Pair of Texas A&M transfers returning for second season with Maryland men's basketball

Ahmed Ghafir
1 hour ago
2 min read

Maryland men’s basketball will have a handful of familiar pieces to build on in year two of the Buzz Williams era.

Former Texas A&M transfers Andre Mills and George Turkson are both expected to return for a second season with Maryland men’s basketball, part of the foundation for head coach Buzz Williams and his staff to build on ahead of the portal set to begin next week. The Diamondback reported both Mills and Turkson confirmed their plans with the expectation since the end of the regular season that both would return.

Mills is coming off a breakout second half of his redshirt freshman season after scoring double figures in nine games, including two 30-point games and another two 20-point games, since Feb. 1. Playing both on and off the ball as Maryland navigated through conference play, the Mass. native returns for a second season in the program as a focal point in the backcourt that is expected to see attrition this offseason. Mills finished third on the team in scoring after averaging 12.2 points on 40.9% shooting from the field.

Turkson, meanwhile, was among the Terps who were battling injuries through the 2025-26 season after the raw, yet athletic forward averaged 1.3 points and two rebounds in 11.6 minutes and 23 total appearances as a redshirt freshman. His return adds depth to a frontcourt that has a void to fill with both Collin Metcalf and Elijah Saunders exhausting their eligibility, while the departure of Solomon Washington adds a void on the glass.

Of course, a big part of the frontcourt solution remains Pharrel Payne with the expectation he returns for the 2026-27 season contingent on a medical waiver approved with the two sides already nearing a deal by the end of the regular season. Payne’s return would fill a major void at the five with five-star Baba Oladotun, part of the current four-man recruiting class, looking to add length and scoring versatility on the wing, giving head coach Buzz Williams and his staff a chance to add top talent in a critical offseason in the transfer portal.

Related Links