Maryland Basketball Media Day for the 2021-22 season has come and gone. Terrapin Station takes its first look at Men’s and Women’s hoops for the upcoming season.
It’s been a long time coming, but the 2021-22 Maryland Basketball season is almost upon us. I don’t know about anybody else out there, but I’m looking forward to experiencing the spectacle of Maryland Basketball in all of its majesty and splendor. Terrapin hoops collectively have a LOT to look forward to for the upcoming season. Head Coaches Mark Turgeon and Brenda Frese both bring back absolutely loaded squads with Final Four caliber expectations. For the time the Covid-19 pandemic has taken from college hoops in general, it’s paying off on the back end in the form of transfers, returnees, and extremely competitive conferences. The Terps men and women could be the beneficiaries of this kind of windfall this season. The regular season is a little over a month away, so what better time to take a look at what could be for Maryland Basketball.
Overview
Let’s start with the perennial queens of the Big Ten, the Lady Terrapins. While the post-season results last season left a bit of a sour taste in the moths of Maryland hoops fans, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more impressive offensive machine in women’s college basketball last year than Frese’s squad. The team averaged 90.8 points a game and shot a sizzling 40% from behind the arc…AS A TEAM. When the terrapin offense was clicking last season, it was practically unstoppable. This year’s edition of the team returns practically all of that offensive firepower intact, which doesn’t bode well for the rest of the competition in the Big Ten. The terrapin men had a bit more adversity in getting to the postseason last year, overcoming big size disparities, and relying on hard-nosed defense to shut teams down. The transfer market yielded substantial returns for Coach Turgeon and company, transforming the roster into what looks to be one of the nation’s deepest. Let’s take a closer look at what both men’s and women’s teams will look like when they hit the hardwood this winter.
Who’s Gone: Alaysia Styles, (Forward).
Who’s Back: Ashley Owusu (Guard), Katie Benzan (Guard), Diamond Miller (Guard), Mimi Collins (Forward), Angel Reese (Guard/Forward), Chloe Bibby (Guard/Forward), Faith Masonius (Guard/Forward), Channise Lewis (Guard), Zoe Young (Guard), Taisiya Kozlova (Guard)
Who’s New: Shyanne Sellers (Guard, Freshman, Aurora, Ohio), Emma Chardon (Guard, Freshman, Geneva, Switzerland).
Okay, so where do we start? There may not be a team in the country that returns more on both sides of the court than the lady terrapins. Six double-figure scorers return, led by one of the more prolific and versatile backcourts in the country. Ashley Owusu, Diamond Miller, and Angel Reese are All-American talents; Katie Benzan is arguably the best 3-point threat in the Big Ten, and Chloe Bibby is a swiss army knife that can seamlessly blend in among the bevy of offensive talent in the lineup. As formidable as the big names are, Mimi Collins and the talented two-person freshman class of Shyanne Sellers and Swiss international Emma Chardon could give the terps an added level of athleticism and defensive versatility that could be the difference between a Sweet Sixteen run, and a legitimate shot at a final four berth or beyond.
The offense will not be an issue for this squad; Their growth on the defensive end of the court will speak volumes on where this team will ultimately end the year. The dream of bringing a second national championship to the Xfinity Center isn’t some stretch of faith; It’s a legitimate goal that’s well within the grasp of this year’s team. Yep…They’re THAT good. The toughness of the early schedule will say a lot about where this team will be when March rolls around.
Pre-Season Hot Take:
This IS a Final-Four/ National Championship contender. There aren’t too many teams in the country that have the depth, versatility, and offensive talent that the lady terps do on their roster. This is the year they shake the Sweet Sixteen bug. It’s going to be a fun ride for Terrapins fans, and for women’s college basketball as a whole.
Who’s Gone: Aaron Wiggins (Guard), Daryl Morsell (Guard), Jarius Hamilton (Forward), Galin Smith (Forward) Chol Marial (Center)
Who’s Back: Donta Scott (Forward), Eric Ayala (Guard), Hakim Hart (Guard), James Graham III (Guard/Forward), Marcus Dockery (Guard), Arnaud Revaz (Forward)
Who’s New: Fatts Russell (Guard, Transfer – Rhode Island), Ian Martinez (Guard, Transfer – Utah), Qudus Wahab (Forward, Transfer – Georgetown), Xavier Green (Guard, Transfer – Old Dominion), Pavlo Dzbiua (Forward, Transfer – Arizona State), Simon Wright ( Forward, Transfer – Elon), Ike Cornish (Guard/Forward, Freshman – Baltimore, Md.), Julian Reese (Forward, Freshman – Baltimore, Md.)
A perfect storm of recruiting in the off-season transfer market has resulted in almost a complete makeover of the terrapin hoops roster for the 2021-22 season. Some of those names gone are big ones, though. Aaron Wiggins was a potential All-Big Ten/All-America candidate this year but chose to move on to the NBA. Daryl Morsell, who personified the tough-as-nails nature of Maryland basketball during his four years in a terrapin uniform, transferred out of the program to Marquette to be the backcourt centerpiece for new head coach Shaka Smart. The good news? Eric Ayala, Donta Scott, James Graham III, Marcus Dockery, and Hakim Hart are back from that defensive-minded core last season. Better news? Mark Turgeon and staff did a stellar job in utilizing the record-breaking transfer market to re-build the terps roster in the offseason. Maryland snagged Rhode Island transfer Fatts Russell and former Georgetown big man Qudus Wahab and filled two immediate needs on the roster. Both players are potential All-Big Ten/borderline All-American quality talents and change the entire makeup of a squad that was, at times, overmatched at those positions last year. The transfer market also brought Ian Martinez and Xavier Green from Utah and Old Dominion respectively. Both look to make an already dynamic guard rotation even deeper.
While the huge transfer haul has gotten most of the headlines for this team, the two-man freshman class of Ike Cornish and Julian Reese (baby brother of Lady Terrapins standout Angel Reese) may arguably be one of the better classes in the Big Ten. Cornish’s ability to stretch defenses and Reese’s post versatility may go a long way to embedding both of them solidly in Coach Turgeon’s extended rotation by the regular season’s end.
Pre-Season Hot Take:
This is one of the deepest teams of Mark Turgeon’s Maryland Basketball tenure. There’s a LOT of length and versatility on this roster, which could spell tough sledding for Terrapin opponents on the defensive end of the court. Qudus Wahab and Fatts Russell are two pieces that could really open up the court for the plethora of skilled forwards and combo guards we have on the roster. Early returns indicate that Xavier Green could be more of a factor in the rotation than initially thought, which would make an already deep guard rotation even more formidable. the same could be said for freshman forward Julian Reese, who has blown away early expectations during early camp. There’s a lot to like about what the Terps have brewing this season. There have even been rumblings about this team being a trendy darkhorse for a Final Four run. The talent to do so is definitely there. I think the will and grit to make a run for a chance at the national championship is there, too.
Maryland Basketball looks to be a lot of fun for everybody this season!