Over the past six years, Dez Wells’ life has been plagued by loss.

During the summer after his senior year at Word of God Christian Academy, the Terrapins men’s basketball guard lost a close friend in a car crash. His name was Detrique Baker, one of Wells’ teammates on the Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based CP3 All-Stars AAU team. Baker, who died in 2010, is the reason Wells changed his number from 32 to 44 before this season, his final go-round in College Park.

Two years later, after his freshman year at Xavier, Wells endured another hardship. In a shocking announcement that stemmed from allegations of sexual assault, Xavier expelled Wells for a “serious violation of the Code of Conduct.” The decision left the former Musketeers star without a home, a team, an education or a place to play the sport he loved.

What’s more, Wells had lost his basic right to fair judgment during the taxing episode. Two months after the expulsion, an Ohio grand jury rejected criminal charges against Wells and bashed Xavier in a statement, claiming the university’s investigation was “seriously flawed.”

With a damaged reputation, Wells, who will play his final home game as a Terp on Saturday against Michigan, moved on to College Park for the 2012 season.

But the losses kept coming.

This time, it came in the form of a blown opportunity.

In Wells’ first season with the Terps, he led them to the National Invitation Tournament semifinals as their leading scorer. And with a number of returning contributors, coach Mark Turgeon’s squad was projected to vie for an NCAA tournament spot in 2013.

What occurred was far from that.

Teammates clashed with one another and with coaches. The atmosphere around the program became toxic. The Terps dropped games they had no business losing and finished 17-15 on the year — a record so poor they didn’t receive an invite to a single postseason tournament.

The offseason came, five rotation players transferred, and Wells’ chances of distancing himself from all the loss seemed bleak.

But he has.

And it’s because of the one thing he’s never lost: his confidence.

It’s the reason he’s made it through the tough times — including the wrist injury that sidelined him for a month earlier this season — to become the unquestioned leader of the No. 14 team in the nation, one geared up for a deep postseason run.

You could look on the court for examples of Wells’ unwavering self-belief. He drilled a contested buzzer-beating three-pointer at Michigan State that sent the game into overtime and gave the Terps an opportunity for their first Big Ten win. He hit a game-winning putback layup against Northwestern that sent Xfinity Center into pandemonium. He dropped 26 points on No. 5 Wisconsin on Tuesday in a career-defining performance.

I prefer to look off the court.

In the Terps’ win over Minnesota on Jan. 3, the program’s first home Big Ten win, guard Melo Trimble shot 9 of 13 from the free-throw line. It marked the second straight game to begin conference play that the freshman attempted at least 13 shots from the charity stripe.

To get an experienced perspective, I asked Wells if he’d ever seen a player get to the line as effectively and consistently as Trimble.

“Myself,” he said.

I was sure he had misheard my question. He must have thought I was asking about his own ability to get to the free-throw line.

I asked again. But before I could finish, he cut me off.

“Myself,” he said a little more adamantly.

Then it clicked. I flashed a smile at him to say ‘Good one, Dez,’ and he went on to answer the question thoughtfully. But don’t be mistaken. Wells believed in his original answer wholeheartedly, even though he hadn’t been to line more than six times in a game up to that point in the season.

Fast-forward to this past Monday, when the Terps held media availability before their win over the Badgers. A reporter asked Wells if he thought the team has played better than expected with so many new pieces. Was it a surprise the Terps were then 22-5?

“I can’t really say I thought we’d be 22-5,” Wells retorted. “I thought we’d be 27-0.”

Classic Dez.

But that’s just the way Turgeon and his teammates want him to be.

It’s why Wells can drive with a full head of steam at Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker, a probable All-American, and slam home an electrifying drunk. It’s why he’s excelled at his new home with so many skeletons in his closet.

It’s why the Terps are on a path to greatness.

It’s why Wells will always be cherished.