Maryland Terrapins: Exceeding expectations without Dez Wells
By John Parker
Maryland Terrapins Head Coach Mark Turgeon was the subject of criticism after the team lost five scholarship players to transfer during the offseason. After a surprising 5-0 start, including a victory over preseason Top 15 team Iowa State, Turgeon’s team suffered another blow when leading scorer Dez Wells broke his wrist. Since losing its star, Maryland has continued to surprise. The Terrapins are 6-1 without Wells, including a 73-64 over Oklahoma State last Sunday in Stillwater. So far, the only blemish on the team’s record is a 76-65 defeat at the hands of 6th ranked Virginia.
Nov 25, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard/forward Dez Wells (44) shoots the ball as Iowa State Cyclones guard Bryce Dejean-Jones (13) defends during the second half at Sprint Center. Maryland won 72-63. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The emergence of junior Jake Layman and highly touted freshman Melo Trimble is the key to Maryland’s success this season. Layman is averaging 17.3 points per game in Wells’ absence, up from the 13.4 he averaged through the team’s first five games.
Layman, a 6-foot-8 wing, is doing much of his damage from beyond the 3-point arc: almost a third of his shots have come from long range, and he’s knocked down over 40% of them so far. Layman is also the team’s leading rebounder, collecting 5.7 per game.
Trimble, a 6-foot-2 local product that ESPN ranked 29th in the class of 2014, trails only Wells and Layman in scoring with 15.8 points per game. Trimble joined Maryland widely regarded as a shooting guard, but has excelled as the Terrapins’ primary ballhandler, leading the team with 3.1 assists. He’s also one of just two players in the rotation with more assists than turnovers. Trimble is doing a great job of replacing Seth Allen, a starter from last year’s team who surprised many when he left the program to play for Buzz Williams at Virginia Tech.
Admittedly, a major part of the reason that Maryland looks poised for a top three finish in Big 10 play is that teams projected to finish near the top of the conference aren’t performing up to normal standards. Defending conference champion Michigan’s struggles are well documented after losing Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III to the NBA, Jordan Morgan to graduation, and Jon Horford to Florida via a transfer.
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But the Wolverines aren’t the only top team struggling: Michigan State dropped an overtime contest with Texas Southern a week ago, knocking the Spartans out of the Top 25 while moving Texas Southern to 2-8 on the year. A year after bursting onto the scene, Nebrasketball’s encore is off to a rocky start: the Huskers already lost to Rhode Island, Incarnate Word and Hawaii with the same core that earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament last year. In a season where so many of the conference’s teams are faltering, Maryland looks ready to make some unexpected noise in the Big 10.
Friday night, news broke that Wells will return to the court for today’s game against Oakland, one game before Maryland opens Big 10 play against Michigan State. On paper, that’s perfect timing for the Terrapins, but given how well the team is performing in his absence it’ll be interesting to see if it affects chemistry at all. If he’s able to jell with teammates after a month away, the Terrapins will finish near the top of a struggling Big 10 and will be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament.