With the beginning of faculty basketball season in early November, we’ll study the convention as an entire and Indiana’s roster over the approaching weeks.
Right this moment, our staff previews proceed with Maryland.
Beforehand: Penn State, Washington, Minnesota, USC, Northwestern, Nebraska, Iowa, Oregon
There was nice promise for Maryland basketball getting into the 2023-24 season. The Terps had been coming off Kevin Willard’s stellar first season in School Park with a fifth-place end within the Huge Ten and a visit to the second spherical of the 2023 NCAA event.
However Willard’s second season represented a significant step again. The Terps completed 16-17 total and 7-13 within the Huge Ten. Over the ultimate 20 video games, Maryland went a dismal 7-13.
For a program with a proud historical past and a fanbase that aspires to compete for convention titles and deep NCAA event runs, Willard is below strain to place collectively a a lot better 2024-25 marketing campaign.
Do-everything guard Jahmir Younger graduated, as did ahead Donta Scott, a holdover from the Mark Turgeon period. Willard rebuilt the roster by way of the switch portal and landed a five-star freshman in Derik Queen, who ought to determine closely into the rotation. The Terps additionally return their second-leading scorer in Julian Reese and DeShawn Harris-Smith, who struggled as a freshman however gained useful expertise.
The portal additions have to be nearly as good as marketed for Maryland to achieve its potential. The Terps welcome Ja’Kobi Gillespie, a extremely sought-after level guard from Belmont and Selton Miguel, a succesful shooter and scorer from South Florida.
The 6-foot-1 Gillespie has two years of eligibility remaining, and Maryland hopes he can fill the void left by Younger’s commencement. Final season, Gillespie shot near 39 % on 3s, averaging 17.2 factors, 4.2 assists, and three.8 rebounds in 31.4 minutes per sport.
Miguel made 39 % of his triples final season at South Florida and averaged 14.7 factors per sport. He’ll be a major improve within the Maryland backcourt.
There must be much less strain on Harris-Smith, a 6-foot-5 guard, as a sophomore. He shot a dismal 20.2 % on 3s final season and averaged 7.3 factors in practically half-hour per sport. With extra flooring spacing round him, Harris-Smith ought to have the ability to play extra to his strengths offensively, utilizing his measurement and athleticism to get into the lane.
The Terps additionally welcome Virginia Tech switch Rodney Rice, who was one of many higher shooters within the nation within the 2022 recruiting class out of DeMatha. Rice, a 6-foot-4 guard, performed solely eight video games for the Hokies within the 2022-23 season and left this system earlier than the 2023-24 marketing campaign.
The guard rotation might additionally function Memphis switch Jayhlon Younger and Likelihood Stephens, who sat out final season attributable to an damage. Younger is a fifth-year guard who’s a profession 34.8 % 3-point shooter and Stephens shot 37.4 % from deep at Loyola Marymount again within the 2022-23 season.
The Maryland frontcourt will probably be anchored by Reese, a 6-foot-9 ahead who’s again for his senior season and Queen, a McDonald’s All-American.
Reese practically averaged a double-double final season with 13.7 factors and 9.5 rebounds per sport to go together with 1.9 assists, 1.9 blocks and a steal in 31.9 minutes per sport. Queen, who Maryland landed in an intense recruiting battle with Indiana, was a five-star prospect with glorious footwork and will probably be an elite passer from day one. Reese and Queen ought to mix to type one of the vital formidable duos within the convention.
Former IU ahead Jordan Geronimo can be again at Maryland for his extra season of eligibility. Geronimo averaged 5.4 factors and three.9 rebounds final season however struggled together with his taking pictures. Geronimo made simply 43.3 % of his area aim makes an attempt and shot 17.4 % on 3s.
The Terps additionally added Georgia Tech switch Tafara Gapare, who averaged 5.1 factors, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocked pictures final season for the Yellow Jackets. The 6-foot-9 junior will present depth behind Reese and Queen. Maryland additionally has 7-footer Braden Pierce on the roster. The previous IMG Academy huge man redshirted final season.
Maryland has only one different freshman on the roster, 6-foot-6 wing Malachi Palmer. Palmer, the No. 158 participant nationally within the 2024 class, might present wing depth behind Harris-Smith and Miguel.
The Bart Torvik projections for the 2024-25 season have Maryland at No. 42 nationally. Nevertheless, the Terps had been picked to complete thirteenth within the league by the Blue Ribbon School Basketball Yearbook and 14th by Lindy’s Sports activities School Basketball preview journal. If that’s the result, Willard might rapidly discover himself on the recent seat.
Backside line: Maryland solely received seven Huge Ten video games final season regardless of having the league’s greatest protection in convention play. The Terps couldn’t shoot the ball from the perimeter and Willard hopes that the additions from the switch portal can change that. The guard play must be higher and it’ll be fascinating to see how Reese and Queen match collectively within the frontcourt. There’s strain on Willard to return to the NCAA event in 12 months three of his tenure, but it surely received’t be straightforward.
Quotable: “Final 12 months, we had been twentieth in getting open pictures, we had been 350th in making them. That’s not a very good mixture. However once more, a number of it needed to do the truth that we had been younger. DeShawn was on the market. Jamie Kaiser was on the market for fairly a bit. And people guys had been taking nearly seven threes a sport and didn’t shoot an excellent share. So that you take a look at Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who shot 40 % from three. Selton shot nearly 39 % from three. Rodney Rice, who we added who I’m actually enthusiastic about, can actually shoot the basketball. So everybody we introduced in, there was one factor I informed the workers, everybody we usher in had to have the ability to shoot the basketball. Simply because we received to do a greater job of defending Julian, and clearly Derik.” – Willard on the roster additions and the way they will enhance the perimeter taking pictures.
Filed to: 2024-25 Huge Ten preview, Maryland Terrapins
