers who use these arguments appear, well, ecstatic that Vasquez will don a Maryland uniform next season.

But others prefer to point out that Vasquez did not always make the best decision with the ball in his hands. Or that he sometimes seemed too interested in personal accomplishments (his triple-double, for instance). Or that his defense was not always sharp and his shot did not fall as often some would have liked. And there's some legitimacy to those claims, as well.

In the one season that I have closely followed Vasquez, here's what I know:

Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez withdrew his name from the NBA draft and will return to Maryland for his senior season, Maryland Coach Gary Williams confirmed in a phone interview.

"He talked to about 14 or 15 (NBA) teams and really got a good feel for his situation," Williams said. "I think he's made a great move. He returns as possibly the best guard in the ACC and one of the best guards in the country. He's got a chance to play on a good team, and I think he'll be in a really good position for next year's draft."

Vasquez met with Williams and Stu Vetter, Vasquez's coach at Montrose Christian, on Sunday and Monday, the latter gathering coming hours before the 5 p.m. deadline by which underclassmen had to decide whether to remain in the draft.

Vasquez led the Terrapins in scoring (17.5 points per game), rebounding (5.4) and assists (5) last season, during which he earned second-team all-ACC honors and led the team to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Washington native Marlin Chinn has been hired as an assistant coach for the Maryland women's basketball team, the program announced today. Chinn spent the past four seasons as an assistant and recruiting coordinator at Seton Hall, and has also worked at Mount St. Mary's. He is a graduate of Archbishop Carroll High School, and was an assistant at both his alma mater and Theodore Roosevelt High.

"When I first stepped on campus, I knew that I belonged here," Chinn said in a statement released by the school. "An opportunity to come home and be a part of a winning tradition that Brenda has set here is awesome."

Chinn fills one of the two vacancies on Coach Brenda Frese's staff that were created with the departures of Daron Park and Erica Floyd. Dave Adkins, who has worked as an assistant at DeMatha and Montrose Christian, is expected to fill the other slot.

On Friday, SI.com reported that Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez would be staying in the NBA draft (second-to-last item) and, therefore, not returning to College Park for his senior season.

However, Stu Vetter, Vasquez's coach at Montrose Christian and someone Vasquez considers a father figure, denied the report in a telephone interview.

"Absolutely nothing has changed," Vetter said. "He's still visiting teams and collecting information and all that. He hasn't made a decision yet."

The deadline for underclassmen who have not yet hired an agent to withdraw their name from the NBA draft is 5 p.m. on June 15.

Last night in Ballroom B of the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay hotel in Cambridge, Md., 200 members of the Maryland Economic Development Association munched on steak and crab cakes during the awards banquet that capped off the organization's three-day annual conference. Speakers included Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) and University of Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams.

Brown spoke first and opened by noting that Williams had given him a copy of his book, "Sweet Redemption: How Gary Williams and Maryland Beat Death and Despair to Win the NCAA Basketball Championship." Brown then joked that Williams "told me it was worth well over $25, so I'd have to declare it."

After Brown spoke, the organization handed out awards and then closed the evening with a speech from Williams, who drew standing ovations at both the opening and conclusion of his talk.

Williams also drew laughter throughout his speech, a reward for several moments of self-deprecation and dry humor. But he took on serious tones at times, as well. The following are excerpts from Williams's 20-minute speech:

After speaking for 20 minutes at the Maryland Economic Development Association’s awards banquet Monday night at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Cambridge, Md., Maryland men’s basketball coach Gary Williams asked the dinner party of 200 if there were any questions. One hand immediately shot up from a table near the stage.

“Is Vasquez coming back?” the man asked.

“Is Vasquez coming back?” Williams repeated. “What a surprise to have that question.”

Williams said he’d seen Greivis Vasquez – the guard who just finished his junior season at Maryland and has entered his name into the NBA draft pool – earlier in the day and that Vasquez will participate in upcoming workouts in Minnesota, Portland, Sacramento and Philadelphia.

The coach also made sure to note that Vasquez has not signed with an agent, therefore preserving the option to return to College Park for his senior season. And yes, Williams said, he does believe the Terrapins’ leader in scoring, rebounding and assists will be back.

The coaching staff for the Maryland women's basketball team will have a very different look next season. Assistant Daron Park is leaving the Terrapins to become the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Louisiana Tech, the program announced today. Earlier this month, longtime assistant Erica Floyd resigned for personal reasons.

According to a source who requested anonymity because the move is not yet official, the Terrapins will hire Dave Adkins to fill one of the vacant positions. Adkins has worked as an assistant coach at DeMatha and Montrose Christian, and he has helped train former Maryland star Marissa Coleman, as well as Greivis Vasquez and Kevin Durant. (Check out this Comcast SportsNet report on the workouts.)

Park spent two seasons at Maryland and worked closely with point guard Kristi Toliver, the 2009 ACC player of the year. He also coached the Terrapins for 10 games during the 2007-08 season, when Coach Brenda Frese was unable to travel because of her pregnancy.

Floyd coached alongside Frese for the past eight seasons (seven at Maryland and one at Minnesota). She is moving to Louisiana with her boyfriend, who took a job at LSU.

"This is what assistants do," Frese said. "They move on, and we're happy from a personal standpoint for Erica, and from a professional end for Daron."

Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez was one of four players to work out for the Washington Wizards today at Verizon Center. Vasquez said it was his third pre-draft workout (Cleveland and San Antonio were the others) and that he had several more on tap before June 15, the date by which he must decide whether he is going to remain in the NBA draft or return to the Terrapins for his senior season.

Vasquez definitively stated he is not close to making a decision yet regarding his NBA draft status. He also said he is not considering playing professionally overseas next season.

Vasquez said Stu Vetter, his high school coach at Montrose Christian and a father figure to the native of Caracas, Venezuela, traveled with him to his workouts in Cleveland and San Antonio as a show of support. Among the players with whom Vasquez said he worked out with in those two cities were Wayne Ellington (North Carolina), Danny Green (North Carolina), Dionte Christmas (Temple), Darren Collison (UCLA), Leo Lyons (Missouri), Jermain Taylor (Central Florida) and Tyler Smith (Tennessee).

Wizards Coach Flip Saunders ran Vasquez and three other guards -- Kentucky's Jodie Meeks, Mississippi's David Huertas and Louisiana State's Marcus Thornton -- through drills and scrimmages for roughly an hour. The players also received instruction from former NBA guard Sam Cassell and Wizards assistant Wes Unseld Jr.

Following the workout, Vasquez spoke with reporters, and here's what he had to say:

Hello, everyone. Just wanted to drop in a quick note to say that Maryland will meet West Virginia in football in 2012 and 2013. The two schools are already scheduled to meet in 2010 and 2011, and now they will meet two more times after the schools agreed on another two-year deal.

Maryland will have home games in 2011 and 2013. It will travel to Morgantown, W.Va., in 2010 and 2012. I'd like to get this on the record: I love Morgantown. A great college town with unique character. I always enjoy covering games there.