Head coach Kevin Willard will now have one spot to fill in the frontcourt after picking up the fourth portal commitment of the offseason. After electing to head elsewhere out of high school, former UMass and Georgia Tech forward Tafara Gapare confirmed with IBG that he will transfer to Maryland as the Terps add another to the frontcourt rotation in 2024-25.
Maryland was in hot pursuit of Gapare, a former Team Melo star, out of high school with assistant David Cox leading the pursuit of the 6-foot-9 big man. After weeks of looking like the Terps were well-positioned to land the high upside player out of South Kent, Maryland began fading in his recruitment before DePaul emerged as the team to beat. Gapare would part ways with the Blue Demons before signing with UMass and reclassifying for the 2022-23 season.
Gapare averaged 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while shooting 31.2% from the field and leading the Minutemen in blocks (20), but elected to hit the transfer portal after one season.
The New Zealand native then landed at Georgia Tech where he started in 15 games through the 2023-24 season, including the final nine games while averaging nearly eight points over his final seven appearances. Gapare once again led his team with 33 blocks on the season while he posted four double-figure games over his last two seasons.
Two years after bypassing the program, Gapare will head to College Park to round out the frontcourt for Maryland.
The news comes shortly after the program announced the signing of five-star Derik Queen to restock the frontcourt, while the return of Julian Reese solidifies the Terps’ starting tandem as one of the best in the Big Ten. Maryland also returns Braden Pierce for his second season while Jordan Geronimo previously announced his return for the 2024-25 season.
Tafara Gapare joins the program with two years of eligibility left, while Willard will now look to restock the backcourt with one more addition. Along with landing former USF guard Selton Miguel, Maryland hosted former Wisconsin guard Connor Essegian last weekend and are coming off a midweek visit with former UC-San Diego guard Bryce Pope, who is set to officially visit Florida State this upcoming weekend.
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