Perhaps no one has been more synonymous with the Terps’ turnaround to success than sophomore forward Julian Reese.
A four-star, consensus top-60 recruit who committed to Maryland under former head coach Mark Turgeon, Reese’s collegiate career has been unorthodox, to say the least. Reese played just eight games before Turgeon and the university parted ways. Once interim head coach Danny Manning took over the 5-3 Terps, though, Reese’s freshman year turned into a crapshoot.
Reese showed flashes in year one, such as dunking all over All-American Kofi Cockburn, but his physicality was a concern. Once Maryland’s 2021-22 season ended at 15-17, Reese had plenty of valid reasons to search for greener pastures, had he wanted to.