G Anthony Cowan Jr. (SR)
Having Anthony Cowan Jr. back for his senior year at the point guard spot is good for the Terps in terms of continuity and senior leadership at that position. Plus, it gives him an opportunity to improve his game and garner more attention from NBA scouts as he will most likely declare again for the 2020 NBA Draft.
He led the team in minutes played (35) points per game (15.6) and assists (4.4). Cowan Jr. will have to take his game to another level. Not only for himself but his team. That starts with him being a consistent shooter from the field. In 2018, he struggled shooting the ball against Purdue in the 62-60 loss where he went 4-of-17 shooting (23 percent). Even though the Terps beat Wisconsin at home in January, Cowan Jr. shot 4-of-14 (28 percent).
In the 69-55 loss against Michigan State, January 21, he shot 3-of-12 from the field and 1-of-6 from behind the three-point line. When the Terps narrowly escaped the Belmont Bruins in last year’s NCAA Tournament, he shot the ball at a 16 percent rate (3-of-18) and 1-of-10 (10 percent) from the three-point line.
This season, the Terps are going to go as far as Cowan Jr. can take them. He has done great things for the Maryland basketball program under Mark Turgeon. It is well documented that he has strong ties to the University of Maryland, and he spoke about wanting to leave a legacy there.
Hopefully, his legacy includes a deeper NCAA Tournament run and maybe, just maybe, an NCAA championship in College Park.