It’s been a big week for Maryland basketball as star point guard Melo Trimble withdrew from NBA Draft consideration on Wednesday and 4-star forward Justin Jackson flipped from UNLV to the Terps on Thursday. Over that 24 hour period UMD went from looking like it could be facing a rebuilding year to looking like a team that could make a deep run into the NCAA tournament.
Here I will look at what line ups we might see out of the Terrapins and what the incoming players can do, but first I have a couple questions that could be big for Maryland next season.
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Which Melo will we see?
His freshman year Trimble took the Big 10 and the nation by storm, averaging 16.2 points per game and being named first-team all-conference. His sophomore year, while still good, saw Trimble struggle, especially in games where Maryland needed him most. Obviously the Terps are happy to have him back either way, but his play could be the difference between being an NCAA Tournament team and one that can compete for a national championship.
Is Maryland done with the 2016 class?
The addition of Jackson could be a great end to what has turned out to be a very good recruiting class, but the Terps still have a scholarship spot open on next year’s team. There aren’t really any high school prospects available at this point, but one person who has had coaches at multiple programs taking notice is Valparaiso forward Alec Peters. Peters recently withdrew his name from NBA draft consideration and graduated from Valpo after three years, so it is possible that he decides he wants a change of scenery. At 6-foot-9 with a very developed game, Peters, a two-time first-team all-Horizon League player, would have no shortage of suitors should he decide to transfer, and it would be unsurprising if Maryland jumps into the mix.
Now, I will provide a breakdown of the incoming class and what we can expect from them in their first season in College Park.
Anthony Cowan, PG
Another WCAC point guard that is poised to have a nice career at Maryland, Cowan is a pure point guard who usually looks to create for teammates, but he can put up points when he needs to. He is extremely athletic and his motor is always running, which gives him the potential to be a lock-down defender. At 5-foot-11, he’s a bit undersized and he needs to work on his shot selection, but like Trimble, Cowan is the type that can make a significant contribution right away.
L.G. Gill
A graduate transfer from Duquesne, Gill will likely start for Maryland from the day he steps on campus. At 6-foot-8 he provides much needed size and skill to a frontcourt that was depleted by the departures of Diamond Stone and Robert Carter Jr. While not really a stretch-four, Gill does have some ability to knock down shots from the outside.
Kevin Huerter, SG
A long, athletic wing, Huerter brings lights out shooting to the Terps. You can expect to see him bring scoring and energy off the bench and contribute solid minutes when needed. At 6-foot-5, 170 pounds, he’ll need to add significant bulk to be able to compete inside against the bruisers of the Big 10.
Justin Jackson, SF
The latest addition to Maryland’s class might also be the most important. While naturally a wing, Jackson’s size (6-foot-7) and wingspan (7-foot-3) give him the ability to play in the post when needed, which he will be this season. He is a very good shooter and handles the ball well enough to run an offense. He’s a good, but not great, athlete and for someone with his size and length leaves a little to be desired when fighting for rebounds. Overall, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jackson play significant minutes, whether starting or off the bench, and make a big impact.
Micah Thomas, SF
A long, athletic wing out of Tennessee, Thomas likely won’t see significant minutes his first season, probably playing in a limited capacity or redshirting. The staff, however, likes his high upside and defensive ability, which combined with his athleticism and developing offensive game, could give him a very bright future in College Park.
With the slew of new additions come several combinations that Mark Turgeon can play. I’ll go through a few of my favorites.
Starting: PG Melo Trimble, SG Dion Wiley, SF Justin Jackson, PF L.G. Gill. C Damonte Dodd
This could be one of the best starting units in the nation if Trimble can return to form and Wiley is fully healthy. It could also be one of the top shooting starting lineups in the country, with Trimble, Wiley Jackson and Gill all able to knock down 3-pointers. Wiley being healthy also means that teams can’t put too much focus on Trimble or he’ll kick it to Wiley, a lights-out shooter, for an easy three points. This lineup also has good size for the college level with no one shorter than 6-foot-3 and three members taller than 6-foot-7.
Small Ball: PG Anthony Cowan, SG Melo Trimble, SF Dion Wiley, PF Justin Jackson, C L.G. Gill
I really like this lineup because it gives Cowan, who I think is one of the most underrated players in the 2016 class, the ability to create offense without having too much of a focus on him. It will also be nice to relieve some of the pressure off of Trimble by playing him off of the ball and getting him a few more open shots.
Shooting: PG Melo Trimble, SG Dion Wiley, SF Kevin Hueter, PF Jared Nickens, C Justin Jackson
This super-small lineup will also be super-scary for other teams because of literally everyone’s ability to knock down 3-pointers, whether open or not. Obviously this lineup wouldn’t be regularly deployed, but it would be fun to see the amount of points this quick, sweet-shooting combination would put up.
Andrew Feather is a multimedia journalist from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. Currently a broadcast journalism major at Elon University in Elon, N.C., Feather serves as the Assistant Sports Director of Elon Local News, the school’s award winning, student-run news broadcast.