A preliminary look at Maryland’s new state flag basketball jerseys
One year after Maryland's football program made a splash nationally with its controversial jerseys modeled after the state flag, it appears the Terrapins basketball program is ready to follow suit.
Second-year Maryland coach Mark Turgeon confirmed in an interview with WNST-Radio in Baltimore last week that the basketball team would be unveiling a "Pride" jersey similar to the football ones next season. And now, via Testudo Times, a preliminary rendering of the new basketball jerseys has surfaced.
Maryland spokesman Doug Dull confirmed via email that the designs circulating on Wednesday are "draft renderings" of the jerseys, but he also emphasized they're not the finished product.
"Maryland Athletics and Under Armour will make sure our fans know when we launch Pride for Maryland Basketball," he wrote.
What's most striking about these jerseys are they're a bit less gaudy than their football counterparts. Under Armour made the color scheme, patterns and numerals in the same style, yet something about the the look is more subtle without athletic arm sleeves and a two-tone football helmet.
When Maryland's football team unveiled its state flag jerseys on national TV against Miami last September in College Park, part of the reason for the backlash was the shock value of seeing them for the first time.
Expect a far more muted response whenever the basketball team pulls these out of the closet.
