In a sport that points toward March while wrapping up in April, the journey begins in early November with what I like to call the “bread course” of college basketball.
Many men’s and women’s seasons tip off Monday evening and most will be in full swing by this weekend. Let’s get WTOP’s Preview Week underway.
Maryland started last season with the promise of senior guard Jahmir Young directing an offense that had Julian Reese in the post and a freshman class that head coach Kevin Willard was touting as one of his best ever, only to realize early that there was something important missing in the equation: shooting, especially from 3-point range.
November losses to Davidson, UAB, and Villanova, where the Terps made only 16 of 76 attempts (21%) from outside the arc, set a tone that stayed throughout the entire season. Maryland finished 350th out of 363 schools hitting 28.9% from downtown, which filtered into the rest of the offense (328th in shooting and 299th in scoring) and helped hand the program a 16-17 record.
But this autumn, there’s a new feeling at Xfinity Center. And a lot of it begins with a big man from Baltimore expected to cure a lot of the offensive ills that plagued this program last winter. Enter 6-foot-10 freshman Derik Queen whose presence in the post will likely draw double-teams and create better looks on the perimeter.
“Derik’s a top 10 player. If I was an NBA GM I’d draft him in a heartbeat,” Willard said at Maryland’s Media Day last month. “I think there’s a huge difference in that he’s a once-in-a-lifetime generational talent. He is as skilled a big man as I’ve ever seen on the court.”
Queen’s already made an impression on his teammates.
“Great player, on and off the court. Great kid, great attitude all the time,” Reese said. “Just down to earth — a sponge. Just ready to learn all day, every day.”
Reese ranked second on the team last year in scoring (13.7 points per game) while leading the team in rebounding (9.5) and blocks (1.9). As a senior, the forward from Baltimore looks to lead in more than stats.
“Just making sure I’m staying in the game, staying out of foul trouble (he fouled out three times last season and had nine other games with four fouls) and doing things to help the team win,” Reese said. “Ultimately being more of a vocal leader guy instead of just leading by direction, just leading in those aspects,” he said.
Also returning to the mix is sophomore guard DeShawn Harris-Smith.
“He came in with a lot of big expectations last year. I thought he had a very good year but he didn’t shoot the basketball that well (36% from the field and 20% from three) and that kind of weighed on him a little bit,” Willard said. “He’s kind of gotten away from putting the stress on his shooting and really focused more on just being the playmaker that we know he is. And I just think that is going to help him tremendously have such a better year.”
The Woodbridge, Virginia, native gained a lot from his first season that will help him this winter. “I feel like last year if I turned over the ball or missed a shot, I’d get down on myself,” Harris-Smith said. “And if I made a good play, I’d get too hyped and then the next play I’d get too aggressive or just playing a little out of control. So, I feel like throughout the season just stay mellow and stay poised.”
Piloting the offense this fall will be Belmont transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who averaged 17 points with four assists at the Missouri Valley Conference school last season. And while he won’t be expected to duplicate Jahmir Young’s numbers (20 points per game), the former Bruin fits in with what his coach is looking for.
“You’re not going to replace Jahmir, and that’s not Ja’Kobi’s job. The biggest thing for us with Ja’Kobi was getting someone that shot a high percentage from the three-point line, and a guy that had played at a pretty good level and was used to physicality,” Willard said. “He’s really, really good defensively.”
Schedule highlights include a Nov. 15 meeting with Marquette at home while the league slate starts with December dates against Ohio State and at No. 14 Purdue. The new Big Ten now brings UCLA and USC to College Park.
But even with the expanded league, the court stays the same: 94-by-50 feet.
“They’re very focused. The returners: Julian (Reese), DeShawn (Harris-Smith) are very focused on the fact we know that we had a very disappointing year last year,” Willard said. “Very below what our goals and expectations were. And I think this group has from Day One has been very focused on making sure that everything that we’re doing is to make sure we’re going to have as good a year as possible.”
The year tips off on Monday against Manhattan at 7 p.m.
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