By: Max Marcilla
Last season, the Maryland Terrapins men’s basketball team entered the season hyped as one of the nation’s most talented teams. However, an underwhelming regular season followed by an exit in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament ended Final Four hopes for the Terps.
With four-of-five starters from last season’s squad gone, the Terrapins are not worried about regressing thanks to tremendous depth both in the frontcourt and backcourt, as well as positive team chemistry.
“It is a team that I’m excited about because I just think it’s just going to get better and better,” head coach Mark Turgeon said. “We’ve improved so much the last three weeks… It’s a team that should be a pretty good team if we can stay healthy come January or February.”
The Terps will throw a few newcomers into action immediately, including freshmen Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter, Justin Jackson, and transfer L.G. Gill.
Cowan, a four-star recruit from St. John’s College High School, is expected to play a large role in the Maryland backcourt and has been helped so far by star guard Melo Trimble in practice.
“It’s definitely a battle in practice, but it’s definitely both of us trying to get better,” Cowan said. “At the same time, coming into league play, I understand that the Big Ten is full of big, strong guards — and that’s definitely one of Melo’s best attributes. It’s just good playing against him every day [because] it makes me a better player.”
Trimble’s contributions to the growth of his protégé have been more than just physical skills.
“His leadership actually stood out to me when I got here,” Cowan said. “A lot of people think he’s quiet and stuff but when we actually get on the court, he’s one of the biggest leaders — one of the biggest talkers — on the team.”
One focus of Cowan’s in his adjustment to the college game has been the change in pace, something Trimble noted during Maryland media day.
“I dealt with the same thing, not as far as slowing down, but as far as going faster,” said Trimble. “I thought that I was just a little bit too slow, but I picked it up and got used to the speed and starting playing at my own pace. I tell him all the time, ‘it’s about pace. You don’t have to go 100 miles per hour.’”
Huerter, another four-star recruit and the 40th best player in the 2016 class according to ESPN, also discussed the contributions of the veterans.
“It’s fun playing with each other,” Huerter said. “Last year, they had a really great year. We lost a bunch of guys, but we also kept some really important pieces with Damonte [Dodd], Melo, and Jared [Nickens] who have a lot of experience… It’s definitely a new group but I think we’re having fun playing with each other.
Nickens is one of several Terrapins who will likely see an expanded role this year. Turgeon cited his ‘Running Man’ partner Jaylen Brantley along with big men Ivan Bender and Michal Cekovsky as players who will see the court early and often for the Terps.
Brantley and Nickens look to provide three-point shooting to a team that will look to thrive through ball movement and shooting, while Bender and Cekovsky will provide rebounding and interior defense.
“I think playing last year has really helped me,” Brantley said. “Having talked to Melo, having talked to [2016 graduate] Rasheed [Sulaimon] really definitely helped me in making me a better player.”
Turgeon and the Terps will tip-off the 2016-17 season with an exhibition at home against Catawba before hosting American University on Nov. 11 in the regular season opener.
“I really like this team,” Turgeon said. “They’re very coachable and have worked very hard over the last three weeks. I like the pieces. We have great versatility and a lot of athleticism. I think our fans are really going to enjoy watching this team grow.”
