As the recruiting period for the 2015 high school class nears an end, the Terps roster for next season has for the most part been formed. One potential piece still hangs out there with the possibility of Mark Turgeon bringing in former Duke guard Rasheed Suliamon. The current roster standing as is still puts the Terps as one of the top teams in the Big Ten and in the country.
In the first of two pieces breaking down next years Terps team, we’re going to look into the guard play for Maryland and what we should expect from four of Turgeon’s younger players.
For additional insight, Don Markus from the Baltimore Sun and Mike DeCourcy from Sporting News shared some of their thoughts.
(Discuss on the BSL board here)
Q: In year two with the Terps, what do you expect from Melo Trimble?
Markus: Given what he did as a freshman, the natural progression would be for Melo to become a more consistent shooter, a more willing passer and a better on-the-ball defender. His shooting and passing should improve based on the fact that defenses can’t be geared toward taking the ball out of his hands, since the Terps will have new weapons such as Robert Carter Jr. and Diamond Stone as well as a potential second ball handler in Jaylen Brantley. Given the hype that will follow Trimble into the season – possibly as a preseason All-American and Big Ten player of the year – the pressure will certainly be on him. Considering what he did last season, I can see Trimble averaging around the same amount of points (16.2) with the potential to double his assist total (from 3 to 6) and be among the best players in the country.
DeCourcy: I think he should be a tremendous player, one of the best in the country. There are things that he needed to learn, especially from what happened at the end of last year. The West Virginia game he obviously got hurt, but prior to the injury he felt himself getting roughed up a bit and didn’t respond the way one would expect a great player to respond. I think he’ll learn from things like that and we’ll see one of the best players in college basketball. He’s a terrific talent and with the people that are around him, adding Diamond Stone with the physicality and Jake Layman with the chance to become a terrific option, I think that everything is really setup for Melo to burst forward.
On the defensive end, I don’t know that he’s built to be a great defender, but I think what he needs to do as a sophomore is use the understanding of the game that he should have with another year of experience to understand how to play certain players, how to play certain gaps, how to backoff certain guys and crowd certain guys. All those things should be there for him now as a veteran player.
Garman: Melo was terrific as a freshman and emerged as one of the top players in the conference. Heading into year two, I am looking for Melo to become more of a distributor and not be the team’s leading scorer again. The points per game was huge for the team last year and it’s what they needed from him to be successful, but with more talent around him next year, he shouldn’t need to be a high volume scorer. I’m intrigued to see him play with skilled big men and how they will work together in the offense. The pick and roll game between Trimble and Stone or Trimble and Carter could be fun to watch next year.
I want to see Trimble improve on the defensive end of the floor. There were times last season where he was lit up by an opposing point guard, particularly against Yogi Ferrell and Indiana. He doesn’t need to be a lockdown defender on the perimeter, but just being able to get stops in big spots will go a long way for the Terps defense.
Q: How do you see Turgeon using Brantley next season? Primarily backup point guard or could he see time at shooting guard?
Markus: It depends on how teams play the Terps and how good a defender Brantley can become. Since Mark Turgeon likes to have at least two ball handlers in the offense, I can see Brantley getting major minutes at both positions – unless the Terps add a graduate transfer as they did last season with Richaud Pack. Though smaller than Pack, Brantley is more skilled, more athletic and could be one of the best shooters on the team based on his history. Pack played major minutes for most of the season because of his perimeter defense. If former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon decides to transfer to Maryland, that will impact the rotation for not only Brantley, but for the rest of the perimeter players as well.
DeCourcy: The thing with junior college players is it usually takes them a year to get really good if they have really good in them. Only the most exception guys come right in and make a huge impact. I don’t think Melo is going to need a ton of rest. He’s a guy that can play 32 minutes a game without much trouble. It will be nice to have a backup in a circumstance where Melo gets in foul trouble or needed to take an amount of rest. I don’t think he’s going to come out of a lot of games for long stretches.
Garman: A lot of the time Brantley sees will depend on how quick he can adjust to a higher level of basketball. In games where the Terps are struggling for offense from their wings and big men, Turgeon could put Brantley at point guard and slide Trimble to shooting guard and allow him to generate more offense. If the two are on the court together, it is more likely that Brantley will be at point guard, unless he proves that he can score at a high rate.
With losing his two best perimeter defenders in Richaud Pack and Dez Wells, Turgeon will need someone to step up and be that go to guy on the defensive end. This is an opportunity for Brantley to find a niche with the team and find consistent playing time.
Q: What are the areas you would like to see the most improvement from Nickens and Wiley?
Markus: Jared Nickens was one of the biggest surprises in the Big Ten last season, though most of his contribution came in being able to knock down 3-pointers at crucial moments. Nickens has demonstrated some ability to put the ball on the floor, and he needs to keep working on getting more of a midrange game in order to keep defenses honest. For Nickens to continue playing quality minutes, the most improvement will have to come on the defensive end, where he was still a liability at times toward the end of last season. As for Wiley, he needs to get the opportunity to improve during games, not just in practice. Wiley took some strides on the defensive end toward the end of last season, which is why he saw more time in the NCAA tournament. Wiley could be the player most impacted if Sulaimon winds up in College Park, and it will be interesting to see how Turgeon rotates his guards if that happens.
DeCourcy: I guess some of it depends on what Mark (Turgeon) decides to do with his lineup. Bringing in Carter and then getting Stone gives him the option if he wants to play Jake at the small forward, but I would not look at that as ideal. I don’t know that Jake is quite dynamic enough and that trio in general would be dynamic enough to be a great defensive front court, so I don’t know if that would be the way to go. If he does, then that would mean one set of parameters for Dion and if he decides to use Dion as his primary small forward which he is a terrific athlete and I think he has great ability with the chance to be a very special player. If that’s the direction he goes then there’s a lot more pressure on him to be successful and there’s a lot more weight on him, but there’s also a lot more opportunity for him…I think if he’s called upon to be the primary three man, that he’s ready to do that. I think he could have delivered more last year than he did, but he he was playing behind one of the best players in the conference.
Jared was a great find. Not a player I knew much about before he came in. He showed himself as a shot maker, can handle the ball a little bit and he’ll grow as a ball handler. By the time he’s a junior I think he’ll be a complete shooting guard. He’s a guy that can start for you and you’re not going to feel bad about that at all, you’re going to feel like he’s a quality college two guard.
Garman: Nickens really emerged as a key player for the Terps last year and seemingly separated himself from Wiley heading into year two. With the roster currently as is (without Suliamon), Nickens will likely be the starting shooting guard and I will look for him to continue improving as an offensive talent. He’s mainly a pure shooter a year ago, but next year I’d like to see more scoring off the dribble. Whether it’s attacking the basket or jump shots off the dribble, Nickens needs to his progress as a scorer and be that guy to stretch the defense with his long range shooting.
Wiley seems like the guard with the most to prove next season. More time on the floor will definitely help him show his capability and what he could bring to the team, but if Suliamon comes to Maryland, Wiley could be the odd man out in Turgeon’s rotation. When he’s on the floor, I want to see Wiley play his role in the offense by getting the ball to the bigs in the post and knocking down open jump shots. On defense is where Wiley can make the biggest contribution. His size and athleticism makes him the best option to be the team’s best perimeter defender and being that guy could be the difference between minimal and significant playing time for Wiley.
Chris Garman attended Mount St. Mary’s University where he studied in Communications. He is a native of Steelton, Pa. and has covered Maryland Men’s Basketball and Football for PressBox since 2012. Chris previously covered High School Football for The Patriot News in Harrisburg, Pa. He can be reached by email at: crgarman103@gmail.com.