Maryland men’s basketball recently wrapped up a three game homestand, which served as an opportunity to regroup and refocus after beginning the season 1-3.
The Terps won three games in eight days against UMBC, South Alabama and Rider. In those games, head coach Kevin Willard’s squad was able to address key issues that led to the team’s slow start to begin the season.
Willard acknowledged one major challenge after Maryland’s third straight loss at Villanova — a lack of a solidified starting five.
“I’ve got to come up with something quickly because the lineups I’m putting out there aren’t complementing, so that’s on me,” Willard said. “The offensive struggles are on me. … I’m searching for that fifth starter just to be honest with you. I’m failing miserably.”
Willard deployed three different starting lineup combinations through the first four games of the season. The consistent pieces have been Jahmir Young, DeShawn Harris-Smith, Donta Scott and Julian Reese.
The fifth starter has changed from Jordan Geronimo in the first two games, to Noah Batchelor against UAB, to Jamie Kaiser Jr. against Villanova in what was the freshman’s first career start. But Willard has found his guy, as Geronimo has started the last three games.
Geronimo has averaged 24 minutes, 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals in the last three games. His numbers aren’t jaw-dropping, but he has become a key contributor with his athleticism on defense and efficient scoring inside. He has shot 76.5 percent (13-for-17) from the floor during the stretch.
Geronimo will face his former team when Maryland opens Big Ten play at Indiana on Dec. 1.
“I think Jordan Geronimo is playing with tremendous energy,” Willard said after his team defeated Rider, 103-76, on Nov. 28. “He’s exactly what I thought he would be for us. He’s doing some really good things on the defensive end, he’s protecting a lot of guys, we’re able to switch with him.”
Maryland played its cleanest game thus far in the blowout win against the Broncs. The Terps had previously struggled to take care of the ball and shoot from three. They filled box scores with double-digit turnovers and 3-point percentages not exceeding 30 percent in every other game this season.
The Terps set season bests in turnovers (6), assists (17) and 3-point percentage (40) against Rider.
“We just make an emphasis on that, making sure that we’re taking care of the ball,” Young said. “We’ve been careless in the past, but going forward just making sure that we’re sure with every pass, we’re setting our teammates up for success and making sure we value every possession so we can get a shot down every time.”
Young and Reese combined for 44 points against Rider. They were each able to get to the free-throw line consistently throughout the night, especially Reese. The junior big man attempted 17 shots from the charity stripe, making 14 of them.
Free-throw shooting was an area of struggle last season for Reese, who shot 53.3 percent from the line in 2022. But against Rider, he shot 82.4 percent and set a single-game career high in free throws made.
“I’ve got to thank Coach a lot, him getting in there with me early in the morning, taking time out of his morning just to work on things and build that confidence from the line,” Reese said. “And to see it [pay] off is just amazing.”
Willard previously took responsibility for creating a strenuous schedule to begin the season. Playing away from home for three of the season’s first four games — including two games in the Asheville Championship — was a factor in his team’s slow start to the season, according to the coach.
Now that the Terps are back on track, they’re looking to carry their momentum on the road at Indiana.
“I kind of knew this was how the season was going to go, to be honest with you,” Willard said. “I really wanted to take advantage of these 10 days of practice. … These guys have put in a great amount of work in practice and so I feel good. I don’t think we’re there yet. I think we still have a lot of work to do, but they’re trending in the right direction.”
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