In August, we learned where Maryland football enjoys eating. Now, we have discovered where Maryland’s basketball players go for a good meal.
Hailing from Idaho, women’s freshman guard Destiny Slocum has not had very long to find a favorite place to eat at UMD, but her mind is already made up on Nando’s. She enjoys a chicken caesar wrap with garlic bread and fries, and she said it’s “the best thing in the world.”
While Idaho is pretty far away from Maryland, it pales in comparison to the Canary Islands, the international home of Joshua Tomaic. The men’s basketball freshman forward has had a chance to enjoy some fine Spanish cuisine in his home country, but when it comes to American restaurants in College Park, he enjoys chowing down on some wings from Looney’s Pub.
Women’s center Jenna Staiti has found a classic Maryland eatery to be her favorite spot: Ledo Pizza. As for what the freshman gets at Ledo, she keeps it simple. “I just do a regular cheese pizza, that’s my go-to,” she said.
Another European, men’s forward Ivan Bender, is a big fan of the offerings at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian Steakhouse in D.C. The sophomore said his favorite meal there is, well, steak.
Redshirt junior Ieshia Small chose Carolina Kitchen in Hyattsville as her go-to spot for a meal. “I love the down south food,” she said.
The women’s transfer from Baylor jokingly checked to see if her strength and conditioning coach would be listening before describing her meal of choice.
“I get macaroni and cheese, collard greens, meatloaf, ribs and cornbread. Everything is delicious,” the guard said.
Small also explained how she balanced the diet requirements of a student-athlete with wanting to eat like a normal college student.
“You have your little cheat days,” she said. “During the week, when you know you have practice or conditioning the next day you know not to eat too bad, but when it’s a day off, you try to sneak in a little cheat meal.”
