Former Duke Blue Devils star Rasheed Sulaimon will play his final college basketball season at Maryland before pursuing his dream to play in the National Basketball Association.

Sulaimon, who played three seasons with the Blue Devils before he was dismissed earlier this year, confirmed to ESPN that he decided to transfer to the Terrapins.

Sulaimon averaged 7.5 points in 19.3 minutes per game last season before he was dismissed after failing to live up to the standard required by the Blue Devils basketball program.

The 21-year-old guard said that he learned a lot of lessons from his dismissal. He was determined to play in his senior year before turning pro, and he made sure to be surrounded by people he can trust.

Sulaimon said that he has a good relationship with Maryland coach Mark Turgeon and assistant coach Dustin Clark. Sources said the Texas native visited College Park during the weekend to meet with Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson and president Wallace Loh along with several Terrapins players.

"For everything I've been through, my family and I wanted me to be at a place where I trusted everyone," Sulaimon said. "I've known Coach Turgeon and Clark since I was 13. I trust them."

Turgeon confirmed the transfer on Monday. The 50-year-old coach said that he knows Sulaimon well and actually recruited him before for Texas A&M. Despite the controversial end of his stint with the Blue Devils, Turgeon believes Sulaimon will live up to expectations next season.

"I've known Rasheed and his family since he was in the seventh grade, first meeting him when he attended our basketball camp at Texas A&M," Turgeon said in a statement. "He was a very polite and poised young man and I recruited him while I was at Texas A&M because of his commitment to both academics and athletics."

With the entry of Sulaimon, the Terrapins are expected to become a strong contender next season after sophomore point guard Melo Trimble and forward Jake Layman decided to play for another year. Top prospect Diamond Stone also committed to Maryland and will man the pain alongside Robert Carter, who transferred from Georgia Tech.

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