Freedom and trust.
The Terrapins men’s basketball team’s offense seems built around those two principles. Coach Mark Turgeon puts his trust in his players, and in turn, they get to play with freedom on the offensive end.
So with the Terps trailing by three at halftime against No. 18 Purdue on Saturday, Turgeon reminded his team that his system requires them to take smarter shots and make better passes. The Terps responded, outscoring the Boilermakers by 14 points over the final 20 minutes.
With a veteran-laden team, it’s an approach Turgeon feels comfortable with entering Tuesday’s matchup with Division II Bowie State (13-9) at Xfinity Center.
“Coach trusts us. He kind of has a saying, if you just do your work on defense, that he’ll give us the freedom offensively,” guard Rasheed Sulaimon said. “Kind of like a compromise, I guess you can say, a give-and-take type thing.”
The Terps (21-3) have prided themselves on the defensive end this season, as they boast the third-best scoring defense in the Big Ten and the 26th best in the nation. When their shots haven’t been falling on offense, the defense has kept the team in games like the Terps’ 62-56 overtime win over Northwestern on Jan. 19.
So as they stifle opposing offenses, Turgeon has turned over some offensive control to the players.
“He just wants us to play defense,” forward Robert Carter Jr. said. “Our talent on offense and our work ethic on our off days take care of itself on the offensive end.”
And though the offense has struggled at times, the Terps are among the most efficient shooting teams in the nation. Their 49.3 percent field-goal percentage ranks second in the Big Ten and ninth in the country.
Turgeon was especially pleased with the Terps’ shot selection in the final six minutes of Saturday’s win. After Carter drilled a 3-pointer, they took four layups, shot 15 free throws and attempted just two jumpers as they closed out the game on a 25-10 run.
“Our execution is really good, and for the most part, we are making good decisions,” Turgeon said. “I like what we are doing. I like what we are running. Our guys have a great feel for it, and as the year goes on, they know what’s a good shot and they adjust to the way a defense is guarding them.”
Turgeon first implemented the free-form system last year, but he said the offense is better at running it this season. The fifth-year coach said that stems from him coaching it better and the team knowing it better.
Guard Melo Trimble has been orchestrating the offense for nearly 60 games. Plus, he has three fourth-year players starting around him.
“We have a good offensive playbook,” Sulaimon said. “It’s a lot of reads. It’s a lot of trust between the players out there. Even the sets and the plays [Turgeon] calls, it may not be a definitive thing. It’s based on how the defense is playing it.”
Said Turgeon: “Execution is what it’s all about. And they do have freedom, but they don’t take advantage of it.”
Against Purdue, Turgeon conceded he was “overcoaching” at times. Then down the stretch, he let Trimble and Sulaimon take over.
It’s what the offense is designed to let his backcourt do.
“It’s been working so far,” Sulaimon said. “We are trusting in him and we are trusting in each other.”
