Maryland Basketball: Qudus Wahab is critical to Terrapins success in 2021-22
By Karl Heiser
Qudus Wahab is critical to the success of Maryland Basketball this season
Back in April, Maryland Basketball landed big man Qudus Wahab via transfer from Georgetown. The Nigerian center had just averaged 12.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game while closing out the year with a First-Team All-Big East Tournament selection. This pickup was lauded at the time, but Wahab may be even more important to UMD’s success in the 2021-22 season than originally thought.
Mark Turgeon has had his fair share of quality bigs come through College Park over the years, including Alex Len, Bruno Fernando, and Jalen Smith. For each of these three examples, a significant portion of the Terrapins‘ game plan revolved around their post presence. The lack of such a player was clearly felt last season. Forced to play 6’8″ Donta Scott as a small-ball five with no other reliable frontcourt options, Maryland Basketball finished the year ranked 234th in the country for rebounding rate per TeamRankings.com.
Three games into this season, Wahab has already shown that he is critical to fulfilling the Terps’ needs in the paint. The first game versus Quinnipiac saw him score 17 points and pull down six boards. He then exploded for 18 points and 15 rebounds against George Washington. Wahab’s role was limited in the Vermont game, but he still managed to grab eight rebounds while helping stifle the Catamounts in the second half.
Wahab is averaging 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game so far. For reference, no one on Maryland’s 2020-21 roster averaged six rebounds or one block per game. Any offensive boost Maryland gets is a bonus. Qudus Wahab is scoring 13.7 points per game on 70.8% shooting from the field. With scorers like Eric Ayala and Fatts Russell in the backcourt, he shouldn’t need to keep that up, but it’s certainly nice to have. His defense and rebounding will be especially important when it comes to Big Ten play.
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Having an answer for bigs like Kofi Cockburn, Hunter Dickinson, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and others in the Big Ten is necessary for the Terrapins to reach their potential. Qudus Wahab might be that answer. He may not be the most talented player on Maryland’s roster, but he is arguably the most important given the dangerous post players in their conference.