Maryland Basketball Scoop: Addressing that Rumor on Terps Star | 7-Footer a Future Terp? | Keeping a Star
What's the latest on the recruiting trail? What about a rumor making the rounds about a Terps star? And who's a highly ranked local with whom the Terps are "in a good spot?"
The Maryland men's basketball team is being rewarded for its recent hard work, enjoying a rare weeklong span without any games. The Terps have been on a tear, winning six of their past seven games and climbing in the analytics, the Big Ten standings and the projected NCAA Tournament seeding. What's the latest on the recruiting trail? What about a rumor making the rounds about a Terps star? And who's a highly ranked local with whom the Terps are "in a good spot?"
First on that rumor: I've been asked several times and have seen rumors on social media about Julian Reese getting a waiver to come back for a year. It seemed implausible because Reese arrived a year after the COVID season, so he doesn't have that waiver. But where there's smoke, there's me bugging people for info, because that's the gig,
No one I spoke with was aware of Reese having a waiver, but apparently there have been some rumors about the high school Class of 2021 receiving a waiver. It would be an incredible windfall for the program if Reese were able to return, but it seems unlikely.
There have also been rumblings that Tennessee will go after Maryland point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie, a Nashville native, with a big bag of money. A source said Gillespie could've gone there last year for significantly more than Maryland offered, but he wasn't interested in playing there despite it being his home-state school. Other big-money schools will also kick the tires, but Gillespie's move to Maryland couldn't have worked out better and I expect he'll be back.
I spoke with Maryland commit Chris Jeffrey about his recent visit for the Wisconsin game and asked about his teammate, Favour Ibe, a 7-1 junior ranked the No. 94 player and No. 11 center in the 2026 Composite Rankings. Maryland has been prioritizing the big man at Mt. Zion Prep, the school where the Terps got Malachi Palmer last year and Jeffrey in the 2025 class.
"I talk to Favour all the time about it," Jeffrey said. "I think we are in a good spot."
Assistant coach Kevin Norris has become a fixture at Mt. Zion, where his son is on the team. It's still early in 2026 recruiting and most of Maryland's staff's focus is on the portal, but Ibe is worth keeping close tabs on.
Chance Mallory is on an official visit to Tennessee. Mallory, who recently visited Maryland officially, is the No. 7 point guard and top-rated uncommitted 2025 prospect at the position. He'll also take a trip to Vanderbilt next week, but there's a chance he could wait to make a decision until portal season to see how rosters are shaping up.
Maryland is enjoying that week break in between games before traveling to play Thursday at Ohio State. The Buckeyes (13-8 overall, 5-5 Big Ten) have followed a stretch of four losses in five games with a three-game winning streak, highlighted by a massive second-half comeback at No. 11 Purdue. Then they beat Iowa by 17 and Penn State by 19.
Add in the motivation of avenging that beatdown in College Park in the conference opener, and the Buckeyes will provide a test. The good news for Maryland is that while it's resting, OSU will be playing a tough road game Sunday at Illinois. The Illini are slumping without star center Tomislav Ivisic, losing four of their past six, including Maryland's blowout win there.
