Last two from Maryland basketball's 2024-25 team find new homes

Ahmed Ghafir
21 hours ago
1 min read

The last two players from Maryland men’s basketball’s 2024-25 team have officially landed elsewhere.

One week after Jay Young signed with Bryant, Tafara Gapare ended his long-winded portal recruitment after signing with Villanova on Thursday afternoon, rejoining teammates Malachi Palmer and Braden Pierce under Kevin Willard along with former 2025 signee Chris Jeffrey. Despite being among the former players critical of Kevin Willard, Gapare appeared destined to land at Villanova after first entering the portal before resuming visits across the country. That led the 6-foot-9 big to take visits to first Memphis then Towson before the Wildcats finalized their 2025-26 roster with Gapare, who averaged 3.4 PPG and 1.9 APG in 32 appearances in 2024-25.

Meanwhile, Jay Young is now set to play at his sixth school in seven season.

Young, who became the first player to enter the transfer portal, signed with Bryant last week where he’ll play his seventh and final season of eligibility. Bryant now joins head coach Jamion Christian, who was hired back on April 3, along a roster that features seven players who either hail or attended high school in the DMV after Bryant won the America East Conference in 2024-25, finishing 23-12 (14-2) en route to an NCAA Tournament berth.

Where the 2024-25 roster landed in 2025-26:

F Tafara Gapare: Villanova

G Ja’Kobi Gillespie: Tennessee

G DeShawn Harris-Smith: Georgetown

G Jahari Long: George Mason

G Malachi Palmer: Villanova

C Braden Pierce: Villanova

G Rodney Rice: USC

G Chance Stephens: Minnesota

G Jay Young: Bryant

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