It's become apparent who Maryland basketball's top guy is
The latest from the Terps basketball beat.
Maryland basketball strength and conditioning coach Kevin Tarp said Ja'Kobi Gillespie is one of the smoothest athletes he's ever coached. Kevin Willard says he's "always going." Gillespie's played more than 35 minutes in each of the past four games.
And the Terps needed all 36 of his minutes to secure a victory on Sunday in a must-win game over Nebraska. Gillespie scored the game-winning basket with 40 seconds remaining to give Maryland a 69-66 win. He also secured a key milestone, surpassing 1,000 points scored in his collegiate career.
The junior point guard scored 22 points on 8-15 shooting. He made five triples and dished out five assists to only two turnovers. Gillespie also ripped away a season-high four steals, helping generate 13 points off Nebraska turnovers.
"It's just crazy that I finally hit 1,000 [points], but I didn't even know that I hit 1,000 in the moment," Gillespie said.
Derik Queen was crowned as Maryland's best player early in the seasons. Julian Reese is the veteran post presence and former all-conference choice. Rodney Rice is the microwave scorer. But Gillespie has become the Terps' most dependable and arguably best player. Analytics site Evan Miya's metric ranks him as the fourth-best player in the Big Ten and No. 16 nationally, and KenPom's adjusted efficiency numbers love the Belmont transfer as well.
After he struggled on Maryland's trip to Washington and Oregon, Gillespie's started to figure out the Big Ten. He's averaging 19.5 points per game over the Terps' last four contests on 47% shooting. Willard has loved how Gillespie's played but wants him to realize the importance of conserving energy.
"But he's wired to score a little bit, he's wired to go. A guy that size that plays as hard as he does on both ends, he's been really, really productive and he's wired that way," Willard said. "He wants to do it. I think the biggest thing for us is trying to get him to realize when you're playing 38 minutes, there's got to be sometimes where you got to chill out a little bit," Willard said.
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It hasn't affected Gillespie late in games, though. His three-pointer with six minutes remaining gave Maryland a nine-point lead and then his right-handed scoop layup gave the Terps the lead in the final minute.
Willard's play call was telling. The look was designed to get Gillespie downhill to his right hand, the same way he scored late against Northwestern earlier this week.
"I know I just needed to get downhill," Gillespie said.
Willard preached to Gillespie all season the importance of adjusting to the Big Ten. It's a massive jump from the Missouri Valley Conference to one of the best leagues in the country. He's struggled occasionally, but overall, his play has been as good or better than anyone hoped.
"Ja'Kobi's really going through this league for the first time." Willard said. You gotta make sure that they are learning that they are staying positive and that they are understanding that there are going to be some setbacks in this league. You're going to play bad. This league is, if not the best basketball league, one of the best basketball leagues in the country.
While other players like Queen and Selton Miguel struggle, the Terps might need to rely on Gillespie more and more. If recent performances hold true, he's up for the task.
