Terrapins men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon told his players to stay away from the gym Sunday. He didn’t even want them thinking about basketball.
After a stretch of four games in 10 days, including two contests against top-25 teams, they needed a break, Turgeon said.
But forward Robert Carter Jr., a self-proclaimed basketball junkie, loves being in the gym.
“It was good for most people,” Carter said of the day off.
So did Carter follow Turgeon’s guidelines?
“I don’t have any comments on that,” the redshirt junior said with a smile.
While Carter might have gotten a little extra work in Sunday, the Terps took Turgeon’s message to heart.
They relaxed.
Some went to church in the morning. There was a Super Bowl party, hosted by guards Melo Trimble, Jared Nickens and Andrew Terrell. Turgeon hopes that rest keeps the Terps refreshed heading into the final seven regular-season games, starting Tuesday against Division II Bowie State.
“When we’re in the middle of the season like this, we don’t really get much breaks,” guard Rasheed Sulaimon said. “We took advantage of yesterday, but now we’re right back in it.”
Following the Terps’ game against the Bulldogs, they finish the season with six Big Ten matchups, including a trip to No. 18 Purdue. The Terps beat the Boilermakers 72-61 in College Park on Saturday behind a combined 40 points from Sulaimon (21) and Carter (19).
After the game, Turgeon said the Terps were tired as a team. So the Terps had a rare free Sunday.
“Yesterday was just for us to enjoy what we accomplished over the four-game stretch, to go 4-0 and kind of take a deep breath,” Sulaimon said before practice Monday.
But Carter might not have even taken a hiatus. Regardless, he was one of the first players on the court Monday. And after finishing meeting with the media, Carter returned to the floor and started hoisting up shots as Sulaimon faced an assortment of microphones and cameras.
“As you can see, guys are already in the gym,” Sulaimon said with Carter shooting jumpers just feet away.
