Maryland basketball guards Varun Ram and Trevor Anzmann didn’t lead the team in minutes played, scoring or rebounding last season.
Those honors went to guards Rasheed Sulaimon and Melo Trimble and forward Robert Carter Jr., respectively, all of whom were starters for a Terps squad that reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003. Ram and Anzmann, meanwhile, averaged 4.4 and 2.4 minutes, respectively.
Still, the duo attended every workout, practice and game, putting in as much time on the court and in the weight room as the rest of their teammates.
They excelled in the classroom, too, which was evident from both players being named Big Ten Distinguished Scholars on July 6. Ram and Anzmann were two of 32 Maryland student athletes to receive the honor, which is given to those who have achieved at least a 3.7 GPA the previous academic year.
“It’s a great honor to be on that list,” Anzmann said. “I mean, especially with guys like Varun, who obviously are extremely intelligent.”
Anzmann graduated in May with a degree in aerospace engineering, while Ram earned a degree in physiology and neurobiology the year before. In returning to play his redshirt senior season with the Terps, Ram pursued his master’s degree in supply chain management.
Both players knew what they wanted to study before stepping on Maryland’s campus.
Anzmann excelled in math and science courses at Westminster Senior High School, so when he made a short trip to College Park, he visited the aerospace department. Shortly after checking out the departmental facilities, which included the subsonic wind tunnels, he was sold.
Ram said he had a passion for science since elementary school, making his decision of what to major in a simple one as well.
Yet it took both players much longer to wind up with Turgeon and the Terps basketball team.
A Clarksville native, Ram started his college basketball career at Trinity College in Connecticut before transferring closer to home. In addition to being a part of two of the best seasons in Maryland history, Ram was an All-Big Ten Academic selection and two-time recipient of the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar award.
Anzmann began his academic career at Maryland but didn’t join the Terps until his senior season. He actually played for the women’s basketball scout team his sophomore and junior seasons before his friends convinced him to try out for the men’s squad. Despite limited playing time, Anzmann experienced two NCAA Tournaments after the program failed to make the dance the previous five seasons.
“Somehow Varun always made it look easy, but I know how challenging it was to achieve such academic success while also competing in Division I basketball,” Turgeon said. “Trevor … has an extremely bright future. He was always a pleasure to coach and have as a member of our basketball program.”
In pursuing majors that are traditionally more difficult, both players said basketball helped with their academics. It forced Ram to set aside time to complete his coursework, even if it meant sacrificing part of his social life or other interests he had outside of school.
“I feel like playing basketball for the school and being a student complemented each other,” Ram said. “Whenever I was tired of one of them, I used the other as an escape.”
Although playing basketball took away Ram’s opportunity to gain internship experience while at Maryland, he accepted a consulting job around Washington, D.C.
Anzmann said that for the past six to eight months, he’s been teaching himself the computer programming language, C, with the hope of creating different types of mobile apps. He said he’s always been interested in starting a business, and this is one of three he’s currently working on.
He also continues to work out, playing basketball and lifting five days per week to stay in shape.
With real-world problems looming, the basketball court affords him a chance to get away.
“It’s always been sort of a stress relief for me,” Anzmann said. “It still kind of functions like that for me where I can go work out for an hour and not worry about anything but my jump shot.”
