Over the weekend, Kevin Willard and his staff were able to land former Georgetown guard and DMV native Donald Carey. This past season for the Hoyas, Carey averaged 13.5 points and 4.4 rebounds and nearly 3 assists. Prior to his time at Georgetown, Carey also attended Mount Saint Mary’s and Sienna. The tape proves Carey’s fit in the Terps’ new look backcourt as we delve into his strengths and how he fits alongside his new teammates in College Park.
Carey is a perfect plug and play for a Terps team that was in dire need of a guy who could provide immediate production in the backcourt, more specifically the two guard position. Offensively his shooting stroke is what stood out the most to me on film. The stats confirm that analysis as he shot a tinge below 39% from the perimeter this past season, ranking in the 95th percentile in the NCAA on catch and shoot threes. What I found most impressive about his stroke was his ability to keep his mechanics intact amidst any strong contests from defenders. His ability to do this drew a lot of contact from defenders which opened up many opportunities at the free throw line where he shot a stellar 91% this past season. He doesn’t pop as a slasher but he is capable of getting to the cup using his body and length, not on a consistent basis though. For reference, he attempted 165 threes and only 123 two’s last season. A pretty solid gap that is emblematic of his game's reliance on the three ball. On the defensive end, Carey is a willing defender but tends to get blown by on close-outs due to his lack of lateral quickness. While he can make up for that with his instincts, he’s not a guy who’s going to lock his opponent down on a consistent basis.
Carey should fit well into Kevin Willards system where he lets his guards duel it out. As I noted before, Carey is a dangerous shooter and he should excel in a pick and roll heavy offense coming off screens and forcing defenders/hedgers to respect his range. This will force help defenders to sag in a bit more on the rolling big which should open up opportunities for others on the perimeter. I’d like to think the Terps will add another backcourt guy with some potential that can come in, handle the ball, and be a playmaker.
The front court now becomes priority number one now, though, as former Washington State center Efe Abogidi wrapped up his visit this past weekend and former Buffalo forward Josh Mballa committed to Ole Miss. Abogidi is a must get at this point, and as we yet again accurately reported, Maryland is on the shortlist to land him. The Terps are pursuing a couple of other late bloomer ‘22 guys but nobody else that can make a strong immediate impact like Abogidi could. With Carey stabilizing the Terps’ backcourt for head coach Kevin Willard, they’ll look to iron out the frontcourt to complete an action-packed offseason.
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