As Maryland basketball has continued its quick climb back onto the national radar, College Park's become a hot spot for college basketball reporters and the program's Under Armour affiliation has become a frequent conversation topic. CBSSports college basketball columnist Gary Parrish visited recently, and today he expanded on his coverage in a video interview. One of his takeaways: Mark Turgeon isn't shying away from admitting Maryland basketball benefits as the flagship Under Armour-branded college basketball program.

"It's a huge deal, and sometimes coaches try to pretend that they're not in an advantageous position on the recruiting trail because of a shoe company affiliation ... What I found interesting is, while like I said, most coaches try to discount that one some level, Mark Turgeon didn't. He said it's a huge advantage and he'll never apologize for it," Parrish said.

Originally a football-centric brand, Under Armour and its founder -- former Maryland football player Kevin Plank (pictured) -- have steadily gained ground on Nike and Adidas in the grassroots basketball world. The Under Armour Association, its travel basketball circuit, was home to more talented teams than ever before this past summer, when five of the top 10 players in the 2017 class played for Under Amour teams.

To the non-hoops junkie, that might be a confusing connection -- high school athlete and major apparel company -- but it's an age when players start to identify themselves with brands. As Under Armour, which this year passed Adidas for the No. 2 spot in the U.S. sportswear market, becomes more popular with teenagers, so will Maryland, which remains the top property in its college hoops fleet.

But while three of the Terps' most recognizable players, Melo Trimble, Robert Carter and Diamond Stone, played for Under Armour grassroots programs in high school, they haven't exclusively recruited Under Armour players; both of its 2016 commitments, Anthony Cowan (Adidas) and Kevin Huerter (Nike), played outside of that umbrella. Two more projected starters this season, Jake Layman and Rasheed Sulaimon, played for Nike programs.

As Parrish pointed out, strong Nike ties have benefited Kentucky and Oregon, and Adidas has boosted UCLA's recruiting. He said Turgeon, having witnessed Nike's branding power as an assistant coach at Oregon in the mid-90s, told him Under Armour was one of the top five reasons he took the Maryland job.

"What Nike was able to do for Oregon football, the hope at Maryland is, Under Armour will be able to do for Maryland basketball," Parrish said. "Under Armour is not Nike yet on the grassroots scene, it is a viable alternative to Nike on the grassroots level."

That was never a sure thing. Plenty of criticism followed when Gary Williams-led Maryland left Nike for Under Armour in 2008, when the company had virtually no basketball footprint. For several years thereafter, the Terps' recruiting profile seemed to take a downturn and perhaps ironically for Turgeon, industry sources told InsideMDSports it hurt the Terps' standing with Nike-sponsored coaching candidates like Arizona's Sean Miller when Williams retired in 2010.

"I think I was with Nike 19 years, so it was hard to leave," Williams said at the time. "But I really think, for the school, this is what you want"."

It turns out Williams wasn't just a great basketball coach; he was also a good high-stakes gambler. Last fall Maryland extended its deal for 10 more years with the Baltimore-based company, and continuing what's proved a mutually beneficial relationship.

"Nike is very aware of its presence," Parrish said. "As long a Maryland is the premier Under Armour basketball program, the [same] ways Oregon is the premier Nike football program, it stands to reason that Maryland is going to benefit from that as they already have, and will continue to benefit."

Parrish also shared an anecdote from Turgeon, one in which he was driving with his son during the great off-season exodus of 2014, which said five players leave the program, and his son asked if he was going to be fired. Turgeon responded by asking his son if he believed in him, and telling him there was no chance that would happen.

"But the truth is, there was always a chance of that when you work at a stop shelf program and you miss the NCAA tournament three straight years, which is what Turgeon did to begin his tenure there, these are the conversations that take place," Parrish said. "So he was motivated professionally for all the obvious reasons but also motivated on a personal level."

Now, a year and a few months later, Turgeon's got a top-ranked team and his seat has cooled completely.

"Mark Turgeon's son hasn't had to ask about moving plans, or possible moving plans, any time recently," Parrish said.