‘The Wolfpack’: How a tight-knit group of freshmen could shape Maryland men’s basketball’s season

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From the day they met at freshman orientation, Maryland men’s basketball’s four first-year players have been inseparable. Baba Oladotun, Kaden House, Adama Tambedou and Austin Brown make frequent runs to Iron Rooster and Noodles & Company and always seem to be in each other’s company.

So much so that coordinator of player development Seth Allen has given the group a nickname: “The Wolfpack.” The Terps’ ceiling this season will partly depend on how much the tight-knit group can contribute immediately.

“Wherever you see one, you see the other three,” assistant head coach Lyle Wolf said. “All four of them have their unique skill sets on the floor, but they're very unselfish and they're willing to help the team win. And you don't see that a lot from high-caliber, especially highly-ranked high school athletes.”

Maryland’s two exhibition games — both wins over Power Four teams — showed signs of hope that the freshmen can establish themselves as stable parts of coach Buzz Williams’ rotation.

The freshmen, who comprised the 16th-ranked recruiting class per 247Sports, combined for 62 minutes and 35 points against Georgia Tech on Oct. 11. Five-star Baba Oladotun, the second-highest ranked recruit in program history, finished with six points on poor efficiency, but a couple of peripheral stats show positive signs.

The forward totaled two steals and attempted nine free throws in his 24 minutes. His ability to get to the stripe was especially impressive given that Oladotun has admitted the physicality of collegiate basketball has been the most noticeable adjustment.

“The overall speed and physicality, that’s something that’s a lot different than high school,” Oladotun said. “It’s been definitely a shock, but … we have a great strength program here and I’ve been eating a lot, spending a lot more [time lifting] weight. I think I’ve adjusted pretty well.”

Oladotun looked somewhat raw and unrefined at times, as evidenced by his five missed free throws and 1-for-5 shooting from the field against the Yellow Jackets, but that’s to be expected from a 17-year-old who reclassified into the 2026 recruiting class. The forward is young enough to spend two years developing in College Park and potentially declare for the draft at the same age as other one-and-done prospects. But the Silver Spring native’s talent is apparent right now.

“[Oladotun] might be a better passer than a scorer, and that's what impressed me. At 16, being able to get your own rebound and push it up the floor and see the floor, his ability to see the floor and pass the ball is unbelievable,” associate head coach Devin Johnson said. “We've never had that before. We've never had his talent before.”

Kaden House, the Terps’ only freshman guard, also made an impact with his defense. That’s the skill House prides himself on most. When asked to describe in a few words what he hopes to bring to the team this season, he chose “defense,” “toughness,” and “winning.”

If Maryland’s exhibition win over West Virginia on Oct. 18 is any indication, House could be one of the Terps’ first options off the bench. House played 27 minutes against the Mountaineers, the most of any Maryland bench player and more than starting guard Mike McNair Jr. His standout perimeter defense, a trait among guards that Williams covets, could earn him a solidified role from game one.

“I’m playing defense well, but I need to be better off being in the right spot every time,” House said. “I know you can’t be perfect, but I need to try my best to be perfect.”

The four-star from Phoenix also scored 24 points across Maryland’s two exhibition matches, including going 2-for-2 on three-pointers against Georgia Tech. House concedes that he didn’t shoot particularly well in high school, but believes his jump shot has improved in his time with the Terps.

Capable shooting from beyond the arc by House, along with Tennessee transfer Bishop Boswell and the Terps’ other guards, could be pivotal. The Terps shot 31.6% from three last season, the fourth-lowest mark among the Big Ten’s 18 teams.

Depending on how much playing time he earns from Williams, freshman forward Austin Brown could also help improve that mark. Brown’s shooting has already drawn praise from those around him. Oladotun called Brown “one of the best shooters in the country,” and Johnson said Brown can “shoot the lights out of the ball.”

Brown didn’t make a three-pointer in either of Maryland’s exhibition games, but his willingness to shoot was unwavering. He attempted two threes in 14 minutes against Georgia Tech and one versus West Virginia in his four minutes of playing time.

Maryland’s fourth freshman, forward Adama Tambedou, could help push Maryland to the top of the conference in an area it already contended in: rebounding. The Terps ranked seventh in the Big Ten with 35.4 rebounds per game last season, even with starting center Pharrel Payne missing 23 games due to injury.

A healthy Payne, and the additions of forward Tomislav Buljan and Tambedou, could elevate Maryland to one of the conference’s best rebounding teams — a hallmark of Williams’ past teams.

Tambedou’s skill set reminded Johnson, who enters his 15th season coaching under Williams, of Henry Coleman III, a forward who started 109 games and averaged 5.8 rebounds per game over four years at Texas A&M. Like Coleman, Tambedou can swing the game on the glass.

Tambedou averaged 10.9 rebounds, including 4.5 offensive boards, per game in the Pro16 circuit last season. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward grabbed three rebounds, two offensive, in 10 minutes against Georgia Tech, and should bolster Maryland’s frontcourt depth.

Just as Tambedou does, ‘The Wolfpack’ has a chance to carve out roles in their first year in College Park. How well they do so could shape Maryland’s season.

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