Maryland Basketball: Terrapins can still recover from Kevin Huerter’s departure

Maryland Basketball took a big hit at the deadline with Kevin Huerter leaving for the NBA. But don’t count out the Terrapins for the 2018-19 season.

Few teams had a more impactful first two months of the college basketball off-season than Maryland Basketball. Things got off to a bad start when sophomore forward Justin Jackson (who missed the latter part of the season with an injury) declared for the  2018 NBA Draft.

His departure was a bit surprising considering the lack of momentum he had due to his absence. But more decisions had to be made.

Towards the end of the withdrawal date for the NBA Draft with the underclassmen, a mix of good and bads news occurred. First came the decision of freshman center Bruno Fernando to come back to Maryland. The 6’10 big man averaging 6.5 rpg this past season, while displaying great potential on the offensive end.

He won’t be joined by Kevin Huerter, who liked the information he received from the process and chose to stay in the draft. The 6’7 wing was a big part of the Terrapins’ plans, averaging 14.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 3.4 apg while shooting 42% from three-point range. He’s a likely first-round pick, so him leaving isn’t a shocker. Still, it’s a huge blow for the team for next year.

But not all is lost for Coach Mark Turgeon and the team, as there’s still All-Big Ten talent on the roster. Leading scorer and passer Anthony Cowan will be a junior and shows shades of Melo Trimble, a past Maryland star. He, Fernando and rising sophomore Darryl Morsell are the key returning players that will have to step up their respective games to remain a factor in the Big Ten.

Reinforcements are coming as well. 2018 Five-star forward Jalen Smith will take over for Jackson – with a potentially higher ceiling. For as replacing the production and size of Huerter, guards Aaron Wiggins and Eric Ayala has great talent and will be impact players on game one. Each of them is top-75 prospects.

Next: Top 10 Players to Play for Mark Turgeon

Maryland had a chance to be a preseason top-10 team had everyone return. That won’t be the case, but the Terrapins still have enough playmakers to make a run for an NCAA Tournament bid, as well as still contending for a top-tier finish in the Big Ten.