Kevin Willard on planning for Maryland's future, Harris-Smith's big game and why he really wanted Derik Queen​

The Maryland basketball coach had more interesting comments on Saturday.​

If Kevin Willard has any uncertainty about his future at Maryland, he didn't sound like it on Saturday. At his second-round NCA Tournament media session, the Maryland basketball coach spoke about extensive planning for next season. At a time when every hour preparing for the next opponent -- Colorado State in this instance (Maryland-Colorado preview here) -- is valuable, he's putting significant time into long-term planning, which could be telling.

"I'm already mapping out what I want to do next year with the guys on our roster," Willard said. "We had a two-hour meeting about it this morning. We spent last night on Colorado State, breaking them down. This morning, we spent an hour and a half on Colorado State, and then we spent two hours on the portal and the roster ... It's what you have to do. It's part of the job now. I'd much rather be playing [and planning] than be back in College Park doing it, to be honest.

"We've talked a lot, because right now it's the portal season. We sit down every day for two hours and just see who's going in, what we're doing."

Rumors of mutual interest with Villanova popped up early in the week. Then Willard announced AD Damon Evans was leaving for SMU and said he'd turned down a contract extension from Evans on Selection Sunday. Then he spent a few minutes expressing his dissatisfaction with the program's funding. Add it all up and the interest in Willard's situation has compounded, though no conclusion can be reached yet. Maryland doesn't even have a permanent AD in place after Evans' departure.

Willard wasn't asked about those topics. While answering a question about coaching in the NBA, though, he did sneak repeat a one-liner throwback to his comment the other day about Evans refusing to pay for his team to stay an extra night in New York City at Christmas time.

"You stay at Four Seasons. You travel great, eat great ... "

A reporter filled Willard's brief pause with the joke: "You get to stay an extra night in New York," she said.

"You get to stay an extra night in New York," Willard repeated. "You're going to get me in trouble."

He also talked about DeShawn Harris-Smith's big game against GCU, why Derik Queen was such an important recruit, the transfer portal and more:

On DeShawn Harris-Smith's 5-for-5 performance against GCU​

"Going from a guy that was starting and playing a lot of minutes, even as a freshman, to his role this year, sometimes kids need that a little bit. And I think he's really—he's continued to work hard, he's continued to have a great attitude in practice. But I actually think him sitting on the bench and seeing the game and seeing the guys has actually helped him dramatically. He's one of the smartest basketball players. I've always said he's probably, probably a little bit too smart, because he thinks a lot. But I think sitting on the bench and seeing what's going on has helped him kind of evolve as a player and a person."

On why getting Derik Queen was so important​

"I've talked about this a lot. He was so highly touted, and being on that [Montverde Academy] team with Cooper [Flagg] and Liam [McNeeley] and the young man at Georgia—I forget his name, I apologize—it was really important because he was from Baltimore. He was the next big thing from Baltimore. And we really wanted to keep him in state—not to make a recruiting splash—but just to make a statement about keeping kids home. I thought we had done a good job in the first class of doing that. People talked about having the pressure of having a McDonald's All-American and having a kid that was the MVP. We just looked at it as a great opportunity to have a great young man and a phenomenal player. To his credit, he has worked really hard. We had a recruit on a visit early on—in early November, maybe late October—and the kid was making fun of Derik about how he didn't play well in practice. Derek said, 'Wait till you try to do this. This isn't easy.' Derik struggled a little bit in practice early but stuck with it with a great attitude. He's got that infectious personality, was so positive. He's a top five draft pick. I think he's definitely exceeded my expectations."

On recruiting high school players​

"The freshman model is difficult because if you're going to bring a freshman in and pay a freshman—because you have to pay him—you better make sure what you're paying them is going to equal what they're giving you. No CEO in their right mind would pay someone out of college a million dollars and not have him have one sale, develop and work him, and then all of a sudden, he leaves and goes someplace else. The balance—the fact that we do have to—we have a budget. I know exactly how much money we have. I know how much money we can have. The portal is easier to work with because it's a proven asset. You're taking someone else's salesman that has a history of sales. It might not be in your company, may not be in your business, but you can see what he has. With freshmen, there's very few that can come in and affect this game at a really high level like Derek did. I think if you look at this year, there's maybe seven guys doing what Deiek's done."

