top of page

Jon Rothstein shares observations from Maryland basketball's practice

College basketball analyst Jon Rothstein spent Wednesday in College Park taking in Maryland basketball's practice as Kevin Willard prepares for his third season as head coach. Rothstein predicted a starting five that features Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Selton Miguel, DeShawn Harris-Smith, Julian Reese and Derik Queen as the Terps enter week two of practices with the full team on campus. But after signing two more portal additions in Rodney Rice and Tafara Gapare, Rothstein also took note of freshman guard Malachi Palmer. “Palpable buzz in College Park regarding Maryland freshman Malachi Palmer. 6-6 and wiry. Will be in the Terps’ rotation,” he wrote. How many minutes the Pennsylvania native will command in the new-look backcourt remains to be seen, but the freshman has been able to showcase his scoring ability as a slasher where he looks to fill into the rotation at the two. He isn’t the only one looking to make a name for himself in the backcourt after Chance Stephens, who missed the 2023-24 season after suffering a season-ending injury in workouts, was compared to former Seton Hall guard Jamel Jackson. Stephens enters his second season with the program as a big part of the solution to Maryland's biggest weakness last season -- shooting. Stephens joined the program with a reputation as a three-point shooter after shooting 37.4% from three with all but three of his 52 made shots coming from deep. Jackson shot just over 34% from three during his two seasons under Willard at Seton Hall. With Ja’Kobi Gillespie looking to take over at point guard while Selton Miguel and Rodney Rice restock the guard play, Rothstein noticed the biggest takeaway from practice was “the size and strength of the Terps’ guard core. Selton Miguel, Rodney Rice, and DeShawn Harris-Smith are all built like fullbacks. Could be a tough defensively on the wings,” he wrote. Willard noted the next step for Harris-Smith “s get him to be a little bit more of a playmaker” where his skillset makes him a more natural fit on the wing, but he’ll also have a chance to run the offense. “We’re going to get him involved, much more involved with him on the ball and helping him create offense because he’s really good at it,” Willard added. Rothstein also took note of heralded freshman Derik Queen, who added that his “skill level for his size is ridiculous. Taking and making 3’s. An effortless offensive player.” While the three-ball became an afterthought for the Baltimore native during his last two seasons at Montverde, Queen showcased his inside-out scoring threat during his time at St. Frances evidenced by his smooth stroke and scoring threat outside the paint. With Julian Reese proving himself to be dominant around the rim during his three seasons at Maryland, whether Queen’s scoring range could expand outside the paint was a question to how well the former Panther duo will work together on the court. Which led Rothstein to his final question – “how many minutes each game will Kevin Willard have Julian Reese and Derik Queen on the floor at the same time?” Willard addressed that on Tuesday. “They really worked well together and the true part is they’re probably not going to be on the court together all that much,” Willard said on SiriusXM Big Ten Radio. “Obviously starting the games, big guys get in foul trouble, big guys have to get subs. I’m looking at like 12 to 15 minutes a game that they’re going to be on the court together. But when they are on there, they work very well together.” Maryland basketball is set to open the season against Manhattan on Nov. 4. Related Links

0 comments

Comments

bottom of page