Maryland men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams landed his first commitments at the helm of the program on Friday.
Texas A&M forwards Pharrel Payne and Solomon Washington announced they are following their coach to Maryland. The pair combined for 37 starts last season and will add to a depleted Terps roster.
Despite playing just 20 minutes per game, Payne averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds as a junior, ranking third for the Aggies in both. Payne began his career at Minnesota, where he played for two years.
[Buzz Williams takes over a program in limbo, but has a vision for Maryland men’s basketball]
Payne’s two highest-scoring games both came in the NCAA tournament this season, where the junior scored 25 and 26 points while shooting a combined 20-for-25 from the field. Payne ranked No. 57 nationally in offensive rebound percentage, per KenPom, fitting the mold of Williams’ style as Texas A&M led the country in offensive boards in each of the last two seasons.
Washington committed shortly after Payne’s announcement. Washington averaged 4.7 points and 5.1 rebounds but shot less than 40 percent in his 23 starts during his junior season.
[Maryland athletics hires Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams as men’s basketball coach]
It’s likely just the start of a busy few days for Maryland, which has a nearly empty roster.
Revenue sharing, which would permit each school’s athletic department to directly share up to $20.5 million with their college athletes, may be enacted on April 7, depending on the result of Monday’s hearing.
The current system of paying athletes for their Name, Image and Likeness requires money to come from third-party collectives rather than schools themselves.
With the new model of revenue sharing potentially starting in a few days, many teams are looking to spend their pool of NIL money while they know they still can.