On incoming recruit Chris Jeffrey​

"I love Chris. Chris is coming in as a freshman. He's going to play minutes next year. I love him. That's the reason we're bringing him in. But you really have to balance the fact that you just can't pay someone that you're not going to play. You don't have unlimited funds. You're a GM. GMs don't go out and pay someone a million dollars and not play them. It just doesn't work that way. The model is constantly evolving. When you get rid of the COVID year, the sixth-year kids, and add profit sharing, you're going to have so many more schools with money. It's gotten extremely complicated putting your roster together. That's a long answer. So tired."

On why he likes coaching in college​

"The appeal of college, for me at least, is that you still have a chance to really impact men's lives. You don't have that in the NBA. You're not impacting LeBron James. But I got to impact Derek Queen this year. I got to impact all these kids' lives—whether they like it or not—through our discipline, through our work ethic, through everything that we try to do as a program. We still impact young men's lives. That's still a huge part of what we do in college basketball. Yes, there's money. Yes, there's NIL. Yes, we have no rules. Yes, it's mayhem. But at the end of the day, when you run a really good program—I think we run a really, really good program—you have a chance to impact young men's lives."

On the bench​

"Those guys have been critical for us all year, if you think about just the energy they bring, the defense. Jordan with his defense, Tafara with his length, Jay—Jay has an unbelievable ability to get his hands on the ball. So just for them to continue to come in and change the game from a defensive standpoint, that's really been critical for us."

On whether a lot of college coaches will leave for the NBA because of all the new job duties​

"Could be the best question I've ever been asked. I think you will see a lot of college guys try to go to the NBA. I spent four years in the NBA, and those guys—you have to earn their respect as a coach. The NBA is the elite of the elite. If you look at the guys coaching there, they're usually guys that started as either former players who have done it and know the game inside and out and see the game on a chess level, or it's guys that started as a video guy, did advanced scouting, then was an assistant. And when you become a head coach, the players have such respect for your journey. I look at guys that have gone from college right to the NBA, and it's really hard to gain that respect on the NBA level. The great thing about the NBA is you have a GM, a salary cap, long-term contracts, summers off. You stay at Four Seasons. You travel great, eat great, get to stay an extra night in New York. You're going to get me in trouble. The NBA is the best of the best on everything. I lived there for four years. You land, and you don't worry about your bags—they just show up in your room. You're not on the tarmac putting them in the back of the bus with the managers.

On how much NIL has changed​

"When I first got this job at Maryland, we were selling hats. We were selling hats at tailgates and football games ... Year two, I was behind. The game just totally changed. It just went poof ... We lost Hakim Hart to Villanova ... I knew we had Derik and Ju, so I changed. I really did. I changed my mindset. We lost Hakim Hart last year. How I want to play and how I need to develop a roster is no longer developing four freshmen, letting them become sophomores, bringing in four more freshmen ... I had to adapt so quickly. I think we did a good job—my staff and I—of just saying, 'Okay, how do we want to play? Who's out there? What type of attitude?' There's so much that goes into it. You can still miss on the portal. I don't think we missed because we were really specific on what we wanted: unusual, great kids. That was the main thing—I wanted great kids. These guys are."

On whether coaches need to be the face of their programs because players move around so often​

" I hope not. I think this game is still all about the kids and their opportunity. I know it doesn't seem that way. I watched how excited Derik Queen was on Selection Sunday. I still think this sport will figure out a way to make sure that these kids—because this is their opportunity. I'm a head coach. This is their opportunity to make it. It shouldn't be about the coaches. It really shouldn't. It should be about developing these young men and giving them the best opportunity. They're 21 years old. I'm 49. My job is to make sure they can get to 49."
"Have I felt any obligation to be the face of the Maryland program? I don't think anybody wants this face anywhere. If you go to Xfinity Center, I'm not on one wall. And that is on purpose. I would much rather have Derek Queen smiling, Julian Reese smiling, everyone getting to know them, everyone remembering them. My job is—no, absolutely not."

