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Kevin Willard on opener vs. Manhattan, roles for Jay Young & Jordan Geronimo, lineup flexibility in 2024-25

Maryland men's basketball head coach Kevin Willard met with the media for the final time ahead of the season-opener vs. Manhattan on Monday. He talks about his lineup flexibility heading into the season, roles for several key players, how shooting form improves and more:


On the season opener vs. Manhattan

 

“I think the biggest thing that we're excited about as a staff is, I think the ability to be able to play different styles as the season goes on and as games go on. I think we were a one trick pony last year, and everybody kind of figures us out pretty quick. And I think this year with multiple bigs, I think two or three more guards that go off the dribble, I think we can play small at times when we need to. We're obviously going to play big with Derik [Queen] and [Julian Reese] at the same time. So I just like the ability and the flexibility of being able to play different styles.”

 

On the lineup flexibility along the roster in 2024-25

 

“I think the fun thing so far has been able to see, again, putting different combinations on the floor, whether it's Rodney Rice with Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Selton Miguel with two bigs, or putting those guys out there with two other guards. I just think it's been fun for the players because we've been able to throw it inside and pound it inside, but at the same time, we're able to spread the court out, kind of be a little bit more of a dribble-drive, kick-and-shoot team.”

 

On whether Queen & Reese have adjusted together

 

“I think the good thing about Derik and [Julian Reese] is that I think they really learn how to play with each other. I think they complement each other. I think they understand they're both very smart basketball players so they understand the fact that there's times when Ju has a mismatch inside so Derik will be outside. There [are] times when Derik has a mismatch inside so we'll put Ju outside. Doing a lot of different kind of dribble handoffs when those guys are on the perimeter but they've really worked well together and they've passed well, really well so far in the early season.”

 

On whether Maryland plans to press more in year three than year two

 

“I'm hoping to press more. That means if we're pressing more that means we’re shooting better than we did last year. It was hard to press last year because we were so bad offensively that we could never really get in a good rhythm. And the games that we did score well, we did press pretty well. So, yeah, I mean, Derik’s learned the backside of the press really well. I mean, that was the only kind of concern I had. We weren't going to move [Julian] out of the center spot just because he's been doing it for three years and he just has it down and he knows it. But Derik's worked really hard and understanding the second line of the press. He’s long back there. He's got a good feel for where to go so that hasn't been as much of an issue as I thought it was going to be. We're going to come out and get right back to it as long as we can score the basketball like we did the first year.”

 

On whether Ja’Kobi Gillespie reminds Willard of another player

 

“I think the biggest thing was, obviously, we were so Jahmir Young-heavy last year because of really how young we were and then how big we were in the starting five. The biggest thing with Ja’Kobi as we watched and went through the portal was making sure that we got a couple more guys to go with him. So the biggest thing was obviously, Rodney Rice was a huge addition because Rodney can shoot the basketball but can also put the ball on the ground and score. And same thing with Selton Miguel, was getting other guys with Ja’Kobi because he does have – he's just not a shooter. He's got great speed in the open court but I think the biggest thing was making sure that he didn't have that pressure where he felt like he had to come out and be Jahmir Young, because I think that's – he's making a big jump from where he played last year to the Big Ten. So I feel really confident that we put some guys around them to help him make that transition.”

 

On Chance Stephens development

 

“Chance’s injury really was a blow to us because it happened towards the end of June when really the portal – there really wasn't much left in the portal. We couldn't go out and kind of replace him. He probably would have played 20 to 25 minutes a game last year if he was healthy just because of the fact, again, we shot the basketball so bad. He would have been the guy that, the way he shoots it, really I think would have helped us win a lot more games just for the fact of having a guy out there that can really shoot.”

 

“Chance is still coming back from a really, really bad knee injury. He's been working hard. He's been rehabbing hard. He's starting to go full bore in practice. I just think everyone's going to have to really be patient with Chance, because he is coming off a major injury. For us, we're just it's more or less him getting his confidence back in his body. And I think as the season goes, he'll get a bigger part in the offense but it's just going to take him some time.”

