Last season, Maryland men’s basketball exceeded expectations under first-year head coach Kevin Willard. This season, though, the Terps are looking to build off a promising campaign with a reshaped roster.
The Terps were predicted to finish 10th in the Big Ten preseason media poll last season but finished fifth. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and made it to the second round, falling to Alabama. Maryland’s expectations are much higher a year later, as the Terps were picked to finish third in the preseason media poll.
“That team gave me everything that they could possibly give,” Willard said at Maryland’s media day on Oct. 17. “We kind of hit the ceiling against Alabama when you really go back and look at it.”
Willard’s first season in the Big Ten featured many lessons about the physicality, athleticism, size and hostile environments he would encounter. All these factors played a role in his construction and preparation of this year’s team, which tips off the 2023-24 season against Mount St. Mary’s on Nov. 7.
The most productive player the Terps lost to the transfer portal was Hakim Hart, who transferred to Villanova. Willard retained starters Jahmir Young, Julian Reese and Donta Scott, who were responsible for nearly 55 percent of Maryland’s points last season. Young and Scott enter their fifth year of college basketball, while Reese embarks on his junior season.
Young was named to the Bob Cousy Award Watch List, while Reese was named to the Karl Malone Award Watch List. Both appear on the Preseason All-Big Ten team. Although Scott hasn’t received preseason recognition, he has undoubtedly been one of the most important pieces for the Terps the past four seasons (1,320 career points).
“He’s not getting talked about enough, he’s not getting enough credit,” Willard said. “… Donta Scott has had a great offseason. I think he’s poised to really have a breakout season even though he’s a senior.”
The Terps brought in reinforcements with a highly-rated recruiting class headlined by DeShawn Harris-Smith, Jamie Kaiser Jr. and Jahnathan Lamothe. The three freshmen have familiarity with one another, as they grew up playing AAU basketball with and against each other.
Harris-Smith, the 2022-23 Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year, is the top recruit of the group. Kaiser, a fellow four-star recruit from Virginia, is regarded as one of the best shooters in the entire class. Lamothe is from Baltimore and had a dominant senior season at St. Frances Academy.
“Most freshmen come in and really one of the biggest hurdles that they have is that physically, they can’t compete at this level,” Willard said. “DeShawn, Jamie, Jahn have worked tirelessly to get in great shape. Braden [Pierce] has really good size, so physically they’re able to play and compete at this level.”
Willard also landed three players in the transfer portal: senior forward Jordan Geronimo, sophomore center Mady Traore and sophomore guard Chance Stephens. Geronimo left Indiana and should play an important reserve role. Traore, a graduate of National Christian Academy in Oxon Hill, stands 6-foot-11 and adds depth at center after a brief stint at New Mexico State. Stephens transferred from Loyola Marymount but will miss significant time due to a knee injury suffered during a summer workout.
Geronimo figures to contribute the most this season.
“We really wanted to have someone that knew how to play the game but at the same time could really help us athletically,” Willard said. “Although he’s not 6-[foot]-11, Jordan is as athletic as a player as I’ve seen in a while.”
Last season, the Terps lacked the size and depth to match up against many of the top Big Ten teams. At 6-foot-9, Reese was the tallest player last season to average more than four minutes per game. However, Willard says his center added 15 pounds during the offseason.
Willard has experimented with different lineups prior to the start of the season. One was a big lineup with Scott at small forward, and another was a small-ball lineup with Geronimo at center.
“What I love about this roster is it does give us the ability to not just have the same five guys out there all night long,” Willard said. “We were kind of stuck a little bit last year with a six, seven-man rotation at the most. This year I can see us going 9, 10, 11 at times.”
Maryland also struggled from 3-point range a year. The Terps shot 32.8 percent from behind the arc, eighth in the Big Ten.
If the Terps can address these issues, they’ll have a chance to exceed expectations and possibly exceed them like last season. A reloaded roster with Willard at the helm is a promising start.
“[I’m] excited about getting the season started,” Willard said. “It’s been a really really good preseason, guys have been energetic [and are] working hard.”
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