On adapting to coaching in the Big Ten​

"When I started at Iona as a head coach, was there a defined style of play I wanted? Yeah. I had worked for Rick Pitino for 10 years, so I thought I was Rick Pitino. I ran the same practices, ran the same plays. When I got to Seton Hall, I still thought I was Rick Pitino—until I walked into the first meeting and saw Rick Pitino, Bob Huggins, and Jim Calhoun. Then I realized, unfortunately, I was Kevin Willard. But a good coach. The Big Ten has made me evolve as much as anything. I look at Matt Painter and what they've done, and the fact that the Big Ten is 9–0 in the NCAA Tournament now—the Big Ten has forced me to evolve. The different styles, the different coaches, the level of players. You look at the freshmen in this conference and how good they are, top to bottom. I've evolved as a coach dramatically in 19 years, but the last three years in this conference, I've had to change even more. To win 14 games in this league—we talked about it as a staff—that's crazy. And to do it in the venues we have to go on the road, with the players and coaches. I've evolved—as my hairline has evolved.
"That's a long time."

​

Maryland Basketball Scoop: Is Kevin Willard about to strike while his team is hot?​

Maryland basketball produced another loud day on and off the court Friday at the NCAA Tournament. Maryland turned up the volume on its contender buzz with a blowout win against Grand Canyon, followed by another explosive press conference from coach Kevin Willard. Could we soon know what the resolution will be?​

Maryland basketball produced another loud day on and off the court Friday at the NCAA Tournament. Maryland turned up the volume on its contender buzz with a blowout win against Grand Canyon, followed by another explosive press conference from coach Kevin Willard.

Willard has turned a squad the national media viewed as a bubble team preseason into one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament. If they continue to play like they did against Grand Canyon, it could be the happiest March for Maryland fans in a long time. Willard showed up in Seattle ready to talk his, um, stuff. He's put out fiery soundbites on back-to-back days have added a layer of intrigue and uncertainty to the situation. Other than Will Wade coaching McNeese State to an upset over Clemson after confirming he's leaving for N.C. State, no coach in the country might have attracted more attention so far.

What's the latest on the situation? Could an answer come sooner than expected? Here's the latest exclusive.

I'm told Willard and the administration are in talks today about new deal. A couple of well-connected sources have said that Damon Evans is running the point for Maryland in the talks, which sounds odd given all that's occurred and because he's on his way out after announcing his departure for SMU. But apparently school president Darryll Pines has declined to take over the negotiations. You can probably assume interim AD Collen Sorem won't be the one negotiating with Willard. It's been a while since I've had so many sources say the same thing in the span of a few days as they have this week: Willard and Sorem have a frosty relationship.

That's why I was surprised when I was told earlier this week, she was the likely interim choice. But Gary Williams and Debbie Yow (mostly Williams) showed you don't have to be best buddies to win big.

"[They're] trying to get a deal done today," a source with knowledge of the situation said.

Willard's current deal has four years remaining at about $4 million per year.

One of the biggest questions: Is he actually a top choice of Villanova and considering the job? I've gotten mixed answers on that. I've been skeptical. It's seemed like a leverage play for better terms at Maryland from the start, but that doesn't rule out Nova wanting him. Some national scoop guys and others in the Big East region continue to report Willard is their top choice. As a few people have pointed out, there's some reason Villanova hasn't hired anyone yet. They could be waiting on Willard, but there are lots of other coaches also still in the tourney.

The intel I've gotten all along has led me to believe this has all been about getting more resources, not the Villanova job, as Willard said in that first presser. He told his players in no uncertain terms that he'll be back. He still seems likely to return, with a new deal that guarantees more resources, primarily a revenue shares close to $5 million, more NIL fundraising and a basketball-specific GM. Sources have said Willard was unhappy about Evans' decision to hire one GM for the whole department, and a football guy at that, and no dedicated basketball GM. They also said the relationship took a hit when Evans indirectly criticized Willard for complaining about travel and scheduling during the team's 0-4 rod start.

