Maryland senior big man Julian Reese pulled down 11 rebounds during the Terps’ 72-71 win against Colorado State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, bringing his career total to 1,007.
Reese became just the second Terp to cross the 1,000-rebound threshold, joining program legend Len Elmore, who grabbed 1,053 rebounds in three seasons from 1971-1974. Elmore played on the school’s freshman team prior to that.
Reese represents the increasingly rare breed of player who stays at one school for four years, something Elmore admires.
“I’m proud of the fact that he did stay for four years,” Elmore said on Glenn Clark Radio March 26. “He is a Terp through and through. He’s been a tremendous player. We played in different eras, but you take nothing away from the accomplishment — 1,000 rebounds is not bad. You have to be committed to do your job. I think Juju has been that way throughout his career.”
Not only did Reese stay at Maryland for four years but he had every reason to leave on multiple occasions. Mark Turgeon, the coach who recruited him, stepped down from his position eight games into the 2021-22 season. Then the Terps stumbled to a 16-17 season in 2023-24, after which several players hit the transfer portal.
Reese opted to stick around each time and has been rewarded this season. The 6-foot-9, 252-pound big man is averaging 13.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game as part of one of the best starting lineups in the country. Now, he gets to play in the Sweet 16 for the first time in his career against Florida in San Francisco on March 27.
“I think that word resilience is extremely important to attribute to his effort and really his longevity at Maryland,” Elmore said. “He could’ve ultimately gone someplace else, transferred to another school with the portal being open and NIL out there. The other word that I would attribute to him is character. I think that that’s extremely important and it goes a long way.”
Reese’s improvement this year is most obvious at the free-throw line. He shot 80.4 percent from the line as a freshman before his mechanics fell out of whack. He shot 53.3 and 56.8 percent from the line as a sophomore and junior, respectively, and oftentimes had to leave the floor in crunch time.
This year, Reese is hitting 73.5 percent of his free throws and hit four massive foul shots in the win against Colorado State.
“I think on the pro level, while right now we don’t see him as a high pick, I think that that’s something that pro people will take a look at — an individual’s character, someone that certainly will add to a team,” Elmore said. “I’m hopeful that they see that. I’m very proud of what he’s been able to do.”
As Maryland prepares for its biggest game in nearly a decade, off-court drama continues to persist. Rumors have swirled for more than a week about Villanova’s interest in Terps head coach Kevin Willard, who in recent days has shared his frustrations about the resources available for the men’s basketball program at Maryland. In the meantime, athletic director Damon Evans announced his departure for SMU.
None of that kept the Terps from winning their first- and second-round games in the NCAA Tournament, which Elmore was not surprised by.
“I think in the total environment, players recognize that these things are going to happen. The fact that they were done outwardly I don’t think really has any impact on them,” Elmore said. “We’re in a different environment now. Had this happened 10 years ago, 15 years ago, you probably would’ve been able to call it a distraction.”
Top-seeded Florida stands in the way of Maryland and a trip to the Elite Eight. The Gators rank No. 3 in the nation on KenPom, a college hoops analytics site. They’re an offensive machine led by senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who averages 17.9 points and 4.2 assists per game. They’re also much deeper than the Terps, trotting out 10 players who average double-digit minutes.
Both Maryland and Florida like to play at a fast pace, setting up a potentially very entertaining game.
“The question for Maryland is do they stay the course, do they put pressure on Florida and force them to play defense and not settle simply for threes,” Elmore said. “Do they get out in transition as often as they possibly can and can they offensive rebound? Those are the things that kind of balance out a team’s depth. On a Thursday after the win last weekend, they should be fresh and ready to go.”
For more from Elmore, listen to the full interview here:
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