MINNEAPOLIS — Jahmir Young’s final game in a Maryland men’s basketball uniform was over long before the final buzzer sounded.
He walked off the court with about four minutes remaining before embracing teammates and coaches. The player who provided moments of magic late in games and delivered many memorable performances on the court spent the final minutes of his collegiate career off of it.
Young’s 20.4 points per game is tied for 11th in program history for a single-season scoring average. His 35.3 minutes per game this year is ninth all time. He was Maryland’s first All-Big Ten first team selection since 2020.
But he couldn’t will the Terps to a win on Thursday. They didn’t even come close. Maryland lost to Wisconsin by 31 points in a fitting end to its 2023-24 season — encapsulating how one of the best individual seasons from a Terp in recent memory and one of the worst team showings this century coincided.
“There was a lot of emotions, especially this game, knowing that it was our last one… you could see us just deflate a little bit,” Young said. “The game was just getting away from us, and we were just embracing that. Me and [Donta Scott] just embracing our last time in a Maryland uniform.”
Young’s 18 20-point games this season is the joint-fifth most in program history, dating back to statistics only available since 1965. His three 30-point performances this year is tied for sixth. He couldn’t add another of either on Thursday, scoring 18, but it hardly would have mattered in the blowout loss.
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Young’s impact in College Park was tarnished by Maryland’s poor performance this season.
He still lifted the Terps to many achievements during his two years at Maryland — an unforgettable upset of Purdue that ended in a court storm, an unlikely NCAA tournament appearance and an ensuing win in the first round — but he hopes his legacy, forged by his decision to return home to Maryland, lasts.
“I feel like I kind of opened the door for guys who want to stay home [and are] just trying to build a culture in the DMV area,” Young said.
The Terps signed two local four-star recruits after Young transferred back to College Park. DeShawn Harris-Smith and Jamie Kaiser Jr. both played with Young this season and applauded his leadership after Thursday’s defeat.
Young said he took Harris-Smith under his wing at the beginning of the year and has served as a mentor to the freshmen this season.
While Harris-Smith might not have made a massive immediate impact in his first season with the Terps, he averaged 9.7 points per game in Maryland’s last nine contests and was named to the All-Big Ten freshman team at the conclusion of the regular season.
“[Young] has been the perfect leader for me, like I wouldn’t want to play my freshman year with nobody else just because how humble he is on and off the court,” Harris-Smith said. “He could have a big head because he’s the best player on our team, like everybody around the country knows him … he acts like nobody knows he is. He worked harder than anybody on our team.”
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Kaiser, who averaged 4.4 points per game on 26.9 percent shooting from three in his first year at Maryland, shared a similar sentiment after the Terps’ season-ending loss on Thursday.
“They’re always hanging out with us even though we’re young and we’re freshman, taking care of us, giving us rides — everything, just talking to us and showing us through the ropes,” Kaiser said of Young and Donta Scott. “I just appreciate them for that. … They just set a great example for us.”
Young lifted Maryland to many wins during his first season in College Park and kept the Terps in most games this year.
He couldn’t on Thursday — even though he scored an efficient 18 points — and the final minutes of a stellar collegiate career were spent wasting away on the bench amid a lopsided defeat.
While his legacy at Maryland will be correlated with this year’s disappointing season, it will be remembered for the performances and moments he produced — and it could extend beyond the court.
“He’s a great role model for me and it definitely hurt that I couldn’t take him out the way he wanted,” Harris-Smith said. “I’m gonna add that fuel to the fire for next year. I’m gonna be remembering him every time I step on the court because I gotta be the same type of leader he was.”
