After moving to 24th on the all-time scoring list during Wednesday's win vs. Michigan, senior forward Julian Reese will now shift his attention to his final game inside the Xfinity Center when Maryland hosts Northwestern on Saturday afternoon.
"I’m asking our fans to come out and make sure they come early and really celebrate a true Terp," head coach Kevin Willard said on the broadcast following the win. Reese met with the media earlier this week to talk about his time at Maryland, his favorite memory, whether he ever considered transferring and more:
On the program’s potential through his four-year career & to see the team climb to 13th in his senior season
“Throughout the years, I feel like we had amazing potential coming in, my freshman year, especially a new coaching staff the next year, just building off that. I'm just grateful to be a part of what's new coming, our new culture here and be here from the start. It just means a lot to me. And being 13th is just a product of our work that we put in this offseason and the job the coaches did in recruiting [during] the offseason around me, around Derik [Queen] and guys that were here last year. I'm just excited to see what we do later in March.”
Whether Reese ever considered transferring
“Not really. I knew what I had here at Maryland and, like you said, the potential we had and just knowing the coaching staff so well and them knowing me and them working with me as well. I feel like that relationship just outcasted everybody else and it just was a no-brainer for me this offseason.”
On how the bench can help Maryland through March
“They do a lot of things outside of even though scoring the ball like things that don't show up on the stat sheet, like dive on the floor and just defend and stay to our principles. It can get kind of boring when people are not playing as much and just you can kind of lose focus but our guys don't do that. I feel like everybody on the bench knows all the plays and are locked in every single scout and they’re just wait for their number to be called and like they've been doing the whole season. So they just keep doing that we’ll be good.”
On the idea of taking the court at Xfinity Center for the last time
“I kind of just, I [have] kind of been thinking about last couple weeks. Just my last season, and getting reminders from coach, I got only a few left. Only what, two three left, and just taking what I can do and just taking advantage of all the time I got left here and just leaving my mark.”
On Reese’s favorite moments while at Maryland
“My favorite all-time moment probably would be when we beat Purdue here and like the crowd just stormed the court, and that was just [a] great night. A lot of things happened, you know, I had fun. It was the overall great night and great time, probably one of my [most fun] games I played in.”
On his first impression of Kevin Willard
“He just kind of leaned on this a little bit, just kind of challenged us as players. His first year coming in, he knew our season wasn’t what we planned. He just kind of challenged us and to kind of turn that around. And he knew that people were kind of looking at his first year as kind of like a rebuild, restart year that we can kind of like it was okay to be in mediocre or whatever. And I feel like we kind of attacked that and we just kind of played with that type of chip on our shoulder and we [were] just able to handle business.”
On whether Reese considers his legacy tied to Willard’s foundation
“The trust we have in each other is great and it's a really strong bond. And I feel like that's just subject to what like the work me and him, one on one, has been putting in. And as far as his legacy, I feel like I'm one of his first building blocks, like you said. And it's just like a great, I guess you can even say recruiting block that he can put on kind of show me, show that you can be the next JuJu or something.”
On the importance of securing a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament
“It’s very important. Like you said, a lot of guys, like our first five plays a lot of minutes in our in our group and our rotation is kind of, you know, it's really important as far as body-wise. So I'm gonna be ready and prepared from league games. And I feel like we can get it done. If we stay focused and discipline and we just stay together, we'll be fine.”
On what makes Julian Reese laughs
“I guess winning. I just like to win, so I guess that's what gets me excited and also kind of depends on the time of the day. Y'all kind of give me like before practice, I might have just woke up from a nap or something, just got out of class. My energy kind of low so I just got warmed up. If you catch me after practice, it might be a little bit more.”
On the growing chemistry, fit between JuJu and Derik Queen
“I knew we were kind of going to be able to mesh well because how great of a player Derik is and how smart he is on the court and how good I am on the court, and just us able to be so inside dominant, still be able to play with each other and played it together. Just a testament to our shooters as well on the outside and you know, just how versatile our offense is. I kind of knew – to answer your question, it doesn't exceed my expectations at all. I knew what we were gonna be able to do.”
On why Reese believes Derik Queen should win Big Ten Freshman of the Year
“What he's done in the big games. He's always came to play and just never shied away from the big matchups, like all the guys he plays against and I feel like he's been playing way further than his years. He's not really playing like a freshman anymore. He's learning as the season went on. And I feel like he has the stats as well to back him up on that as well.”
On the nickname ‘Crab Five’
“It’s funny you said that, we just said that just now in the locker room. But we don't really like, kind of like, don't really say that a lot, but everybody knows it’s like a little running joke or whatever. It's just fun to us. Nobody really takes offense to it. Like you might think like the other guys, like, not in the first five would kind of take offense into that. But they love it too. They jus kind of gas it up or whatever and they just kind of laugh with it. So it's fun.”
On whether his work and dedication to development isn’t discussed enough
“I feel like, yeah, kind of, I feel like I've been progressing as a player more so than stats, like you said. And I feel like I’ve become more of a smart, more confident player that's able to do a lot of things that I wasn't doing as a freshman. So to answer your question, yes, but to say, people take it for granted, or whatever. It's just, it's really relative to who's looking at.”
On preparing for today’s Big Ten as a freshman
“I feel like when you’re playing for coach Willard, it's not really that hard to get used to that physicality. He’s going to instill that into as soon as you step on campus. He's gonna let you know that some stuff is not flying here in the Big Ten. He's gonna let you know, especially with them scrimmages you're gonna have an offseason. He's gonna prepare you well. So I feel like that's just what the coaching staff here. And as far as mentally, personally, you know, just do your best and work as hard as you can, and just put your head down and go to work.”
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