It also sounds like Willard wasn't about Evans' attempt to quell the Villanova speculation by rushing out that report from Jon Rothstein about working on a deal to make him a top 10 paid coach, attempting to phrase a four-year-old practice facility project as a new enticement. When that report came out, they had yet to have conversations about a new deal. In retrospect, it looks like a desperate move by Evans and Willard surely knew it. He said on Wednesday he shot it down and told Evans to talk to his agent. You wonder if his decision to reveal Evans' departure for SMU was motivated at all by Evans misrepresenting how far along talks were about a new deal.

He also has a lot of leverage because of how well this season is going. Some have asked how AD candidates will view working with a coach who publicly scooped the AD that hired him three years earlier on his own career move. If he can keep putting together teams like this one, though, it shouldn't matter much. Everyone loves a winner.

Had Evans already accepted the SMU job before this all started, or did Willard win a power play to get him out? Different people are saying different things. Earlier, I should've been more measured in my conclusion that Willard orchestrated Evans' exit. Only Willard and Evans know all the precise details and the timeline.

I haven't completely ruled out the possibility that Villanova is in play for Willard. People up there certainly seem to think so. From what I've gathered, it seems more likely that Willard re-ups at Maryland. He's a family man who's settled into the area, with kids in school. And he's going to have a lot of security and fan support. But this is also a situation unlike many I can recall, Villanova has a lot of money and there's uncertainty about who will be in charge, so all bets are off.

I'll have more information before long.

​

WE ARE GOING TO GET RID OF OUR DINOSAURS?


Add Meharg to the list of over-the-hill and let"s see how things go in CP on the women's side before considering it a triumvirate of calamity....

With Damon Evans heading to SMU, here's who Maryland could hire as its next AD​

The University of Maryland abruptly finds itself without an athletic director, just as the men's and women's basketball teams enter NCAA Tournament play, and days before the transfer portal opens. It's a poor time to lack a leader, sped by Kevin Willard's successful play to push out Damon Evans. Who replaces him?​

The University of Maryland abruptly finds itself without an athletic director, just as the men's and women's basketball teams enter NCAA Tournament play, and days before the transfer portal opens. It's a poor time to lack a leader, sped by Kevin Willard's successful play to push out Damon Evans.

"He wanted to stay," a source close to the situation said of Evans.

But he isn't staying. As reported by InsideMDSports, Evans will head to SMU after a decade in College Park.

John Talty of CBSSports wrote:

"A deal has not been finalized, but sources expect Evans to accept the role. He would replace Rick Hart, who helped guide SMU into the Atlantic Coast Conference last year. Evans, who was previously the Georgia athletic director, has been at Maryland since 2014 and has worked as the school's AD since 2018. He was recently named to the College Football Playoff's selection committee.

"SMU recently hired away Jay Hartzell from Texas to be its new president. Hartzell is believed to have made a run at Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte, who brushed away those rumors in February."

So where does that leave Maryland? The situation escalated so quickly that there's been no time for school president Darryll Pines or others in the administration to form a wish list or plan the search for the next AD. Maryland hasn't had the best luck with athletic directors and will need to break that trend. Several names have surfaced on that front.

Other names will likely emerge, but he's a first look at some who've been mentioned.

Dominique Foxworth: There might be no more impressive prospect for the job and I'm hearing he'd be interested if approached. The former Terps star and longtime NFL standout checks a lot of boxes. He's a Maryland alum who loves the school. He's personable and has a ton of polish and experience in front of cameras. He's been the head of the NBA and NFL players associations. And he has a Harvard Business degree.

"He's not a football or basketball guy, he's just a Terps guy," a source said.

Tom McMillen: I'm told McMillen would love to have the job. A Maryland basketball legend and former NBA player and U.S. Congressman, he's had multiple stints on the Board of Regents and has been very active in the NIL space. And he knows school president Pines well.

