Maryland men’s basketball’s coach watched as Pharrel Payne, his top transfer and the Terps’ on-court leader, yelped in pain before being stretchered off the court following an awkward landing after a dunk.

“I’ve never seen him hurt, and the angle that I saw, it did not appear good,” Williams said.

Payne shouldered the offensive load in the Terps’ first three games. But foul trouble and the gruesome injury kept the senior forward off the hardwood for most of the afternoon.

Maryland trailed by five when Payne exited. Forced to reassess without its star big man, the backcourt weathered seven lead changes en route to an 89-82 win over Marquette.

Fueled by a significant size disparity, the Golden Eagles dominated the offensive glass and scored 19 more second-chance points. But Maryland (3-1) made seven more free throws and scored 15 more bench points, which proved to be the difference.

[Maryland volleyball swept by No. 9 Purdue, 3-0, for eighth straight loss]

Williams, in his first trip back to Milwaukee since coaching Marquette from 2008-14, was focused on controlling possessions and limiting turnovers — specifically within on-ball press break scenarios.

Entering the Terps’ first true road test, the coach also pointed to rebounding as an area of concern. He sees boards as a niche “margin we could compete in … not based exclusively on talent.” But the Golden Eagles (3-2), aided by the absence of Payne at the rim, claimed the game’s first 14 offensive rebounds.

“Rebounding takes an enormous amount of time. We are beyond bad at it, not just against Marquette,” Williams said. “If you saw all the drills we did for rebounding, you would think we’re putting on a coaching clinic. But we are not executing it well at all.”

Led by defensive-minded coach Shaka Smart, Marquette led the Big East in forced turnovers last season. The only high-major school to not sign a transfer the past three seasons opened Saturday with staunch full-court man defense.

The Terps took advantage.

Maryland ran its revamped press offense through Diggy Coit. The speedy graduate guard, making his second consecutive start alongside freshman Darius Adams, attacked the backpedaling Golden Eagles’ front line.

Maryland, after shooting an abysmal 28 percent from beyond the arc through its first three games, netted four straight threes to start Saturday — three of which came from Coit.

[Why Maryland men’s basketball’s offense hasn’t clicked]

The Kansas transfer sparked the Terps early, helping them open up a 13-point first-half lead. He poured in 15 points after 20 minutes, a season-high, and finished with 19 on 6-for-13 shooting.

But Smart and Marquette, after shifting to a high-pressure 2-3 zone, bolted to a 11-1 run before the half to take its first lead in 15 minutes.

“We started the second half as if we were just really happy that it was tied at halftime,” Williams said. “[Marquette is] so gifted at tilting the floor downhill, and they force you into rotation at such a fast rate.”

The Golden Eagles’ lead extended to nine midway through the second half. Senior guard Chase Ross benefitted from constant drive and dish looks, scoring a game-high 31 points.

Payne’s injury, paired with Coit’s second-half struggles (four points, 2-6 FG), forced others to step up.

Junior guard Isaiah Watts, donning a black mask, helped fill the void. The Washington State transfer posted 18 points — and 11 in the second half — in 29 minutes.

Watts combined for just nine points through Maryland’s first three games. Amid the cold streak, he recalled telling his mom he’s “built to make shots.”

“What comes with [making shots] is missing shots,” Watts said. “I’m a shooter. I like to put the ball in the basket … so I’m okay with missing a bunch of shots and finding my rhythm.”

But it wasn’t just Watts. Adams, Andre Mills and Elijah Saunders each posted at least seven second-half points. Those three players also grabbed 14 defensive rebounds in the period, upping Maryland’s physicality without Payne.

“[Payne’s] our best player — that’s well received within our program,” Williams said. “When I got back to the huddle, our kids said, ‘Coach, you got to pray for him’ … their response, not their execution … was great growth for our program.”

The term, defined as three consecutive defensive stops, epitomizes his coaching philosophy and desire to control possessions. On Tuesday, Maryland men’s basketball generated seven of those “turkeys” in the second half of its 84-64 win over Alcorn State, Williams said.

