The Maryland men’s basketball team is currently projected to be a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. The Terps, sitting at 19-9 overall with three games remaining in the regular season, are looking to secure their spot to the Big Dance after missing out last season.
The team has exceeded expectations this year following a 15-17 record (7-13 in Big Ten play) last year.
First-year head coach Kevin Willard has been credited with the program’s resurgence, but one of the other stories of the season has been the improvement of sophomore big man Julian “Juju” Reese.
Reese says neither the team’s success nor his individual growth is a surprise.
“Before [the new coaches] came, me and the guys like Donta [Scott], Hakim [Hart], we kind of knew what was going to happen,” Reese said on Glenn Clark Radio Feb. 15. “I feel like we just stayed together. … I feel like the sky is the limit and we’re going to keep getting better.”
Reese has made significant improvements in multiple statistical categories this season compared to the previous. He is scoring 11.2 points per game this season, up from 5.7 last season. He is grabbing 7.1 rebounds per game, up from 4.4. His field goal percentage is 63.6, up from 45.6.
Reese is also averaging about nine more minutes per game (26.4 from 17.7), though it is fair to say that his improved play has earned him more time on the floor.
Willard had previously recruited Reese to play for him when he was the head coach at Seton Hall. Reese’s mother, Angel, was at the introductory press conference when Willard was hired at Maryland and shared a positive tweet about the relationship between the new head coach and her son that had been developed throughout the recruiting process.
Reese talked about the impact that Willard has had on him.
“I feel like it just came in full circle,” Reese said. “I believed in his coaching ability when he was [at Seton Hall]. I liked him as a coach there. I feel like we’ve grown a great relationship now. He’s put a lot of trust in me, being only a sophomore. And I’ve just taken advantage of that so far.”
That trust has been showcased during games in which Reese has had to match up against some of the best players in the nation at his position this season. He scored 19 points on 73 percent shooting against Purdue’s Zach Edey on Jan. 22, then posted a double-double against Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis on Jan. 31. Both are being considered for the Wooden Award.
Reese was asked if playing against tougher competition motivates him to perform at his best.
“Yeah, I try to use that as motivation when playing against those guys that everybody talks about,” Reese said. “I just try to go at them … and build a name for myself.”
Reese, a Maryland native who attended St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, believes he is part of the foundation of a new era of Terps basketball that can find consistent success. He mentioned that the new staff has already done well recruiting. The Class of 2023 includes one of his former high school teammates, Jahnathan Lamothe.
Lamothe is a consensus four-star guard and ranks third overall in the state of Maryland, according to 247Sports.
“I liked playing with Jahn,” Reese said when asked about the potential of reuniting with his former teammate. “He’s a very unselfish guy, likes to pass the ball, likes to shoot a lot of threes, just likes to get everybody involved. He’s a great team player, great attitude. I feel like that’s what a team needs.”
Reese is not the only member of his family who has been performing on the national stage. His sister, Angel, is a star forward for LSU women’s basketball team after she transferred from Maryland last year. Julian says he and Angel keep in contact with each other and maintain a good bond.
Angel has made headlines for her fiery trash talk in games, never shying away from showcasing her competitive nature. Did that gamesmanship start at home? Who was the better trash talker?
“It was definitely me,” Julian said. “I tried to get under her skin a little bit. … She definitely got that spice from me.”
For more from Reese, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox