Maryland added a familiar name to their transfer portal haul this offseason after former UMass and Georgia Tech forward Tafara Gapare announced his decision to transfer into the program last week, giving head coach Kevin Willard and assistant coach David Cox a piece they nearly had in the fold out of high school.
Willard and Cox led the pursuit of Tafara Gapare as part of their 2022 class alongside Noah Batchelor, now at Buffalo, before DePaul and former Maryland assistant Bino Ranson became a growing presence in his recruitment to ultimately land his verbal pledge. Gapare ultimately parted ways with DePaul before signing with UMass where he averaged 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds while shooting 31.2% from the field in his lone season with the program. For Maryland, former assistant Grant Billmeier scoured the available prospects before landing on Caelum Swanton-Rodger who ultimately became the second signee in the Terps’ class.
Now heading into year three and with Julian Reese and Derik Queen on the way, Willard is tasked with filling out the frontcourt rotation as the relationship between Gapare and Cox loomed large.
Just like the pursuit out of high school, assistant David Cox had been in contact with Tafara Gapare since he reentered the portal on April 11 after one season at Georgia Tech. Gapare was already plenty familiar with Maryland having visited at least three times during the first recruiting process, giving him a comfortable potential destination as the two sides ironed out the fit. But he fact that Cox has remained at Maryland and proved his sincere interest once again stuck with Gapare, leading him to give the staff his pledge last Thursday.
“Just knowing the coach who recruited me in high school still wants me to this day is a lot more comforting,” Gapare told IBG. “I had been there a couple of times already so I already know what the campus looks like. I’ve seen everything that I needed to see, so for me, that’s what focusing on the main goal really looks like.”
West Virginia was among the schools in pursuit, while Gapare added, “a few mid-majors were in touch a lot if I wanted to go down a level.”
“But a player of my caliber would want to stay up so that was important for me,” he added.
Gapare fills the void in the frontcourt left by Mady Traore with Julian Reese and Derik Queen ironing out the starting frontcourt, along with Jordan Geronimo and Braden Pierce ironing out the rotation at the four and five. With two years of eligibility remaining, Gapare gives the frontcourt another lengthy rim protector after leading both UMass and Georgia Tech in blocked shots in his lone season with each program.
Gapare would step into a bigger role with the Yellow Jackets through 2023-24, playing in 29 games and drawing six starts before injuries vaulted him into the starting lineup for the final nine games. He also averaged 7.7 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting over 41% from the field in the last seven games, and in College Park, he’ll look to provide similar reinforcement in the frontcourt.
“To be honest, I could fill the missing hole in terms of helping the two bigs they got. Just being the missing piece that can help them defensively, getting rebounds, protecting the rim, being another versatile player.”
Related Links
Portal tackle Andrew Chamblee visiting Maryland in May
Maryland baseball struggles again in series loss at Nebraska
Offense disappears as Maryland falls to Johns Hopkins, 7-5
Mike Locksley on practicing at Ballou, spring ball developments
VIP: Notes from Maryland football scrimmage, staff addition, four-star visitor (+)
