Maryland basketball announces signing of fourth portal addition

Tafara Gapare

After previously announcing the official transfer addition of Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel, Maryland men’s basketball has announced the fourth and final commitment of the transfer portal haul so far with former UMass and Georgia Tech forward Tafara Gapare in the fold.

Gapare, a 6-foot-9 forward, joins the program with two seasons of eligibility remaining as head coach Kevin Willard lands a target he went after hard out of South Kent (CT) back in the 2022 cycle.

“Tafara is a long and skilled forward who bolsters our line-up,” said Willard. “He adds a different dynamic for us defensively as an athletic rim protector on top of his development the last two seasons offensively.”

Gapare’s addition became an apparent need after the departure of Mady Traore, who left the program after just one season in College Park. The long, athletic incoming forward will get a chance to round out a frontcourt rotation that already features Julian Reese and Derik Queen, while both Jordan Geronimo and Braden Pierce are set to return for the 2024-25 season.

“To be honest, I could fill the missing hole in terms of helping the two bigs they got. Just being the missing piece that can help them defensively, getting rebounds, protecting the rim, being another versatile player,” Gapare told IBG about why Maryland won out.

With the transfer portal deadline officially closed on Wednesday, Willard and the staff still have one available scholarship to work with former North Florida guard Chaz Lanier on the radar while still going through the 2024 NBA Draft process.

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The Wellington, New Zealand, native averaged 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds last season at Georgia Tech. He started 15 of the 29 games played averaging a career-high 18.2 minutes per game. Over the last seven games of the season, he saw his output increase to 7.7 points and 6.1 rebounds. He also scored a career-high 20 points with six rebounds in the Yellow Jackets’ win over Penn State.

Prior to his time in Atlanta, Gapare began his collegiate career in 2022-23 at the University of Massachusetts where he averaged 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 30 games for the Minutemen.

Gapare ranked as the No. 1 player in Connecticut and No. 10 power forward by 247sports after spending his senior prep year (2021-22) at the South Kent School. He was a four-star recruit and ranked among the Top-50 nationally.