Its offensive counterpart, a “heat,” describes three straight made shots. The Terps weren’t as effective in that department Tuesday.

Maryland was held without a single field goal, much less three in a row, through the last nine minutes of Tuesday’s first half — part of a disastrous stretch in which the Terps missed 10 shots, allowed 17 Alcorn State points and relinquished control of a once 19-point lead.

Scoring trouble, specifically early in games, is common for a Williams-coached team. Williams’ Texas A&M finished third-worst among Power Four schools who made the NCAA tournament in first-half points per game, 34.8, in the regular season.

“Sometimes coaches, particularly me — we try to fit round holes in a square peg,” Williams said. “The most important hole that we have to address is, ‘Can we play really, really hard … and how many possessions in a row can that group do it before we need a sub?’”

Maryland committed 10 first-half turnovers Tuesday, part of an eventual season-high of 17. Williams, sweating through his white dress shirt and animated with rage on the Xfinity Center sideline, tried to adjust through erratic substitutions.

[Maryland men’s basketball’s offense shut down in 70-60 loss to Georgetown]

The Terps’ coach made 31 first-half changes across his depleted 10-player rotation — almost doubling Maryland’s opening frame sub rate in each of its first two games.

“I tried to make sure we played everybody just so that there was the energy prerequisite needed,” Williams said. 

The switches didn’t work. The substitutions stripped the Terps of any tangible momentum to close the nightmarish half.

Guillermo Del Pino was a starter in Maryland’s opening two games before being relegated to the bench Tuesday. The freshman guard played just 79 seconds through the game’s first 10 minutes.

Checking back in cold late in the first half, Del Pino struggled to beat the Braves’ staunch 2-2-1 zone press defense alongside guards Andre Mills and Isaiah Watts. It resulted in a costly 10-second violation that sent the Terps’ offense spiraling.

“We play with too high of a turnover rate,” Williams said. “A lot of our spacing on our hands and belt was really bad, which helps [Alcorn State’s] zone. I didn’t think our zone attack in the half court was very well ran, either.”

Williams tempered offensive expectations throughout the preseason. He said Maryland’s three-week fall boot camp focused on character building over system growth, and put the Terps further behind schematically entering November.

Through three games, that warning has held true. With a clear lack of established plays and second-chance looks, offensive possessions became sparse. The Terps’ inconsistent 3-2 offense, with three guards on the perimeter and a pair of bigs filling the high and low post, looked uncertain against Alcorn State’s sagging half-court set.

[Second-half resurgence fuels Maryland men’s basketball’s 84-64 win over Alcorn State]

“They were playing drop on everything,” Mills said. “If they play drop, go downhill. If they’re not, rescreen. If not, throw it to [Elijah Saunders]. If not, throw it to Pharrel.”

Maryland turned to 3-pointers but made just two of its 14 first-half attempts, at an abysmal 14 percent clip.

Instead, it was forced to rely on free throws — a rare constant in a revamped Terps’ offense that’s been completely ineffective.

Maryland shot 74 percent and made 20 shots from the charity stripe in Tuesday’s win. Through the Terps’  first three contests, 32.2 percent of their scoring offense has come from free throws. The mark is fourth among all Division I schools and first among Power Four teams.

“I feel like the free throws, they help — but you got to not turn the ball over given the opportunities,” junior guard Myles Rice, sidelined with an ankle injury, said.

Maryland’s field-goal drought carried into the first two minutes of the second half Tuesday, until a Payne layup broke the silence. The senior forward poured in 22 points and seven rebounds in the eventual double-digit victory.

But its a concerning trend that he’s been the Terps’ lone source of offense as they head into high-major matchups, starting with a road tilt against Marquette on Saturday.

After a 35-20 road loss to Rutgers on Saturday, Maryland football continues to unravel.

Despite a season-best rushing performance, the Terps allowed nearly 500 yards in their fifth straight defeat. Coach Michael Locksley said he is looking for “slow progress” and that Maryland is at the point of “playing for pride.”

