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Maryland Basketball: Anthony Cowan could be the next great point guard

By Chris Bengel

Jan 1, 2017; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Anthony Cowan (0) calls a play against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Anthony Cowan (0) calls a play against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Anthony Cowan was expected to see big-time minutes as soon as he arrived in College Park.

After one season at Maryland, Cowan looks like he could be the next great point guard for the program.

Much like his backcourt mate Melo Trimble, Cowan immediately took the reigns of the starting point guard position. The former St. John’s College (D.C.) standout averaged a very impressive stat line of 10.3 points/3.9 rebounds/3.7 assists/1.2 steals during his freshman season.

Cowan definitely was one of the main reasons for Maryland’s 24-9 (12-6) season. The Terrapins ended up finishing third in the Big Ten, which wasn’t expected given their youth.

The emergence of Cowan allowed Trimble to play the majority of the time off-the-ball. Trimble ended up averaging a career-best 16.8 points and now will be taking his talent to the NBA.

Cowan was a terrific ball-handler that only coughed up the basketball 2.3 times per contest. His 1.6 assists-to-turnover ratio was good for 11th in the Big Ten.

He’s very quick off the dribble and isn’t afraid to drive to the basket. Much like Trimble, Cowan has a knack for finishing strong and playing through contact.

Cowan shot 76.9 percent from the free throw line, which was second-best on the team behind Trimble.

The Terps point guard also can rebound the ball very well for a guard. His 3.9 rebounds-per-game were the fourth-highest on the team.

Cowan registered five or more rebounds in 11 games during the 2016-17 campaign.

The former four-star recruit also displayed tremendous court vision throughout the season. His patience was one of the main reasons that he took excellent care of the basketball.

For example, in the below clip, Cowan began penetrating the lane before delivering a terrific bounce pass to big man Ivan Bender. Cowan drew the defense in and was able to find Bender on a beautiful backdoor cut.

The only real blemish for Cowan was his inconsistent shooting from beyond the arc.

Cowan shot just 32.1 percent from three, but did manage to finish the season connecting on six of his final 10 long-range attempts. The local product also hit all three of his three-point attempts against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament.

If Cowan becomes more efficient from three, he could become of the more dangerous floor generals that Maryland has had in quite some time.

Next: Maryland needs a win over Johns Hopkins

Cowan certainly turned in a phenomenal freshman season and blew expectations out of the water. If he continues to be a well-rounded point guard, the Terps could be very dangerous over the next few seasons.