John Fanta on expectations for Maryland basketball, veterans, favorite Kevin Willard story
- Ahmed Ghafir
- Nov 7, 2023
- 10 min read
One day after the college basketball season kicked off, Maryland basketball officially begins the 2023-24 as fans anxiously await watching the new-look Terrapins after an offseason filled with optimism. FOX Sports analyst John Fanta agreed with the preseason buzz after admitting “the energy around Maryland basketball right now just feels so high.”
“And I'm an outsider. Obviously, I'm not inside the building every day. I don't live in the DMV area. But guys, I don't know how you feel, but my feeling is this program is in a really strong place, coming off a successful year one of the Kevin Willard era. And they've got no shortage of talent and upside,” Fanta said on the latest episode of Hear the Turtle. “And when you return your point guard in Jamir Young, everything branches off from that, right? To me, this program has the pieces in place to have a really special season.”
While Maryland appears to be the consensus third-best team in the Big Ten behind Purdue and Michigan State, the Spartans dropped its season opener after James Madison pulled off the upset on Monday night. With the returning experience giving Maryland proven pieces to lead the team through conference play, Fanta pointed to the expected freshmen contributors as reason why the Terps could become a dangerous team.
“Last year, they win an NCAA tournament game against a good West Virginia team and they competed with Alabama. So, to me, what they end up being this year is, is what DeShawn Harris Smith and Jamie Kaiser end up doing, along with Jordan Geronimo. You know, do we see those options grow and the depth factor grow? But I gotta tell you guys, I've got them third because I just, to me, there's a lot of mystery in the Big Ten this particular year. Ohio State should turn it around, but, it's still a lot to ask. Michigan, they lost a lot. Rutgers, they lost a lot. They have Cliff Amore, but I don't think they're the same team that they've been. You know, offensively, I think they could really struggle. So, you think about this league, and there's Iowa. I don't know what to make of Iowa. Guys, Indiana could take a big step back. You know, Trayce Jackson Davis and Jalen Hood-Schafino did so much for them. I'm not down on this league. I think it's a seven or eight-bid league. But I think Maryland's gonna benefit because they do know who they are. They've got an identity, and they're gonna be able to execute that identity really well.”
More from Fanta on Julian Reese, Jahmir Young, favorite Kevin Willard stories and more:
On chances that Maryland-Georgetown renew rivalry in 2024-25
“I'm not going to report any breaking news here officially, but here's what I'll tell you guys: I'd be very surprised if Maryland and Georgetown are not playing next season. I think that they'll be revving something up."
On PG Jahmir Young
“Well, he has an ability to get the game to his pace, to his style. He can dictate the way the game is getting played. He's got a leadership quality about him that calm, cool, collected. He lets the game come to him. And a lot of point guards are trying to do everything on the map. Jahmir can do everything while also not getting out of control. And you know what else he does well? He can defend. He's got a toughness about him and he's grown under Kevin Willard and his staff and as a defender. And as a guy who, to me, great leaders are guys who show accountability every day and have a goal and they take that goal and they put their spin on it. And Jahmir Young came to Maryland and the reason why he came to Maryland was he wanted to make an NCAA tournament. Now he's back to build on that and to go on an NCAA tournament run. So, between getting it done on both ends, between not turning the basketball over, between being part of the reason why they were able to defend at the level that they did last year. I think the world of Jahmir. I think Jahmir Young can be an All-American candidate this year and I think that's because Maryland can be a top-20 team and he's a guy who sets the tone for them on both ends that makes the others around him better. He realizes his personnel and he elevates them.”
On forward Julian Reese
“Well, this is where Willard is such a great coach because he inspires his guys to elevate, to keep building. So everything that Kevin Willard does is thought of deliberately and psychologically. He's a Rick Pitino disciple and Rick Pitino drives his guys. He drives his guy’s day in and day out. Kevin Willard does the same with his players. He gets them to a level that they didn't even know they were capable of. What does Julian Reese do well? Guys, he lives in the gym. Every story I've heard about him is that he's in the gym with an unlimited motor. That's where it starts. If you're going to play for Willard, you have to love the game. You have to really love and pursue basketball constantly. And Julian does that. To me, how does he keep building on this? Being able to keep a defense honest, right? Being able to continue to grow the shot making ability, the different moves you can make around the basket and attacking the glass. He's gonna do that. I have no doubts he can handle his own in the big tent. Hell, he did last year. Julian Reese is fully capable of guarding the best bigs in the Big Ten and the best bigs in America because he doesn't stop. I think for him, it's just continuing to round out that offensive game and continuing to understand some of the intricacies. Those next level instincts where you just, you make that right pass, you make that right switch. To me, he's already a really, really good basketball player who pursues the glass, who makes it hard for other teams to win the interior battles. As he continues to develop that offensive game, something as simple as standard post up moves, being able to affect the game offensively in different ways, make shots in different ways from 15 ft in and even finding ways to stretch things a little bit. I just think that that's his continual evolution taking place. But to me, Julian, I'm never going to question the guy's motor. It's unlimited. And that's why I think he's destined for greatness. I think he is a terrific asset and player. And when his career ends, he'll be a Terrapin fan favorite if he isn't already. That guy's developed a love from the fan base for how hard he plays.”