Sports editor Sam Jane analyzed Locksley’s trajectory after dropping below .500 for the first time this season.

Our pick of the week

Maryland men’s soccer was ranked No. 1 in the nation last week for the first time since 2019. Sadam Masereka’s hat trick against Michigan State on Friday not only cemented a 4-3 Maryland win, but also capped its undefeated regular season and first Big Ten title in three years.

“To be undefeated in 2025 is a remarkable accomplishment,” Cirovski said. “While we did it in 2016, the college landscape has changed so much that this is incredibly rewarding.”

In under 35 minutes on Friday, Masereka became the first Maryland player to score a hat trick since October 2017, pushing his goal tally to nine.

Since taking over as coach in 1993, excellence has been the expectation for Cirovski and Maryland. But after trailing for just 78 seconds in this year’s regular season, it fell 2-0 to UCLA in Wednesday’s Big Ten Tournament semifinals at Ludwig Field.

Men’s soccer reporter Aidan Currie compiled four stats that encapsulate Maryland’s historic regular season, despite the Terps’ shocking loss to begin postseason play.

The highlight reel

• Maryland men’s basketball went 1-1 in its first homestand of 2025-26. The Terps beat Alcorn State on Tuesday after falling to Georgetown on Friday.
• Ever wondered why athletes have such odd superstitions? General assignment reporter Jillian Hartman spoke with coaches and players from Maryland baseball and gymnastics to find out why.
• Addi Mack engineered Maryland women’s basketball’s comeback win over Georgetown on Sunday, scoring 17 fourth-quarter points.
• Maryland field hockey dropped its Big Ten tournament opener against Ohio State and missed out on an NCAA tournament bid for the second time since 1994.
• Maryland baseball released its 2026 schedule on Friday.

Quote of the week

Redshirt freshman Andre Mills and freshman Darius Adams scored a combined 26 points in Maryland men’s basketball’s 84-64 win over Alcorn State on Tuesday.

Adams contributed two 3-pointers, his first makes from beyond the arc this season after shooting 0-for-7 in the Terps’ first two games. Mills spoke on watching his growth firsthand.

“[It felt] like a Disney movie,” Mills said. “[Adams] being 18 years old and playing in this league is not easy at all.”

Stat of the week

Maryland men’s basketball’s 70-60 loss to Georgetown on Friday snapped its 48-game home-opener win streak, which dated back to 1977.

Up next

Women’s basketball hosts Towson on Thursday at 7 p.m., while men’s basketball travels to Marquette, coach Buzz Williams’ former school, on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Football hits the road against Illinois at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The Terps are in danger of dropping their sixth straight.
Men’s soccer continues postseason play in the NCAA tournament, pending a bid in Monday’s Selection Show.

The late start likely contributed to Williams’ difficulty in defining his team’s style during the preseason. Pacing the Xfinity Center sideline on Friday, surrounded by a 16,594-seat sea of gold, Williams’ identity crisis deepened.

Maryland’s inexperience and offensive ineptitude were evident in its 70-60 loss to Georgetown on Friday night. The Terps made just 13 field goals on 52 attempts, their second-fewest made shots in a game over the past decade, in Williams’ first game in College Park.

Maryland’s sellout Gold Rush student section, buoyed with an additional section behind the Hoyas’ bench, quieted as it watched the Terps miss 17 field goals in the first half, and then 21 more in the second.

“The environment got to us a little bit,” graduate guard Diggy Coit said. “Not getting in our offense, getting good shots that we wanted — we made it tough for ourselves.”

[Ahead of return to Xfinity Center, DeShawn Harris-Smith reflects on his time at Maryland]

The Terps’ offensive flaws were deeply exposed Friday.

Maryland made just four 3-pointers, converting 20 percent of its attempts. The offense recorded only four assists and only grabbed 12 offensive rebounds – a typical strength of Williams’ teams.

If it weren’t for the 35 free throws the Terps took, their final offensive numbers could have looked even more dismal.

