After defeating Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament opener, Maryland saw year two of the Kevin Willard era end in disappointing, but fitting fashion as Wisconsin steamrolled the Terps, 87-56, in Minneapolis to put an end to arguably the most disappointing season in 30 years—and the most disappointing of my lifetime. The early bumps at the beginning of the season were largely attributed to key pieces along the roster trying to fit into new roles—namely Donta Scott adjusting at the three, along with Deshawn Harris-Smith and Jamie Kaiser trying to get comfortable and providing the spark that Willard frequently said the duo was capable of filling back in the preseason. Those early struggles put a dent in the confidence of a few of the underclassmen, and between player usage and the style on offense at times, there was a mix of issues behind the scenes through conference play as Maryland struggled to find consistency. Those problems began to further unravel during the second-to-last week of the season with players and coaches reaching a boiling point with multiple key players beginning to evaluate their futures. Now, Willard is staring at a pivotal offseason heading into a possible make-or-break season in College Park. With the offseason now here and the portal set to open on Monday, where does Willard go from here? And more importantly, what's the buzz on what next year's roster looks like? Maryland currently doesn’t have any scholarships open after five-star Derik Queen committed, but that’s expected to change shortly. The two most obvious candidates are Noah Batchelor and Caelum Swanton-Rodger, who struggled to emerge as consistent pieces in the rotation. It might not take long for Batchelor to enter the portal as he eagerly awaits a fresh start elsewhere, which is what Jahari Long could do yet again after following Willard from Seton Hall to Maryland. Long has an additional year of eligibility and would be welcomed back to stabilize the backcourt rotation, but there isn’t much optimism that happens given Long a chance to draw a starting role at a lower level. Whether his injury alters those plans remains to be seen, but pre-injury, Long's potential departure has been viewed as a realistic scenario as he entertains all year five plans. He isn’t the only one in the backcourt eyeing a departure with freshman Jahnathan Lamothe another viable candidate due to a lack of playing time. Honing in on his defense was the biggest roadblock to Lamothe becoming a consistent piece in the rotation, but that’s been a work in progress and the lack of playing time—especially during the struggles in conference play—has been a sore spot for the Baltimore native. I’m not ready to pencil in Lamothe as a foregone conclusion to leave, but his long-term status is in jeopardy. I mentioned it last week, but the biggest name to watch: Julian Reese. Reese was inactive for the season-finale road loss vs. Penn State, and while head coach Kevin Willard cited an injury as the reason why he was unavailable, there are rumblings that there was an off-court issue in the days leading up to Sunday’s game that led to Reese being unavailable for the regular season finale. Whether the two sides look to rectify the situation remains to be seen, but the overwhelming expectation is that Reese will enter the transfer portal with a return for year four unlikely heading into the official start of portal season. I mentioned this last week--and it doesn’t sound like it’ll be the sole factor--but Reese will command at least three times what he received while at Maryland. Keep in mind that Reese already had a six-figure deal since his freshman season. I’m not optimistic that Reese ultimately decides to return to College Park for another season, let alone seriously entertain a fourth season at Maryland, leaving a huge void in the paint even with the arrival of five-star Derik Queen. There also remains a possibility that additional players hit the portal with Jordan Geronimo one to watch. I'd lean toward a return from both Jamie Kaiser Jr. and DeShawn Harris-Smith, though feel better about Maryland's chances of holding onto Harris-Smith than Kaiser as Willard looks to retain his cornerstone pieces for next season. With the portal opening on Monday, Maryland will have several holes to fill as they look for likely two additional guards, including a portal PG to replace Jahmir Young as the starter, a forward and possibly another big to fill CSR's role in the rotation. There have been rumblings on names who may enter and are expected to express interest in Maryland as we wait to see who officially puts their name in, but for now, the lone name to know heading in remains Rodney Rice. The former VT guard has made himself a familiar face in College Park, though there are rumblings that ODU is making a run to change his mind with former assistant Mike Jones making a run at Rice as he looks to rebuild the program in year one. We'll have plenty of updates on the status of the impending stay-or-go decisions as Kevin Willard has his hands full to reenergize the fanbase once again. Related Links
top of page
bottom of page
Comments