Maryland basketball is roughly two months away from kicking off the second season under head coach Kevin Willard and star point guard Jahmir Young will lead the way once again.
Young was named a Blue Ribbon Magazine Preseason All-American as a third-team selection on Thursday. Young was one of three Big Ten players honored, joining Zach Edey (Purdue) and Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois).
Young was the first to make a key stay-or-go decision before making a second season in College Park a reality. “Really just sitting down with my family, discussing my options, discussing my future, what do I want to do? Like, I’m not getting any younger,” Young said last season. “So it’s really just seeing, can I do it again? Really just asking myself some tough questions,’ You always weigh your options,” Young told The Athletic regarding his decision for next season. “It’s going to be sitting down and making the best decision possible for me.”
Now, Young enters the season as a key starter alongside Julian Reese and Donta Scott while former four-stars Jamie Kaiser Jr. and Deshawn Harris-Smith are expected to step into impact roles this season. Maryland will look for its mix of young athleticism and veteran leadership to guide the Terps into Big Ten play, while Willard is looking for the supporting cast to acclimate through the fall.
“I think it’s a good balance. Obviously, we have a terrific class of freshmen. But I think what’s really going to help them is the fact that they do have juniors and seniors who have been through this, have been through college basketball, to understand what’s going on,” Willard said after of the summer Italy trip. “That will help them as we get closer to the season and will keep them going in the right direction when they hit the wall a little bit.
Via release:
Young enters the 2023-24 season with 1,974 points and has started all 120 games of his career split between Charlotte and Maryland. This past season, he averaged a team-high 15.8 points per game and was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, the USBWA All-District Team, and the NABC All-District Second Team.
His 553 points this past season ranked as the 30th best total for a single season in Maryland program history. Young tallied nine 20-point games on the year including a season-high 30 in the win over No. 24 Ohio State.
While at Charlotte, he earned NABC All-District First Team honors as well as All-Conference USA First Team twice.
Young’s play helped Maryland post a 22-13 overall record this season which included a win over West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament, an undefeated home slate in Big Ten play, and a 16-1 overall home record in the XFINITY Center.
In the 2023-24 season, Young will figure to be one of the top guards nationally. This past season, he was one of just 10 active players in the NCAA to post 1900 career points, 600 rebounds, and 350 assists.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 season are currently on sale now and can be purchased online at www.UMTerps.com, by calling the Terrapin Ticket Office at 800-462-TERP, or by emailing for more information at terptix@umd.edu.
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