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Writer's pictureNick Patton
May 24, 2022

Maryland's Revamped Backcourt Taking Form Heading into 2022-23 Season

Replacing a backcourt of Eric Ayala and Fatts Russell sure didn’t sound like an easy thing to do at first but first-year head coach Kevin Willard and Co. have done a really solid job of doing so by bringing in highly coveted transfers in Jahmir Young and Donald Carey, with an additional developmental piece in Jahari Long. Joining those three in the backcourt will be three returnees in Ian Martinez, Ike Cornish and Hakim Hart, as well as incoming freshman sharpshooter Noah Batchelor. All in all, it looks like the Terps could have seven guys that will be able to contribute almost immediately in different facets of the game. After breaking down Carey last week, I break down the remaining six guys that make up the Terps' backcourt this season.


Coveted portal guard Jahmir Young had a phenomenal 2021-22 campaign at Charlotte where he averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Despite being just 6-foot-1, Young is really crafty around the rim and does a great job of utilizing his stout frame to draw contact and shield defenders from blocking his layups. He also possesses a great ability to create his own shot off the dribble. As a high usage guard at Charlotte, Young was constantly coming off screens acting primarily as a shooter rather than a facilitator. While he demonstrated flashes of impressive playmaking ability, the biggest question mark coming into College Park will be if he can be an effective playmaker on a bigger scale against stronger competition. With more talent surrounding him at Maryland, he won’t be asked to do as much as a scorer. However, I still expect Kevin Willard to rely on him a good amount as he has demonstrated the ability to get it done from both the perimeter and the free-throw line where he shot 34% and 89% respectively. According to ACCsports.com Young was one of only seven Division I players to finish the season with 25 percent usage, 15 percent defensive rebound rate, 20 percent assist rate and 80 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Former Seton Hall guard Jahari Long projects to be the biggest wild card of the backcourt as he was hit with COVID issues in 2020 and then a knee injury that resulted in him having surgery in 2021. During his time at Seton Hall last year he appeared in only 5 games. After stringing together some tape from his high school days here are my thoughts: 6’5 combo guard that is not much of a shooter but a capable ball handler. He’s more of a get downhill, use his body to slash kind of guy. Hoping that he comes in with a chip on his shoulder ready to prove himself.

6-foot-6 redshirt freshman Ike Cornish is a guy who a lot of people are excited about this year, myself included. A source I’ve spoken to within the program raved about how good of a shooter he is, which is an area the Terps lacked in majorly last season. Cornish was a consensus four-star recruit out of high school and the No. 3 player in the state of Maryland. Given his lanky frame and long wingspan, Cornish has an opportunity to take his game to the next level by developing his touch around the rim. Keep an eye out for him, he could wind up being an X-factor for the Terps' success.

Incoming freshman Noah Batchelor was a really solid get for head coach Kevin Willard and Co. Batchelor brings exactly what the Terps were missing last year--perimeter shooting. He’s a long and rangy wing with good fundamentals who can catch and shoot with confidence from anywhere on the perimeter. His length, sneaky athleticism, and soft touch around the rim allow him to be a subtle but effective slasher. Offensively he overall is a fundamentally sound player who knows where to be at all times and makes the necessary reads to get himself open. On the defensive end, he is a willing defender who is able to use his length effectively to contest shots. He lacks lateral quickness but can make up for it with his instincts. Communicates well and knows where to be. He helps restore depth along the Terrapins roster as they reset the high school recruiting board.

The development of Hakim Hart has been a joy to watch through the years. He went from looking like a developmental depth piece in his freshman year to a major contributor in his sophomore and junior years. While the three-point percentages from his sophomore and junior years are equal, it felt like Hart lacked consistency from the perimeter in his junior year. If the Terps are going to maximize their output in the backcourt, Hart is going to have to be more consistent from three which he is more than capable of being. Last season he was able to be a major disruptor in passing lines by utilizing his length as he averaged a career-high 1.5 steals per game. I expect him to continue to disrupt with his length as well as take that next step as a finisher around the rim, an area in which he made drastic strides in from his sophomore to junior year.

After last year's rollercoaster of a season, many expected Ian Martinez to bounce out of College Park and into the transfer portal. Martinez will return for another year at Maryland and look to make an impression on the new coaching staff. It was a rough go last year for Ian as he went from getting 6th man minutes to getting buried on the bench and then to becoming an essential part of the defense down the stretch of the season. He was never able to find himself offensively and lacked the ability to knock it down from the perimeter at a semi-decent clip. If there's one thing that popped off the screen about him, it was his athleticism which allowed him to be a pest on the ball and slide stride for stride with his matchup. With a more crowded backcourt relative to last year, Martinez is going to have to make some serious strides in his offensive game this offseason if he wants to see the floor for legit minutes.


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