Indiana transfer Myles Rice made his Maryland (1-1) debut after missing the season-opener against Coppin State on Monday due to an ankle injury. The 6-foot-3 guard scored a team high 19 points.

Rice, who’s expected to be Maryland’s lead guard this season, regularly touched the paint. The junior guard attempted just two shots from beyond the arc but scored 10 points off free throws, going 100 percent from the line.

He made three straight baskets late in the second half during a stretch that cut Maryland’s deficit to seven. As Maryland’s offense flopped, Rice was arguably the lone source of hope along with senior forward Pharrel Payne (17 points, 2-7 FGs, 13-15 FTs).

“[Rice’s] IQ is high,” Williams said. “His speed changes our team, whether we’re trying to play fast or not. But offensively, Maryland needs to play with as low a turnover rate as possible.”

[Maryland women’s basketball’s energetic youth could provide extra depth this season]

Fueled by its press and uncontested transition looks, Georgetown (2-0) jumped out to an 11-0 advantage. The Hoyas drew three fouls and forced three Maryland turnovers during that stretch.

The Terps were held to just 27 first-half points, a dramatic dropoff from their 40-point average that ranked eighth in the nation under Kevin Willard last season.

Georgetown transfer DeShawn Harris-Smith returned to College Park after playing for Maryland for two seasons. The 6-foot-5 guard, met with choruses of boos after checking and touching the ball, made life hard for Maryland’s guards along the perimeter.

Perimeter creation is likely going to be a consistent issue for the Terps this season. That’s why entering the home opener, Williams emphasized a need for the Terps to control possessions.

And while Payne logged a game-high 11 rebounds, the Hoyas outrebounded the Terps, 41-40.

After dominating the offensive glass against a smaller Coppin State team Monday, the Terps failed to gain second-chance looks off rushed rim attacks down the stretch.

“We didn’t handle their physicality very well,” Williams said. “I’m not a genie, but I do think that we have to defend without fouling more, and we have to play with the shot selection … we’ve got to continue to coach them, teach them and hold them accountable.”

Back home in Columbus, New Jersey, Coit piled into his silver Dodge Charger to make the short drive to Sfizio Pizza — a local Italian-owned staple run by Marco and Claudio Lubrano. He greeted the pair before leaving with a stack of checkered pizza boxes.

On the hunt for his weekly $250 paycheck — a pair of basketball shoes in his trunk — Coit sped through daily deliveries. He often stopped at one of the six asphalt courts at Moody Park, a childhood favorite, after his pizza deliveries.

Training under the streetlights, he found refuge.

Five years and three colleges later, Coit returned to the East Coast to play for Maryland men’s basketball. The graduate guard and oldest player on the Terps’ revamped roster takes pride in the struggles he’s endured.

“Nothing in my life was given to me,” Coit said. “I was just trying to master every single day.”

The 5-foot-11 guard first remembers playing basketball when he was about three years old. He gradually fell in love with the game.

Once he committed to basketball as his main sport, Coit focused on building relationships and establishing mentors. Allen Ragland filled the role.

The longtime trainer and coach met Coit before his last season at Scotland Campus, a Pennsylvania prep school. Ragland was a stable presence in Coit’s life while he took a pre-college gap year.

“He saved my life,” Coit said.

Ragland headed Atlantic Cape Community College’s men’s basketball program. The university typically enrolls just more than 4,000 students and is part of the National Junior College Athletic Association — far from the Division I scholarship Coit eyed.

The coach accompanied Coit on a plethora of his post-delivery workout sessions in 2020 to help him get in shape.

The next summer, Ragland made a proposal.

[Takeaways from Maryland men’s basketball’s 82-81 exhibition win over UMBC]

“I want you to come play,” Coit recalls Ragland, fresh at the community college, saying. “I promise, you’ll come, in the first month, you’ll have the offers that you’re looking for.”

Coit was skeptical. But he accepted.

He spent nearly 10 hours a day in the gym after arriving on campus. One night, Ragland received a call from campus security. Someone was in Atlantic Cape’s gym.

Ragland stared at the clock. It read 2 a.m.