Sasho Cirovski (Interim): Cirovski, Maryland's legendary men's soccer coach, has decades of institutional knowledge and understands how relationships with Locksley, Willard and Pines, whose son he coached. He's also popular with Maryland's other non-revenue sport coaches. None of the candidates on this list have those sorts of relationships with the key figures involved. It sounds like he'd do it if offered.

Jeff Purinton: Purinton, the AD at Arkansas State, worked with Locksley at Alabama and is widely respected in the business.

Harry Geller (Interim): I don't know if Geller (Q&A here) would be interested, but he's been a lifelong Terp, a high-ranking professor at the business school and a successful entrepreneur. More importantly, he launched Turtle NIL and has been pivotal in the basketball program's NIL operations, so he understands the ins and outs of NIL and revenue-sharing.

Gary Williams (Interim): This might sound crazy, but there's a contingent that would like to see him consider the job on an interim basis. Now 80, he'd need a strong staff to handle a lot of the day-to-day tedium of the job and wouldn't do it for long but could unite the fans until a full-time AD is hired. Longshot, but there are some people pushing for it and I think he'd consider it.

Kirby Mills (Interim): Mills, the fundraiser behind those recent eight-figure donations, is a strong communicator who understands the landscape. But the jump to AD would be a massive one.

Colleen Sorem (Interim): Sorem, Evans' No. 1 lieutenant, probably has seen firsthand more of how the job works than anyone on the list. But there won't be a groundswell of support, and it seems unlikely they'll hire someone so closely affiliated with Evans. A fresh start might be needed.

​

Maryland 76
Colorado State 67

Are the refs from B1g,because, wow. Let the players play. 38 fouls so far in 34 min. Great players and fouls every minute. Ugh

We’re less than a half hour from tipoff between the Terps and GCU in Seattle.

Terps are 9.5-point favorites and KenPom predicts the Terps by a score of 82-68 with a 90% win probability.

GCU returns last year’s conference POY in Tyon Grant-Foster and multiple starters from a team that won a game in last year’s NCAA tourney.

All that said, the Terps have one of the best front court duos in the country in Queen and Reese and one of the best shooting back courts.

Will be good to finally see some hoops with all the distractions this week. Game can be seen on TBS.

35 + years ago SMU was penalized for undue recruiting violations in their football program, and to this day they are the only major program, I believe, that was hit with the " death penalty ". In the ensuing years they were perceived as a pariah who only succeeded thru cheating.

Fast forward to the present era, and with a new conference affiliation and the advent of NIL, why would SMU hire an AD who has shown no ability in hiring a football coach who cannot win conference games or enliven a fan base.

I cannot believe that SMU's deep pocketed oil alumni is happy with this chose.

Maryland vs. Colorado State: Tipoff time, TV details and point spread for Terps-Rams in Round of 32​

Fourth-seeded Maryland basketball fought through five minutes of rigorous competition from No. 13 Grand Canyon on Friday night, then casually shifted into overdrive and turned the Antelopes into a fast-shrinking sight in their rearview mirror for the other 35 minutes. Now they face what looks like a tougher test.​

Fourth-seeded Maryland basketball fought through five minutes of rigorous competition from No. 13 Grand Canyon on Friday night, then casually shifted into overdrive and turned the Antelopes into a fast-shrinking sight in their rearview mirror for the other 35 minutes. The Terps outclassed their smaller-name opponent, 81-49, their largest margin of victory ever in an NCAA Tournament game.

Their next opponent is just one seed better than this one, but 12th-seeded Colorado State might provide a tougher challenge when the Rams (26-9) and Terps (26-8) meet Sunday night at 7:10 p.m. on TBS.

Maryland is a 7.5-point favorite over CSU, which enters on an 11-game winning streak after beating No. 5 seed Memphis. Colorado State trailed by five at halftime against Penny Hardaway's team, which had been 18-0 in games during which it led at halftime, before CSU came back from a halftime deficit and piled 47 second-half points en route to their first Round-of-64 win since 2013.

