Maryland men’s basketball forward Jalen Smith is unavailable Saturday against Radford due to illness, a team spokesperson announced, leaving the team thin in the frontcourt.
The former McDonald’s All-American from Baltimore has been a key fixture for the Terps this season, averaging 11.9 points and 7.2 rebounds, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice.
In his stead, Joshua Tomaic will start for the first time this season after having played in just seven of the team’s first 12 games, averaging 4.7 minutes and 0.6 points.
The dropoff in production highlights Maryland’s limited big man depth, and Smith’s absence will be the first real test of it. Bruno Fernando and Smith have been go-to options this year, averaging over 24 minutes each.
But Ivan Bender and Tomaic — the Terps’ returning frontcourt pieces — have had very limited time on the floor. Bender has four total points this year.
Tomaic had seemed to be the odd man out, but will have a key chance to leave an impression against the Highlanders. He was redshirted in 2016-17 and made one start last year.
Of the rest of the frontcourt, freshman Ricky Lindo has come closest to contributing on a consistent basis. The Washington, D.C., native joined coach Mark Turgeon’s roster in August and has averaged 10.2 minutes a game, scoring just 1.6 points but receiving praise for his defense.
Against Loyola-Chicago, Lindo scored five points and secured five rebounds. He ended Maryland’s 82-59 win over North Carolina A&T with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
