A busy offseason for Maryland men’s basketball continued with a commitment from South Florida transfer Selton Miguel on April 16.
Miguel is the third guard the Terps have picked up from the portal, joining Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Belmont) and Rodney Rice (Virginia Tech). Head coach Kevin Willard was challenged with replacing the production of first-team All-Big Ten guard Jahmir Young and revamping the roster after a disappointing 2023-24 campaign that saw the Terps finish 16-17 and miss the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons.
A native of Angola, Miguel is close with former Terp Bruno Fernando, who played two seasons at Maryland (2017-2019) and helped lead the Terps to the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore.
“We grew up together playing basketball in the same club, so we carried that relationship,” Miguel said on Glenn Clark Radio April 19. “Our families are really close. We’re not really blood, but we’re just like god brothers to each other.”
After spending two years apiece at Kansas State and South Florida, Miguel turned to Fernando when he entered the transfer portal ahead of his final year of eligibility. Fernando sold him on the family environment of Maryland basketball.
“[Fernando told me] how engaged they are from a basketball standpoint,” Miguel said. “And just Maryland culture, you know? I want to be a part of that.”
Fernando became the first Angolan to play in the NBA after the Philadelphia 76ers drafted him in the second round of the 2019 draft and dealt him to the Atlanta Hawks shortly thereafter. He has played five seasons in the NBA since then, appearing in 203 games for three teams.
Miguel hopes to follow in Fernando’s footsteps and become the second Angolan player to reach the NBA. He wants to be a source of inspiration for his homeland.
“Every shot that I shoot, every workout that I go to — I’m doing that not only for me, I’m doing that for the whole country,” Miguel said. “… It’s really a big deal to me to be able to represent my country at the highest level.”
Miguel won AAC Sixth Man of the Year honors this past season. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard averaged 14.7 points per game and shot 41 percent from the field, 39 percent from beyond the arc and 80 percent from the free-throw line.
Miguel started just five games, the fewest of any season in his career. But he played more minutes than ever and the sixth-man role allowed him to flourish.
“I had to put my ego to the side for the better of the team,” Miguel said. “… I can come off the bench, and without complaining, without pouting, let me lead the guys that follow me.”
After shooting just 20.5 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore at Kansas State, Miguel has improved in the two years since. His accuracy from distance made him an attractive option for a Maryland team that struggled to shoot the three in 2023-24, with a team mark of just 28.9 percent.
Miguel said the incoming addition of five-star big man Derik Queen was a big factor in his decision to come to College Park. He believes Queen’s passing ability will open things up for the rest of the team and make everyone better.
“The way he sees the game is different because if he gets the ball in the post and he’s scoring the whole time, that means they’ve got to double and somebody is going to be open,” Miguel said. “I’m really looking forward to him and [Julian Reese]. They can have the ball in the post, so when they double, they can look for me or other guys for us to shoot the ball at the highest level.”
With the return of Reese, the addition of Queen, and the quality pieces Willard has added through the transfer portal, hope is building in College Park that the 2024-25 season could be a huge turnaround for the Terps.
“It’s going to be a good year for Maryland basketball. I can promise you that,” Miguel said.
For more from Miguel, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Selton Miguel