Maryland loses star guard Melo Trimble, but a trio of talented sophomores should lead the Terps back to the NCAA Tournament. Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter, and Justin Jackson will establish themselves as household names on the national stage.
Maryland had a strong 2016-17 season, where they fluctuated in and out of the top 25 before falling to Xavier in the NCAA tournament. While some fans may be disappointed with the early postseason exit, it is important to remember how much talent the Terps lost from the year before.
The Terps lost four starters from their 2015-16 team: Jake Layman, Rasheed Sulaimon, Robert Carter, and Diamond Stone. Stone and Layman were both selected in the NBA Draft, Carter played overseas, and Sulaimon played in the D-League.
After losing this much talent, it is remarkable that Maryland had such a successful season. Their accomplishments are even more impressive when you consider that these future pros were mostly replaced by freshmen.
These freshman, Kevin Huerter, Anthony Cowan, and Justin Jackson, quickly adapted to the college level and provided Maryland with invaluable production. The fact that Maryland performed so well with such a young roster bodes well for the next few seasons, especially when you consider that these freshmen were not seen as elite recruits.
Cowan, Huerter, and Jackson all were ranked between 60 and 90 in the 247 composite ranking. This was not a typical Duke or Kentucky recruiting class where multiple top ten freshmen lead the team. Maryland struck gold in what should have been a rebuilding season.
The three freshmen gained experience playing in high leverage situations which will further their development. They are poised for break-out seasons where they will become household names in the Big Ten and on the national stage.
Here is a breakdown on what to expect from Jackson, Cowan, and Huerter this season.
Justin Jackson PF
Justin Jackson is Maryland’s best player and will replace Melo Trimble as the face of the program. Jackson is a 6’7 PF who averaged 10.5ppg and 6.0rpg last season. 6’7 may seem small for a PF, but Jackson has an incredible 7’3 wingspan to make up for his lack of positional size.
Three-point shooting is Jackson’s specialty. He made 46 three pointers at a 43.8% clip which is extremely impressive for any player, but even more so for a freshman. Jackson excels in the pick and pop where his shooting ability creates some much-needed floor spacing in the Maryland offense. The defense must respect Jackson’s jump shot on the pop which opens driving lanes for the ball handler.
Jackson is more than just a shooter which makes him such an intriguing prospect. He can attack closeouts to finish at the rim when defenders overplay his jump shot and he possesses the quickness to beat bigger defenders off the dribble at the high post.
The talented sophomore earned some NBA draft buzz towards the end of the season and was one of the 67 players invited to the combine. Jackson played well at the combine and probably would have been a second-round pick, but he decided to return to school.
Jackson will be recognized as one of the top players in the Big Ten conference. He should average around 16ppg and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his strong three-point percentage with an increase in attempts. In terms of NBA draft stock, Jackson looks like a late first round pick, but could obviously climb draft boards with a breakout season.
If Jackson can take the predicted step forward, then Maryland will be in great shape for another tournament appearance.
Anthony Cowan PG
Cowan has the unenviable task of replacing star guard Melo Trimble, but the transition should be a relatively smooth one. Cowan was Maryland’s starting PG last season and shared the ball handling duties with Trimble. Maryland moved Trimble off the ball to get him more scoring opportunities, but he still had the ball in his hands for most of the game.
Listed at 6’0, Cowan does not have the size that Trimble has, but he makes up for it with tremendous speed and quickness. He uses this quickness to break down the defense where he can find open teammates or finish at the rim. However, Cowan is at his best in transition since his blazing speed puts significant pressure on the defense.
With Trimble gone, Cowan will have the ball in his hands at end of the shot-clock situations and should see an increase in scoring. Cowan averaged 10.3ppg last season but could average 13 or 14ppg this season.
Like most freshman starting PGs, turnovers and decision making were problems for Cowan. Cowan flashed great court vision (3.7 assists per game), but only managed a 1.61 A/TO ratio which is way too low for a high-end starter.
If Cowan can improve his decision making, he will establish himself as one of the best PGs in the country. 13 points and 5 assists per game would be a terrific season and it is a very reasonable projection for Cowan.
Kevin Huerter SG/SF
Kevin Huerter is Maryland’s third standout sophomore and is also in line for a break out season. Huerter is a 6’6 wing who can really shoot the basketball. He shot 37% from three on 65 makes and averaged 9.3ppg.
Huerter has a versatile shooting skill set since he can shoot coming off screens and pull-up for mid-range jumpers. At 6’6, Huerter has good size which allows him to shoot over smaller defenders.
The sophomore wing is more than just a shooter. Huerter is a quality defender and a high IQ player who contributes in multiple categories. He averaged 4.9 rebounds per game, but his 2.7 assists per game may be his most impressive statistic.
He played most of his minutes at SF last season, but it looks like he will play more SG this season when analyzing the Maryland roster. This is a minor transition, but it will give Huerter a size advantage more often.
This summer, Huerter played with the USA U-19 team which was handpicked by Kentucky coach John Calipari. While Huerter did not see significant minutes, being selected over many talented players shows just how good he is.
Huerter will be featured much more frequently on offense and should average around 14ppg. If Huerter can maintain his high-level shooting, he will begin to generate NBA draft buzz as a potential second round pick.
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The trio of Jackson, Cowan, and Huerter will allow Maryland to transition seamlessly from the Melo Trimble era. Led by these three sophomores, Maryland looks like a potential NCAA tournament team and the Terps could even crack the top 25 if they get enough help from the supporting cast. Jackson, Cowan, and Huerter are poised for break-out sophomore seasons where they will earn even more national recognition.