 

On how Catapult Technology has helped player development

 

“Well, I think Catapult really helped me in understanding when guys need rest and when guys need to be pushed a little bit. I think that's more or less what the Catapult System is really used for. It's really helpful days after games to see kind of the player load, to make sure to keep guys in shape. You'll be surprised that a player's load during a game, he could play 25 minutes but still not have a huge load. And you kind of have to put him through some work the next day. And a guy like Jahmir, DeShawn, player loads are huge. You really got to back them off the next day because you’ve got to keep it fresh. So I think the players enjoy the Catapult System because they kind of get to see who's really working. But for me as a coach, it's really helpful along with Kyle Tarp is making sure that guys are staying fresh, getting the rest that they need, which is really important in a very long season.”

 

On Jordan Geronimo’s role in 2024-25

 

“Last year we threw him in, he went from being a backup to Trayce Jackson-Davis to being a starter and playing 30 minutes. And that's a huge adjustment. I think Jordan's a very smart basketball player. I think he's starting to realize who he is as a basketball player. Obviously, it's a tremendous defender. But even on the offensive end, he's kind of gone back to being a guy that's working the baseline, offensive rebounding. I think last year, [he] tried to be on the perimeter a little bit too much. I think he understands that he still has that ability, but where he's going to be the most impactful is a guy that's inside defending, getting out on the break and rebounding. So Jordan's going to have a huge role just because, again, we're going to need his athleticism. He gives us the ability to play small. We're going to put him at the center spot at times and use his athleticism [to] switch pick-and-rolls, especially against some smaller teams. So Jordan's going to have a huge role with us this year.”

 

On how Willard works with DeShawn Harris-Smith on shooting, process to work with players to improve shooting

 

“It's a good question because I think every player is different. Some guys, Jahmir, you weren't going to change his form. He just needed a lot of repetition. With Deshawn, we've tried to make – I wouldn’t say an overhaul change because it's really hard to make an overhaul change for someone that shot the ball the way he shot the ball his whole life. But we have made, we really have worked on certain fundamentals with DeShawn. He had a bad habit of moving his head back on his shot, which obviously you move your head back on your shot, your vision moves but your body goes back. [That’s] one reason why he shot a lot of line drives last year. So we've worked really hard with DeShawn on keeping his head still. We did make some a little bit of changes to where his guide hand is on the ball. So we have worked hard with changing a little bit of what DeShawn’s doing. Other guys, like a Rodney Rice, Rodney shoots the ball a little bit flat. We just get him to concentrate on getting a little bit air under the basketball. So certain guys you have to kind of work a little bit more with. Like Ja’Kobi has a bad habit of dropping his guide hands. So we work with Ja’Kobi making sure he's not dropping his guide hand. It really is. It's something that we spend a lot of time on, but it really is individual focus, because everyone's shot is different. Some guys should ball like Reggie Miller. Some guys you call, like Larry Bird behind their head, can do it. So I think you just really – we don't do major tweaks. We do minor things. For Julian, we we've tried to make some major ones on this free throw, which I think we've made some good stride with. But for the most part, it's an individual basis, and just kind of really focusing on what the player kind of needs to fix a shot.”

 

On Jay Young’s role in 2024-25

 

“I think Rodney is a great addition because, again, Rodney gives us another shooter and a scorer. Rodney gets used to playing defense. I think that's the biggest thing that [Rodney] had to, had to get used to its playing on both ends, because he such a talented offensive player. And Jay has been phenomenal. I mean, Jay was probably, when I look back at it, probably one of the biggest portal pickups we've had because he's a veteran guy. He knows every position so he just doesn't have to bring the ball up. He doesn't have to play point guard. We moved him to the two guard. He's a good catch-and-shoot shooter, and he's an excellent defender. He's a guy that really gets after the ball. So as good a defender as Ja’Kobi is, when you put both of them out there, it gives Ja’Kobi a chance to get off the ball, and it gives a chance for Jay to be the main defender which is something that we really struggled with Jahmir last year with.”

 

On whether Rodney Rice, DeShawn Harris-Smith can play on ball with Gillespie off the court

 

“I think that's something again, that's really what we look towards. And that's kind of, I think what DeShawn is realizing about his game, is how good of a playmaker he could be, how good he how good he does coming off pick-and-rolls and making the right reads. Same thing with Rodney. We just don't want to have one guy on the court that has to make all the decisions. We've changed our offense a little bit to make sure that we get Ja’Kobi, even when Ja’Kobi is on the floor, to get him off the ball, get him off some down screens, space him, give him a break every once in a while where he's not having to do what Jahmir had to do so. I think guys like Rodney, DeShawn, Jay, those are guys that were on the floor that could really help us, and help Ja’Kobi play a different style.”


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