Led by fast-rising coaching prospect Niko Medved, Colorado State is one of the hottest teams in the tournament. Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports wrote:

The Rams went from a team without much shot of making the NCAA tournament to on the bubble and a guaranteed entry over the final month of the season. CSU was 15-9 overall and 9-4 in the Mountain West after losing 93-85 to Utah State on Feb. 11.
Since then, Colorado State has won 11 straight games, including all three of its matchups in the MWC tournament by double digits. The Rams took down Boise State 69-56 on March 15 to get the conference's automatic berth and kick Boise State off the bubble.

Click to expand...

A lot of smoke this evening that Villanova has offered Willard the job behind the scenes. Asked one of my top sources who has strong ties to Nova and this definitely seems to have some legs.

The timing seems to come as Odom appears to be all but done to UVA and I’m also hearing Chris Collins has been leaning towards staying at NU and is quickly falling down Nova’s list. The other top name at the moment appears to be Oklahoma’s Porter Moser.

But this has officially become something to now watch and keep a close eye on.

3 Terps showing early All-American Potential.


Also, both grandsons looked good in their loss to # 1 Malvern Prep. Loyola maybe the surprise team in the MIAA.

Starting off on the right foot:

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Playing two tomorrow to get ahead of the weather on Sunday.

vs. Ball State at 11 am

vs. Mercyhurst at 7 pm.

Watch Willard, Reese, Gillespie and Queen react following the Terps' win over GCU in the opening round of the NCAA tourney.

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Ok, so someone asked me about this rumor about Evans to SMU late last night and I frankly had heard nothing about it. Talked to an AD source just a little bit ago and it seems there is absolutely some smoke with Evans to SMU. My question was why? We are talking about a guy who was essentially black balled from the profession before Kevin Anderson threw him a life jacket.

With it being the heart of hoops season, I had almost forgotten that Evans was named to the College Football Playoff selection committee at the beginning of the month. From what I was told, it sounds like SMU, with a borderline Top 25 football team coming back, is intrigued by the idea of hiring someone who could come in and have some influence in them possibly making the playoffs again.

I have no idea if this is anywhere near happening, but I’ve pretty much confirmed he’s in the mix and a source seems to believe the reason above is a big reason he has a chance of landing the gig. Will post if I hear more.

Don't want to further muck up a game thread with an off-topic discussion.

CurlyBill said:

Yep. Long road back to relevance. Another head-scratcher for me was the Carbery hire. It seems he was the "shiny object" that offseason in the NHL and the Caps hired him without even talking to Todd Nelson, who was in the midst of a Calder run nobody predicted.

Todd appears to be doing it again this season. I'm not saying Carbery is a bad coach... I'm just saying his resume didn't warrant all the NHL attention he was getting during the offseason.

Now we have BMac. He said his goals during the offseason was to get younger and add to the top 6.

He did neither... and in fact we got a bit older, though things have changed with Backstrom now gone... which is another story altogether. Pacioretty was a cheap gamble, and he's not top 6 material. Oh, and when June rolls around, we won't have a second round pick because we gave it to Ottawa for Connor Brown... who played a whopping 4 games for the Caps.

Sorry... I could go on all night.

Click to expand...

They were fixated on Carbery (just like they were fixated on Todd Reirden) long before Nelson and the Bears came out of nowhere to win the Calder Cup last June. I schlepped up to Hershey for Game 5 of that series and it was painfully obvious who the better team was but Coachella Valley has Dan Bylsma behind their bench. Now that the Bears are lapping the AHL field, curious to see if he can repeat the magic of last season.

A lot of the problem in terms of getting younger and adding to the Top 6 are the contracts in the Top 6. Backstrom, Kuznetsov, and Oshie all have modified no-trade clauses which makes moving them out and getting younger really, really difficult. All three were given them for sentimental reasons even though they are now well past their prime which is why it is going to be a very long rebuild once it gets fully underway. FWIW, we have three 2nd rounders in next year's draft but Boston and Colorado's are very likely to be in the back-end of that round. GMBM, like GMGM, is only doing the best he can with what he's told to accomplish.

