Palsson leaves program to pursue pro career

The Terrapin men's basketball team's already depleted roster suffered another loss late Monday night, when coach Mark Turgeon announced forward Haukur Palsson would be leaving the program to pursue a professional career in Europe.

"He wants to be closer to home and to be able to start providing for his family," Turgeon said in a prepared statement. "We appreciate Hawk's contributions to Maryland basketball and we will always wish him the best in his professional basketball career."

Since the team's last game, an 81-71 loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament in early March, the Terps have undergone a radical transformation with the retirement of longtime coach Gary Williams, the hiring of Turgeon and the departures of forward Jordan Williams and now Palsson to pursue professional careers.

With Palsson's exit, the Terps are down to just eight scholarship players, only three of whom have starting experience. Would-be freshman recruits Sterling Gibbs (Texas) and Martin Breunig (Washington) also parted ways with the program after Williams' retirement.

"I'm not saying we're going to lose next year, because we're going to try to win every game," Turgeon told The Washington Post. "I don't know what lies ahead. I don't know how good our players are. ... We have some good guards in the program. We just don't have the depth we need."

Without Palsson, the Terps will likely look to rely on a four-guard lineup for much of the 2011-12 season dependent on veterans Pe'Shon Howard, Sean Mosley and Terrell Stoglin and incoming freshman Nick Faust. The Terps have just one true center in senior Berend Weijs, who totaled 120 minutes of playing time last year, and three largely unproven forwards in James Padgett, Ashton Pankey and Mychal Parker.

Palsson, a native of Reykjavik, Iceland, became a fan favorite in his rookie year with the Terps, playing in 32 games and starting in three, including the team's final two games of the season in the ACC Tournament. The 6-foot-6, 190-pound swingman averaged 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, but flashed considerable potential at times, including a 13-point outing against Longwood on Feb. 9.

He also turned some heads this summer with his play in the FIBA U20 European Championship, averaging 22.7 points and 10 rebounds per game for Iceland. According to a report in The Washington Times, though, Palsson considered leaving the Terps before his stellar play overseas this summer.

With the Terps' thinned-out roster, Turgeon plans on holding open tryouts in the early fall to bring the roster up to 13 or 14 players.

"Just so we can practice," he said.

engelke@umdbk.com