Forward Justin Jackson’s rookie moment came during the Maryland men’s basketball team’s nonconference slate in November. Coach Mark Turgeon criticized Jackson’s shot selection during a practice, but the freshman thought his look was smart. He told Turgeon so.
The coach didn’t appreciate the response, and the Terps ran for 30 minutes.
“Everybody’s legs were dead,” Jackson remembered. “Everybody hated me.”
Afterward, Jackson relied on Maryland’s two other freshmen starters — guards Anthony Cowan and Kevin Huerter — for reassurance while experiencing the same adjustment period.
But since then, they emerged from those early trials and became three of the team’s top four scorers. And despite Maryland’s upset loss in their NCAA tournament opener, they’ve set the program’s foundation for the next few years with stability and cohesion.
“Whether I make a mistake or not, I know they’re going to support me and they’re going to back me up 100 percent,” Jackson said. “Whether I shoot an air ball or whether I shoot a swish shot from half court. I know they’re going to be with me no matter what.”
A year ago, Jackson was in Canada and hadn’t committed to the Terps. Cowan and Huerter had just finished their final high school seasons.
In College Park, meanwhile, the Terps embarked on a disjointed start to the offseason as four starters from their Sweet 16 team turned professional and guard Melo Trimble spent the spring evaluating his NBA prospects.
Practicing with role players before the rookies arrived in June wasn’t the optimal way to foster initial chemistry, but the trio will ensure the temporary drop-off in talent doesn’t happen this offseason.
They spent their first campaigns dazzling with highlights. Huerter logged a career-high 26 points Jan. 1 against Nebraska. Cowan dropped 19 in a must-win game Feb. 11 against Ohio State. Jackson powered back-to-back wins with a combined 50-point, 22-rebound burst in late January.
In their first taste of NCAA tournament action, Huerter (19 points) and Jackson (14) were the team’s top scorers. Cowan had the best plus-minus rating, leaving Turgeon to marvel at his postgame press conference about how productive his three “cats” had been while averaging at least 27 minutes a game.
“What they were able to do, I mean, really, I say it was Melo’s team because it was, but these cats, these three guys, I mean, what they had on their plate,” Turgeon said. “Really proud of them. They had great years. Twenty four wins and playing the minutes they played was pretty special.”
Sure, there we’re a few lows: Jackson’s ill-advised practice quip, Huerter’s missed game-winning attempt against Purdue and Cowan’s shooting slump in the midst of league play.
But those experiences will drive Maryland in the coming offseason regardless of whether the upcoming installment of Trimble’s “NBA Declaration Watch” results in an agent or a College Park return.
“We’re in a similar place coming in as three guys who had to fill a big role,” Huerter said. “Hopefully the way this season has ended, it brings us closer and makes us hungry to work hard and get over this hump.”
Huerter’s voice wavered as he gave that response in a stoic Amway Center locker room. But as the sting of the early exit eases, teammates know the rookies’ spark will return.
After all, reserve guard Andrew Terrell has watched them balance a “full throttle all the time” approach on the court with fun.
At Minnesota in January, the crowd hounded Huerter after he air-balled a 3-pointer. As he retreated to defense, he assured the players on the bench his he’d swish his next look. He did, then turned toward the Terps’ sideline again and shrugged.
Cowan, meanwhile, is notorious for his constant intake of Chipotle and Blaze. Jackson is the most laid-back, often resorting to the line “I’m good, my man.”
The calm and sometimes goofy personalities, however, don’t fool Terrell. He’s had to face them in practice all year.
And after standout freshmen seasons, they appear ready to ensure Maryland becomes an NCAA tournament mainstay.
“Collectively, they make like a super human,” Terrell said. “Justin is unbelievable underneath. He has long arms. He can rebound. He can shoot. Kevin can obviously shoot the lights out of the ball, and Anthony is probably the quickest player in the Big Ten. Together, they kind of complete each other.”