At least we got one Cup out of this run which is a whole lot more than we can say about the 80's Caps.

And speaking of the 80's, this would be a team that would make the playoffs and might pull off an upset or two in that era. Now, they're likely on the outside looking in and with the owners looking to make yet another expansion cash grab; it will be harder to make the playoffs and what rebuilding is done will take a step back in the process.

I know, I know, the season isn't even over yet, BUT the portal is open for business and Maryland is going to need to add a bunch of guys this offseason. So I'm going to start a thread, some names will already officially be in, some won't. Some I have heard speculation on and some I'm making educated guesses as possibilities based on things I know. So lets get started.

- Sticking with this as the top name to know until I hear otherwise: Tyrell Ward. Left the LSU program just before the start of the season due to 'mental health' reasons. FWIW, I was told by folks close to him a year ago he was not happy in Baton Rouge and really wanted out then but money is pretty much what kept him there. He's been pulled in a lot of different directions since high school and I think it all just started to wear him down mentally. As for fit, he'd basically be plug and play for Selton Miguel. He made 52 threes at LSU as a sophomore, hitting at a 41.3% clip. In league play, his % got even better, going 33-72 (46%) which was 6th best in the SEC. He scored in double figures 10 times in league play and 14 times overall. He's got ideal size for the 3 at 6-foot-6, he's long and a plus athlete. But his story is very similar to Rodney Rice's and lets not forget, those two were teammates at DeMatha and won a WCAC title together. To be clear, I have not been directly told that there is interest either way heading into this offseason, but he absolutely had interest in coming home last year and there has also been some G'town chatter (but it is worth mentioning that the reason he was possibly going to G'town out of high school isn't there, so they don't necessarily have any sort of 'in.')

- I can confirm there is interest with Drexel wing Kobe MaGee out of Allentown, Pa., who has announced he will enter the portal. He is very similar to Ward and again, would be someone to replace Miguel. He also stands at 6-foot-6 and like Ward is a sniper from beyond the arc. He made 82 triples this season at a 44% clip, good for 42nd nationally. In conference play, he was 38-88 (43%), good for 4th in the CAA. As for why I prefer Ward, I think the answer is pretty obvious, he's already proven he can do it at the highest level in the SEC, while the CAA is a good few notches down from the B1G. I also think the fact that Ward has a winning history with Rice is a major plus for him, as well. Finally, MaGee averaged nearly 34 minutes per game to get those numbers, while Ward averaged just 22 minutes per game as a sophomore. Ward could see his numbers explode with similar minutes.

- I know there will be a lot of talk about Iowa transfer Owen Freeman, the 6-foot-10 center who led the Hawkeyes in scoring and rebounds before being injured and missing the final half of league play. He's already got several blue bloods throwing millions at him and I've been told one B1G school is already in talks with him, as well. Throw on top the fact that he has a 'do not contact' status in the portal and I don't see the Terps having a shot here despite a big man being their biggest need.

- I would keep an eye on Utah 6-foot-10 sophomore forward Jake Whalin, who is in the portal. He averaged just 6.2 points and 5 boards per game, but scored in double figures five times, including versus BYU, Kansas and Texas Tech. He started 22 of 32 games, shot 58% from the field and had 21 blocks. He would be a solid replacement in the front court with multiple years of eligibility remaining.

- Just throwing out a name here, with Ryan Odom almost certainly on the way out at VCU, one name to possibly keep an eye on is Luke Bamgboye, who spent some time in Baltimore before transferring to a prep school out in Ariz. last year. As a true frosh, he was 2nd nationally in block percentage, averaging 2.1 blocks per game. While he only averaged 3.7 points and 3.2 boards, he has made major strides as the season has progressed. Even if he isn't much of a scorer, he has the potential to be an elite rim protector at the highest level. With all of that said, I could easily see him following Odom to UVA or Villanova and who knows, maybe he's happy at VCU, but my guess is he's in the portal at some point this offseason and he's an elite rim protector who lived in Maryland and played for the same Team Thrill AAU program as Queen.

