Coming off of a disappointing 2021-22 season, Maryland men’s basketball is roaring into the new season with new coach Kevin Willard at the helm ready to take his new program to new places. Willard has already recognized that implementing a new system with a new group of guys hasn’t been the most seamless process in the world, but he appreciates the intensity.
“I will say I’ve been pleasantly pleased with this group, with their understanding of what we have to do,” Willard said on Oct. 27. “We’re definitely not where we want to be, but I think their attitude is where I want it to be.”
Now — while trying to build up team chemistry — the Terps will start the new season on Monday, taking on the Niagara Purple Eagles at 7 p.m. at the Xfinity Center in College Park.
Following the first losing season for Maryland in nearly 30 years, it’s the start of this new era for coaching in College Park as coach Willard has tried to adjust to his new location, coaching staff, and roster after leaving Seton Hall in the spring. Willard compiled a 225-161 record with the Pirates, and talked about how he’s had to adjust to coaching some of his new players.
“The biggest issue I’ve had is none of these guys have really come from a winning program … to try to get them all to understand what it takes to win on a day in day out basis has been the hardest challenge,” Willard said.
Now, he’s trying to create a winning culture at the start of the season, and he’s got a few key players that will look to help him lay the foundation for his program.
Graduate student guard Jahmir Young was a big get in the transfer portal for coach Willard and his staff. Deemed as one of the top transfers in the country, Young declared for the NBA Draft initially but decided to head to College Park to continue his collegiate career.
Young started every game in his three years at Charlotte, and last season averaged 19.6 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game and 3.6 assists per game. He’s a guard who can score the ball in different ways, as he shot 88.9 % from the free throw line and 34.1 % from three last season.
Senior forward Donta Scott is the leading scorer out of the returners for this Maryland squad, and he’ll be looked at to be a leader with an increased role. In his junior season, Scott averaged 12.6 points per game and a team high 6.2 rebounds per game.
“This year I know that I have to step up and be more of a vocal leader, and more of a guy that shows the younger guys mistakes I had made in my past,” Scott said.
Maryland’s strength is pretty clear — experience in the starting lineup. Whether it’s Young in his fourth year, Scott in his fourth year, or forward Hakim Hart in his fourth year, the Terps have numerous players that have been in big games.
The biggest weakness for the Terps is their lack of size. Losing a long and big player like Qudus Wahab — who transferred back to Georgetown — isn’t great for the boards, and Maryland hasn’t brought in much size that can play right away. It seems like the Terps will be rolling with 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Julian Reese at the center position, which doesn’t look the best for them on the glass considering he averaged just 4.4 per game last season.
Niagara is back and ready to go under fourth-year coach Greg Paulus. Paulus has yet to lead the Purple Eagles to more than 14 wins in a season.
One of the only players with any accolades on the Niagara roster is senior guard Noah Thomasson. Thomasson was a Preseason MAAC All-Second Team selection for the Purple Eagles, and it’s because he’s been given the keys to this program.
Last year, he was the team’s second-leading scorer with 10.8 points per game behind guard Marcus Hammond. With Hammond transferring to Notre Dame this season, Thomasson is expected to step up and lead the scoring.
Niagara took care of the ball well last season, as they had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.1 and a 0.6 turnover margin. For context, Maryland had an assist-to-turnover ratio of one and a turnover margin of -0.6 last season.
To the luck of Maryland, a weakness for Niagara is the team’s presence on the boards. Last season, the Purple Eagles didn’t have a player that averaged more than 6.1 rebounds a game, and they registered 971 total rebounds on the season.
Maryland will look to get the Willard era off on the right foot with a win against Niagara.
