By CRAIG ANDERSON, Staff writer Capital Gazette - 07/31/02 To nobody's surprise, Archbishop Spalding 7-footer Will Bowers finalized his collegiate recruitment last night by verbally committing to defending national champion Maryland. The Terrapins had long been the men's basketball program to beat in the recruiting chase for a center who will help fill the void when frontcourters Tahj Holden and Ryan Randle depart after the 2002-03 season. Bowers, a rising prep senior, can sign a letter of intent in November. Bowers said he decided on Maryland two weeks ago while competing at the adidas ABCD Camp in Teaneck, N.J., but kept it to himself until returning home to tell parents Karen and Bill. Prep coach Mike Glick later told the Maryland staff of his intentions. "I always wanted to go to Maryland," Bowers said. "The coaches, location, style of play and depth chart all fit into what I was looking for." Maryland coach Gary Williams called Bowers yesterday to welcome him into the program. The Terrapins recruiting class already includes highly regarded 6-foot-4 swingman Mike Jones of Massachusetts. "Coach Williams called to congratulate me, and we just talked a bit about the camps I've been at this summer and how they've gone," said Bowers, who just returned from the Vegas Big-Time tournament in Las Vegas. The 17-year-old received scholarship interest from 150 Division I schools, with runner-up Stanford and Notre Dame leading the pack of contenders. With a 1,310 SAT and 3.3 grade-point average, his academic and athletic options were unlimited. In the end, College Park's proximity to his Severn home won out. Bowers has played in pickup games this summer at Maryland, going against incoming freshmen and future teammates Travis Garrison and Nik Caner-Medley. "This is truly where he'll be happy because it's close to home and we're a close-knit family," mother Karen said. Bowers is believed to be the first Anne Arundel County product to earn a scholarship out of high school with the Maryland men's program. Glen Burnie High's Mike Thibeault was a walk-on in the early 1990s and later earned a scholarship. "Will was very mature throughout the whole process and made himself very available to talk about his options," Spalding's Glick said. "He visited with 17 schools in 12 days during April and handled it as well as anyone I've seen in my 10 years of being involved with this. "In the end, Will clearly wanted to go to Maryland. They need big guys, are the defending national champion and a great academic institution. This is a great fit for everyone," Glick said. Bowers, a first team All-County selection by Capital-Gazette Newspapers last season, averaged 12.2 points and six rebounds per game as a junior. The first team All-Catholic League selection also had 61 blocked shots. Even at 235 pounds, Bowers said he needed to get stronger, work on his conditioning and agility for the grind of 40-minute college basketball games. He's had a busy summer of high-level camps and tournaments, and was heading to Ocala, Fla. with a Baltimore Select team (which includes Annapolis county player of the year Laronja Owens) to play in the International Hoop Summit. Next winter, seven Spalding graduates will play Division I basketball -- Derrick Snowden (Villanova), Landy Thompson (Mount St. Mary's), Tremaine Robinson (Delaware State), James Bowen (Delaware State), Derrick Goode (Towson) and Aleksandar Pavlovic (Sacred Heart). Senior to be Gus Durr -- a 6-foot-6 forward -- has drawn Division I interest, including Iona College. canderson@capitalgazette.com