The Terps are going to lose Queen, Reese, Miguel, Geronimo and Young for certain. I'll be shocked if either DHS or Chance Stephens are back. I also think with Christian Jeffrey coming in that Long will leave, as well. So that means Maryland has potentially 7 scholarships to fill at the moment. Highest priorities being an elite big, a starting 4 and a starting sniper at the 3.

Ok, that's a start. Will add to this as guys enter the portal and as I hear more.

We’re about 15 minutes from tip off between the Terps and Wolverines in Indy.

Terps won the first matchup between these two and the difference was turnovers. Michigan really cleaned up the sloppy play yesterday, but we’ll see if they can do it again today against a stiff Maryland defense.

Maryland Basketball Recruiting: Terps communicating with local guard "every day"​

While the Maryland coaches, players and fans' focus are on Friday's NCAA Tournament matchup against No. 13 Grand Canyon, recruiting never comes to a halt.​

While the Maryland coaches, players and fans' focus is on Friday's NCAA Tournament matchup against No. 13 Grand Canyon, recruiting never comes to a halt. No matter the result of Friday's game, head coach Kevin Willard and his staff carve out time to make a plan of attack for what kind of players they want to attack in the transfer portal as well as the 2026 high school class.

Archbishop Carroll point guard Anthony Brown seems to be rising up their charts quickly as the 6-foot-1 lead guard has been on campus multiple times in a matter of months.

"I pretty much talk with Maryland and Mississippi State the most at this point," Brown told IMS. "Those two schools have definitely established a lead. I get a text from both of those schools almost every other day."

Brown recently was voted as the DC Player of the Year by the DC Basketball Coaches Association after averaging 24.3 points and six assists per game this season.

"I really think Maryland has a chance to make a run in the tournament and when I say that I don't mean just a game or two. I could see them going to the Final Four or National Championship because of the talent they have and how connected they are. I was at practice last week and you can just tell with how hard they go, how they compete in everything they do, and the gym was loud. It was fun to watch."

Brown gave his thoughts on the heartbreaking loss to Michigan in the Big Ten semifinal game.

"I think with that loss, most teams that have the makeup to be a frontrunner or a favorite need a game like that. I think it makes them go into the NCAA Tournament with some urgency and doesn't allow them to relax thinking the job is complete. Those type of losses put an extra chip on your shoulder."

It's no secret by now that in today's recruiting landscape, the transfer portal has resulted in some programs not casting as wide of a net each year in the high school scene as they typically do. Instead, they'll zero in on a few guys who think could develop into what they need and invest ample time and energy into them.

That's the sort of strategy Kevin Willard and associate head coach David Cox seem to be taking with Brown.

"I think the conversations between us now have to do more with the game. They'll call me and ask what I saw in their games in the previous night's just to get an idea of how I see things. We've also spoke about lining up an official visit with the spring and summer coming. It could be sooner rather than later for that."

As of now, Brown fully intends to take official visits to College Park and Mississippi State. While other programs are involved, those two seem to be setting a high standard in showing genuine interest.

As Brown spoke about the chip on the shoulder of Maryland following the Michigan loss, he too has a chip on his shoulder despite winning DC Player of the Year by the DC Coaches Association. Why? Because he wasn't voted to All-WCAC First Team.

"Missing out on being first team changed my mentality, honestly. Every time I go into the gym, it's something I think about and makes me go harder. I feel like I got some more to prove and not making first team shows me that the work I was putting in wasn't enough. So now, I know what I have to do this summer and how hard I got to go.

As for what jersey Brown will be sporting this spring/summer, he is still undecided. There are multiple local AAU programs courting him and a decision should be made by the end of the week.

Brown ranks as the No. 140 overall prospect in the 247Sports 2026 rankings.

Darian DeVries from WVU. Seeing on twitter some shady stuff including a backroom agreement for months. Also,his son took a medical red shirt this year after a mystery injury, around the time of the under thr table agreement.

heard the coach is a good coach, but this is kind of scummy