After a sophomore season where Julian Reese took a massive step towards becoming one of the premier big men in both the Big Ten and the country, the Maryland center will look to continue his upward trajectory on a Terps team that is loaded with potential.
Reese, who averaged 11.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and just over one block per game as virtually Maryland’s only interior post threat, will return to College Park for his junior season as one of the main pieces at the disposal of head coach Kevin Willard.
As a freshman in the 2021-22 season, Reese started only one game as he was forced to back up Georgetown transfer Qudus Wahab. He showed flashes of raw talent, particularly his shooting, but was unable to maintain any real consistency coming off the bench.
After Wahab announced his intentions to transfer, Reese was slotted as the starting center for a Maryland team that welcomed multiple new faces to its roster in the 2022-23 season.
Like Indiana Pacers big man and former Terp Jalen Smith, who added over 20 pounds of muscle between his freshman and sophomore campaigns, Reese transformed his body to handle the wear and tear of the Big Ten schedule.
His newfound strength was evident early on in the 2022-23 season, as he looked the part of a Big Ten center by scoring at least 17 points in four of Maryland’s first six games, highlighted by a career-high 24 points against Coppin State on Nov. 25.
Reese injured his shoulder in Maryland’s 87-60 loss to UCLA on Dec. 14, causing him to sit the entire second half and miss the next game against Saint Peters.
His returned 15 days later and chipped in seven points off the bench in Maryland’s win over UMBC.
His production slowed down during December and early January, as Maryland lost six of eight games to end the non-conference schedule and begin Big Ten play. A common theme that plagued him was his inability to stay out of foul trouble, which limited his production.
A major glimpse at the talent level of Reese was during Maryland’s narrow defeat at Purdue on Jan. 22.
Reese scored 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, going toe-to-toe with eventual National Player of the Year Zach Edey. His relentless interior attack against the best player in college basketball opened the eyes of many across the conference.
This impressive performance sparked a scoring surge from the Terps’ star big man as Reese scored in double figures in 14-of-16 games to end the season.
It was during this stretch that he began to display all facets of his game, especially his rebounding, as he recorded four consecutive double-doubles to end February and begin March. His interior dominance was crucial to Maryland’s leap back into the top-25 and a sixth-place finish in the Big Ten.
While his improvements on both sides of the ball were obvious and impactful, there were two major areas where he routinely struggled: free throw shooting and foul trouble.
Every team wants its best player to be on the floor as much as possible. For Reese, this was a difficult task at times due to his consistent fouling. Like any player, a good chunk of the fouls he picked up were questionable, but opposing teams were well aware of his struggles and used that against him constantly throughout each game.
With Maryland’s lack of size and depth at the center and power forward position behind him, Reese would have to be on the floor as much as possible for the Terps to compete with the size of opposing Big Ten teams.
In situations where he was forced to sit, Patrick Emilien would slide down to the center position and Maryland would have to play small-ball.
His foul trouble was clearly evident in Maryland’s quarterfinal loss to Indiana in the Big Ten tournament. Reese picked up his third foul of the game in the opening minutes of the second half and was forced to sit, and then picked up his fourth foul with just over 12 minutes remaining.
This unfortunate stretch limited his output in the Maryland loss and gave other teams a blueprint on just how to defeat the Terps.
A similar story occurred in Maryland’s second-round exit to Alabama in the NCAA Tournament. After a strong start for Reese and the Terps, three quick first-half fouls forced him to sit for crucial minutes and allowed Alabama to jump in front.
Because of his foul-prone nature, Alabama constantly attacked him on offense and forced him to go straight up and play cautious defense, which led to easy baskets.
He finished the game with five fouls in just 21 minutes played, as Maryland’s season ended.
On the other side of the ball, an area where Julian Reese lacks considerable production is at the free-throw line. He shot free throws at a 53% clip in the 2022-23 season, essentially going 1-of-2 each trip to the line.
For someone who averaged over four free throws per game and is in a position to be fouled at a higher rate than others due to his paint touches, an improvement in this category is necessary for his growth as a junior.
📂@Reese10Julian
└📁Sophomore Highlights
└📁Dunks
└📁CANT_BE_STOPPED😤Season 3⃣ … Loading ⏳ pic.twitter.com/zHIzq7aaoE
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) August 23, 2023
With the 2023-24 season inching closer, here are three benchmarks that Reese can look to accomplish during his junior year.
1. Availability
It is no secret that the best ability is availability.
As previously touched on, Reese struggled at times with staying on the floor due to foul trouble. If he and Maryland want to make a deep run in this year’s NCAA Tournament, he will need to be on the court contributing at a higher rate.
There were many instances where Reese was called for questionable fouls, but his 6’10” frame and notorious fouling history did not work in his favor. In the 2023-24 season, his shot-challenging will have to be addressed in an attempt to reduce the amount of fouls he is called for.
One of his best assets to Maryland is his interior defense and ability to alter shots around the rim, so having that force in the game at a higher rate will be crucial to not only his success but Maryland’s.
2. Offensive aggressiveness
Early on in the 2022-23 season, Reese looked slightly outmatched at times by the defense of some of his interior counterparts.
As a known lefty, his left-handed hook shot is his bread and butter on offense. After going to the well one too many times, opposing centers began to sit on this move and force him to pass out of many post feeds, as well as double team him down low.
During his scorching stretch of play throughout the latter half of the season, he was able to combat the defense and became useful on offense in other ways.
His interior toughness was on full display in Maryland’s opening-round win over West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament. Reese finished with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and was the main catalyst behind the Terps’ second-half surge.
With the team reeling and in desperate need of offensive production, Julian Reese scored 13 points in the second half alone and was a force inside. He took over the game, drawing multiple three-point play opportunities, as well as a thunderous transition dunk to add to Maryland’s lead.
This performance gives him something to build on and work towards as he makes further strides towards becoming one of the league’s best.
3. Leadership
As a junior, Reese will take on a leadership role in his third season in College Park.
Younger players will look to him for guidance throughout the course of the season. His much-improved maturity and poise on the court have the potential to take Maryland a long way.
There were times throughout the first two seasons of his college career when he would let his emotions get the best of him. While common for young players, his poise is something he clearly has worked on and has used to his advantage as his career has unfolded.
Reese won’t be alone, having point guard Jahmir Young and forward Donta Scott back by his side in Willard’s second season as head coach. If Julian Reese continues the trajectory that he has already shown and grows into more of this leadership role, this talented team has a chance to make noise led by a mix of veterans and youth in the 2023-24 season.
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