Maryland men’s basketball prepares for new era under Buzz Williams

Photo by Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

Just seven months ago, Maryland men’s basketball was riding high going into its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2016. The departure of head coach Kevin Willard, the transfer portal and the NBA Draft have since forced the Terps to restart.

Every member of Maryland’s team last year – both players and coaches – is now gone, save for walk-on junior guard Lukas Sotell. The Terps’ first step in replacing Willard, his staff and the roster from last year was hiring head coach Buzz Williams on April 1.

Williams was tasked with facing the challenges that come with constructing an entirely new roster.

“It was just an ongoing per-hour, per-day, ‘Does this fit?’ ‘Are they good enough as people?’ ‘Are they good enough as players?’ Williams said. “There’s so many more factors now in making decisions than ever before.”

Williams, who spent the previous six seasons with Texas A&M, led the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament and a top-20 ranking in each of the last three seasons. The 18-year head coach has also recorded a 25-win season at all three Power Four schools he’s led — Marquette, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M.

Guard Andre Mills, forwards Solomon Washington and George Turkson Jr. and forward/center Pharrel Payne followed Williams from College Station to College Park.

Payne, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound senior, averaged a solid 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season, but he saved his best performances of the year for March. In two NCAA Tournament games, Payne combined for 51 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 80% from the field.

He carried that momentum into Maryland’s exhibition against UMBC on Monday, posting a game-high 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting and attempting 11 free throws.

The Terps only eked out an 82-81 win over the Retrievers, though injuries played a role.

Washington, Indiana transfer Myles Rice and Washington State transfer Isaiah Watts – three potential starters – all missed the contest due to injury. Watts is likely to play in the Terps’ season opener on Nov. 3 against Coppin State, per The Washington Post, but Washington and Rice’s statuses for that game remain uncertain.

The pair of Kansas transfers Maryland brought in are also ailing. 

Sophomore guard Rakease Passmore, who was expected to be part of the backcourt rotation, tore his Achilles tendon in September and will miss the season. Graduate David Coit has been nursing a sore ankle, though he’s expected to play in the season opener.

Shallow depth in the backcourt forced freshman Darius Adams and Guillermo Del Pino into the starting lineup against the Retrievers.

Adams, a composite five-star freshman who flipped his commitment from UConn to Maryland in April, was the signature recruit of Williams’ inaugural recruiting class with the Terps.

The No. 27 player in the 2025 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, had offseason hand surgery. He didn’t let that deter him from having a productive debut, scoring 19 points and shooting a game-high 13 free throws.

Mills and Del Pino were less productive, combining for 12 points, four assists and three turnovers. Maryland went 5-for-15 on three-pointers, leaving its perimeter play in question.

Some of the Terps’ struggles against UMBC can likely be chalked up to the short time the team has spent together. Ahead of the season, Williams is tempering expectations.

“Yesterday was our 26th practice, and we’ve had a lot of volatility in those 26 practices,” Williams said at Maryland’s media day on Oct. 23. “Maybe four to six of those practices have been what I would deem … good practices in regards to the work that was accomplished, the efficiency from start to finish. We’ve had more bad days than we’ve had good days.”

Coppin State also faced significant roster turnover in the offseason, losing its top five scorers from last season. Junior forward Khali Horton, their top returning scorer, averaged 7.9 points per game on 33.6% from the field and 26.7% from three.

Senior center Favour Aire, who transferred to Coppin State ahead of this season after missing all of last season at Bryant due to injury, is an intriguing talent. Aire was a four-star prospect coming out of Bishop McNamara in Forestville, Maryland, but never found his footing at the Power Four level, playing sparingly at Miami and Penn State in his first two collegiate seasons.

With presumably more opportunity at Coppin State, Aire could become the impact player he was projected to be entering college.

The Eagles went 6-24 last season, including a 1-18 combined record on the road. They lost to Penn State, the only Big Ten team they played, by 48 points.

Maryland’s season-opening matchup against Coppin State could provide a chance for the new-look roster to mesh.