Guillermo Del Pino wasn’t used to this.
The freshman earned his third consecutive start for Maryland men’s basketball on Nov. 7 against Georgetown. His first touch came as he received an inbounds pass and turned upcourt, facing a defender.
Del Pino took a dribble, tried a crossover — and threw the ball into his left heel. It rolled away. His defender took possession and forced Del Pino into a foul under the basket. Twenty seconds later, head coach Buzz Williams pulled him out of the game. He wouldn’t
return.
Del Pino’s last official play before coming to College Park was sinking a game-winning three-pointer for Spain’s national team at the U18 Eurobasket tournament. He’d scored the last nine points for the country in a dramatic win to repeat as gold-medal winners.
Just 95 days later, he couldn’t get back in the game for Maryland, even as his team slumped to a lackluster defeat against Georgetown.
For Del Pino, starting over in America was a tremendous bet on himself, the most difficult decision the Spaniard could have made. Coming to Maryland meant taking on a new identity and leaving everything behind. It’s a bet that Del Pino hopes will pay off — for his future, and for the future of the Spanish game.
Several programs were interested in Del Pino, one of the brightest talents to take his skills out of Spain in years.
“Above all, the coach. I had heard a lot about him, and … [Maryland] had the coach, the program, that convinced me the most,” Del Pino said in Spanish.
There are 27 Spanish-born players currently on Division I men’s basketball squads.4 Of those, many played at American academies and high schools. Few moved just for college, like Del Pino.
To complicate things further, Del Pino entered a whirlwind situation in College Park. Williams was hired after Kevin Willard and his entire roster departed, tasked with rebuilding from scratch.
The new coach brought together 15 players who had to learn to be a team — a difficult ask for anyone, let alone one from 3,797 miles away. Del Pino also had to learn English, a language he had little prior experience with.
“Being in a place that you know nothing about and [are] unfamiliar with is hard for anybody,” teammate Andre Mills said. “When he first came, he barely spoke, and now he’s very vocal, and now he’s making jokes to everybody, laughing with people, just getting comfortable.”12
The head coach, with his quintessentially American drawl and persona, elected to call Guillermo “Willy,” a nickname that has stuck with teammates. And as he warmed up to the team, they welcomed him.
“I love his spirit,” Williams said. “I would say he’s the most favorite player within the program. Our players, in a very genuine way, rally around protecting him.”11a
But anglicizing his game has been tougher than anglicizing his name. Basketball is played at a higher tempo, and far more physically, in the United States than in Europe.
Offenses take their time in Spain, letting players set up a play before executing. Play that slowly in America, and the ball is gone — as Del Pino learned early, with opponents pressing him in transition after the error against Georgetown.
The guard needed to learn to process faster and play more independently while bulking his wiry, 183-pound frame.
“It’s day by day. The staff and I are conscious that I have to get strong, prepare myself well for this game,” Del Pino said in Spanish.
Injuries decimated Maryland throughout camp. By the time its exhibition game against UMBC on Oct. 27 rolled around, Maryland had eight healthy players overall and only three healthy guards. Del Pino was one of them, and got the start.
But as Del Pino sat waiting for his pregame introduction, the arena’s announcer made a mistake.
The Spaniard’s name was supposed to be called third, after Darius Adams and Mills; instead, it was called second. It was too late to stop the procession; Mills, wearing a grimace, slapped hands as Xfinity Center was falsely introduced to their new freshman from Córdoba.
After a brief pause, the announcer moved onto Mills’ name — he ran through his teammates again. Del Pino’s introductory moment had come and gone.
The Spaniard stayed seated on the bench until the other starters had been named and the lights were back on. He sheepishly trotted over to the officials and shook hands.
Del Pino’s introductory game came and went in much the same way. He only attempted three shots and never looked comfortable on the ball, despite playing all but 90 seconds. He finished with six points, one rebound, one assist, two turnovers, a block and two steals — contributions everywhere, just not many of them.
In the official season opener against Coppin State, a public address announcer again erred with Del Pino. His name was called first this time, even more out of order.
Against Georgetown, Del Pino finally got a proper entrance — and promptly committed a turnover that led to a game-long benching. It was his only stat in 56 seconds of play as Maryland lost, 70-60.
“[The run] wasn’t Willy’s fault, but when he just gave it to him six inches from the rim, that was probably the right decision by me, not giving him the opportunity to get back,” Williams said.
The Spaniard was demoted from the starting lineup. But in his very next game, against Alcorn State, Del Pino showed signs of life.
The game was moving faster for him. He showed some American-style grit on a big block but didn’t lose the Spanish flair, with a smooth three-point shot getting the crowd on its feet.
He took four shots and made three, while assisting two more. The Spaniard played 13 minutes and didn’t have a turnover.
Finally, the talent Williams knew was there was evident. Del Pino looked more like the 2023 U16 Eurobasket’s Most Valuable Player than the scared American import. He flashed that talent again in a blowout loss to No. 16 Alabama, with 10 points in 20 minutes on another 3-of-4 shooting night.
Del Pino knew he had that ability all along — that’s why he’s in America. And he’s confident he knows how to mentally draw it out.
“Just remember where you’re coming from,” Del Pino said.