On how heartbroken he was when Willard left for Maryland
“Well, you're obviously sad because you know that he was a proven winner, a consistent winner. He got his teams to play so hard at Seton Hall. He put Seton Hall basketball back on the map. When the Pirates won the Big East Tournament in 2016, that was the first time they won the Big East Tournament since 1993. It’s not common for Seton Hall to be king of the Big East. He got them there. Willard got them there. He brought in New York City talent. Isaiah Whitehead, Kadeem Carrington, Desi Rodriguez. He’s going to recruit the DMV. He already has. But he still has those New York connections, that's dangerous too. Maryland can own the East Coast him recruiting. So, was I sad? Absolutely. I understood though. Here's the thing, I'm a Seton Hall alum, guys. And, as a result, I love the Pirates because you can only go to one university and I went to Seton Hall University, but I'd be lying to you if I said I understand how college basketball works and here's the thing. Maryland has more resources than Seton Hall, and Maryland has more history and a rich, rich brand that Gary Williams built. And to me, when the job was opening up, there was no better fit than Kevin. He had worked for it, he had done his time, Under Armour guy, he's a winner and he works tirelessly. And, as Damon Evans says, he’s a little bit quirky but in a good way. He's got some Gary Williams in him. He's a little bit out there but in a good way. You know why? When opponents step into Xfinity, guess what they're looking around at your crowd saying? God, these people are a little bit out there. They're out of their minds. And you know what? They're absolutely right. Because you've got one of the, you have, to me, you have the most underrated home court in college basketball. I don't know what people are missing, but I went down there for your Purdue game, I saw a zoo. That's the loudest I heard a building get all year. And I went to some wild buildings but that was the loudest. To me, he just fits everything. So I was happy for him. I was happy for a guy, he didn't get anything handed to him. You don't get anything handed to you as the head coach at Seton Hall. He got nothing handed to him and he won. And he's gonna win at Maryland, he already is.”
On favorite Kevin Willard story
“There's so many, some, some of which can be told on the air, some of which can't be told on the air. You know, I'll tell you this. When the pirates won the 2016 Big East tournament, the next night was the selection show and a party Gonzaga. And so coach immediately dives into his prep going hardcore. But I got to tell you, in his office was a bottle of wine, the size of a Terrapin statue. I mean, this thing was this thing, this bottle of Merlot was huge. Huge! It looked like the size of a soft drink machine at a fast-food restaurant. And that bottle of wine didn't stand a chance. But Coach and I don't have stories over beer. Mostly, you know, coach is red wine. Don't let him fool you. Don't let him fool you. That would be one. Two, coach is a Catholic, right? And so at Seton Hall, it's a Catholic school. Seton Hall, they played a Big East game on, on Ash Wednesday and the press conference wraps up and Willard's in the hallway, he's just wrapped up the press conference and the irony of a coach saying this because he wanted his ashes. He's Catholic. Your job on Ash Wednesday as a Catholic is to get your ashes. And the irony of him coming out in the hallway and looking at me and somebody else saying, all right, where are the F's my priest. You're about to get ashes on your forehead and you're asking where the F your priest is. And he'll probably kill me when he, I hope he never hears this podcast…those are two of my favorite stories. I mean, the guy is, he loves nachos. He, how? He loves Cheesecake Factory nachos. I've shared them with him. I've shared them with him. He is a one-of-a-kind guy. He’s something else. He just is a character in his own right. There's no question about it. So those are a couple stories that describe Kevin Willard.”
On where Maryland fits in the Big Ten
“Well, to me, Purdue and Michigan State are one and two, but there's no reason why Maryland can't be three. And if things break their way, there's no reason why. Maryland can beat anybody in the league. Maryland beat Purdue last year, and they can beat Michigan State. I mean, they're fully capable of it. I really like their team. I think Maryland's third in the Big Ten. That's where I put them in my FOX Sports preseason rankings, it's what I really think of this team. Last year, they win an NCAA tournament game against a good West Virginia team and they competed with Alabama. So, to me, what they end up being this year is, is what DeShawn Harris Smith and Jamie Kaiser end up doing, along with Jordan Geronimo. You know, do we see those options grow and the depth factor grow? But I gotta tell you guys, I've got them third because I just, to me, there's a lot of mystery in the Big Ten this particular year. Ohio State should turn it around, but, it's still a lot to ask. Michigan, they lost a lot. Rutgers, they lost a lot. They have Cliff Amore, but I don't think they're the same team that they've been. Offensively, I think they could really struggle. So, you think about this league, and there's Iowa. I don't know what to make of Iowa. Guys, Indiana could take a big step back. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schafino did so much for them. I'm not down on this league. I think it's a seven or eight bid league. But I think Maryland's gonna benefit because they do know who they are. They've got an identity, and they're gonna be able to execute that identity really well.”
On whether Maryland can fare better in the NCAA Tournament
“Without question because they're going to be able to shoot the basketball better. And Willard said last year, because of their inability to shoot the basketball from the perimeter, it made it really hard game to game to know who you were offensively. I think this team can win in March. Look, you gotta have great point guard play. You gotta have efficient point guard play. And, and I gotta tell you guys, I’ve missed, I'm guilty as charged because on this show I haven't brought up a guy who I think is poised for a big march. When March rolls around next, and that is Donta Scott. I think Donta Scott is maybe the most underrated player in the Big Ten. He doesn't get enough credit for what he does, for who he is, for how he constructs the floor stretch a defense out, does things on both ends. They've got experience, they've got point guard play, and they've got kids that I think when March rolls around are going to be totally different players from who they'll be next week. And that's a really good thing, because when your group presents upside, like, it'd be one thing if they had a bunch of returning experience, and that'd be great. But Deshawn Harris-Smith, the way Willard talks about it, Willard does not hand out praise to freshmen, and he has for Harris-Smith, who looks like a football player. I think that this team has the pieces to do damage in March because defense is not going to be a question. If you're going to play for Willard, you know, again, he's a Pitino guy. You got to play defense and they've got the right guy at the one in Young to manage them game in and game out.”
On predictions for Maryland in 2023-24
“I think they win 24 games. I think they make it to the Sweet Sixteen and at that point you could make it to the Elite Eight. Yeah. Second weekend team."