Maryland men’s basketball’s roster overhaul saw head coach Buzz Williams bring in several bigger-name juniors and seniors to take key roles. At the same time, Williams was happy to establish a base of young talent in his first season — which, while lacking a singular star like Derik Queen, is far more diverse.
The Terps brought in five true freshmen. But with the injuries continuing to pile up, several of these players have a chance to establish themselves now.
One freshman was already expected to
have an important role entering this season. 247Sports composite five-star guard Darius Adams was a top 30 recruit in the nation coming out of high school. Standing at 6-foot-5 and possessing scoring ability at several levels, Adams had his pick of schools and ultimately committed to UConn over schools including Michigan State, Tennessee and Alabama.
But with transfers crowding the UConn backcourt, Adams decommitted on April 19. Ten days later, he was a Terp.
Adams immediately projects as at least a rotation player in Maryland’s backcourt. He played every second of the Terps’ exhibition game against UMBC, where he was heavily involved in everything they did.
While he finished just 3-for-13, Adams showed an ability to drive downhill and get himself to the free throw line. With the status of several of Maryland’s projected starting guards in the air, he has the opportunity to make himself un-benchable — not that that’s weighing too heavily on his mind.
“It was a regular game for me, you know, just trying to go out there and do what I did,” Adams said after the game. “We got a couple guys out, so I’m just trying to step up. And you know, we’re prepared for that.”
The Terp that quietly finished with the second-most minutes Sunday was Guillermo Del Pino, an intriguing project for Williams and his staff. Del Pino, a 6-foot-5 guard who hails from Córdoba, Spain, has been a staple on the youth international circuit.
Del Pino was the MVP of the FIBA Under-16 European Championship in 2023 while averaging just under 15 points per game, and he hit the game-winning shot for Spain in the FIBA Under-18 European Championship in July while averaging just under 12 points per game.
Despite spending just 90 seconds on the bench Monday, Del Pino only attempted three field goals. He finished with six points, one assist, one block and two steals, making contributions on both ends of the court. It’s seemingly taking him some time to find comfort and grow into the game — which is understandable, given he barely speaks English.
At the Terps’ media day, Del Pino admitted in Spanish that he hadn’t previously studied much English but is working on the language day by day. Williams and Maryland fans will need to be patient. The potential is undeniably there.
But the most intriguing freshman appearance for the Terps Monday was Aleks Alston. The 6-foot-10 forward from Chicago was a three-star prospect coming out of high school, having averaged 17 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while showing an impressive ability from beyond the arc for a player of his stature.
The stretch wing looked stretched to his limits for most of the game Monday, however. Forced into extended time on the court by injuries and foul trouble for Andre Mills, Alston had an up-and-down game on both ends of the court, getting tangled with teammates and targeted in transition but also making a few important moves. He finished with one point and two rebounds.
Guard Nick Blake and guard/forward Jaziah Harper round out the Terps’ freshman class. Neither player was involved in the exhibition game against UMBC, though.
Blake, the son of Maryland legend Steve Blake, was originally committed to Division III Scranton before being offered a spot rounding out the Terps’ bench. He projects to be a spot-up shooter in college.
Harper was a three-star prospect at the forward position. He’ll provide Maryland with an extra bit of physicality and rebounding on the frontcourt at 6-foot-7 while also having shot 37 percent from deep in high school.
Harper, Alston and Blake were the last three players to commit to Maryland, finalizing their decisions in late May.