“[Diggy’s] in there shooting hoops,” Ragland recalled. “The side door was open. He found a way to get in there, turn on the lights, and he was there working out.”

When maintenance officially opened the gym at 7 a.m., Coit was the first to reenter the facility, Ragland said.

The extra work paid dividends.

Coit averaged 30.6 points a game in a year at Atlantic Cape, the highest mark in NJCAA Division III. He was named the 2021-22 Garden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Soon after the season, Ragland connected with Northern Illinois coach Rashon Burno, someone he calls a nephew.

Burno, having played with five of Ragland’s actual nephews at St. Anthony High School, visited an Atlantic Cape practice in September 2021. He observed Coit and his backcourt mate Richard Jones throughout the practice.

“They both don’t f—ing miss,” Ragland recalls Burno saying.

He soon extended an offer. Coit accepted.

Coit impressed in his first Division I opportunity, earning All-MAC honors in each of his two seasons with the Huskies. In his second year under Burno, Coit started all 29 games while scoring more than 20 points a contest.

He was ready to jump to a high-major school and initially committed to current Maryland coach Buzz Williams, then at Texas A&M. But compliance issues complicated the process. Coit, though eligible months later after hiring an attorney, no longer had a spot on the Aggies’ roster.

Assistant coach Steve Roccaforte, a longtime member of Williams’ staff, made a call to Kansas at the end of the summer — a gesture Coit said was valued in his decision to sign with Maryland this offseason.

[Steve Blake’s jersey sits in the Maryland rafters. His son wants to continue that legacy.]

Jayhawks’ coach Bill Self signed the collegiate free agent. Coit played backup point guard and averaged 5.1 points alongside current Maryland teammate Rakease Passmore, who he formed a close bond with in their first season together.

“He is a character,” Passmore said on Meet the Terps. “At Kansas, we were always in the gym together, always in the dorm playing the game — so that relationship grew.’”

Despite having a close relationship with Self, Coit looked for more opportunities entering his fifth season — something Kansas couldn’t guarantee.

In the transfer portal this spring, Coit remembered Roccaforte and Williams’ authenticity. A move to Maryland to reunite with the pair made sense, he said.

“I wanted that freedom when I’m playing, but also I wanted to be pushed and challenged like I wasn’t before,” Coit said.

Before coming to College Park, though, Coit asked Ragland for one last summer workout.

The pair made the hour-long trek to Atlantic City’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, a training site Coit frequents during offseason breaks.Shadowed beneath the resort’s dual towers and just steps from the sun-bathed boardwalk, Coit raced.

The Maryland transfer ran 30 laps, dodging railings up and down the steps while he worked against a 25-minute timer.

Then came Ragland’s infamous 40-minute beach workout.

Under his guidance, Coit used the ocean as his defender. The 5-foot-11 guard dove for loose balls on the sand, ran defensive slides and sprinted chest-high into the water against surging waves.

His approach on the beach aligns with what Ragland calls his lion-like work ethic.

Now entering his final college season, Coit’s outlook remains clear.

“It’s really deeper than just picking up a basketball and playing,” Coit said. “Seeing a lot in my life on and off the court … gives [me] not just motivation and inspiration, but a lot of knowledge.”

The Terps, in their first game under coach Buzz Williams, were without four expected rotation players in Diggy Coit, Myles Rice, Solomon Washington and Isaiah Watts.

Here are three takeaways from the Terps’ win.

Pharrel Payne’s interior dominance

Payne, who followed Williams from Texas A&M, was the Terps’ highest-profile transfer this offseason. The senior forward exceeded expectations on Monday.

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward poured in a game-high 26 points and nine rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass. He used his frame to his advantage against a smaller Retriever frontcourt — also feasting defensively with three blocks.

“His physicality was excellent,” Williams said. “We’re probably going to need him to play even better than he did tonight.” Williams added that Payne, who played 31 minutes, needs to “be in better shape.”

[5 numbers that could define Maryland men’s basketball’s season]

The Terps’ starting forward shot 8-for-11 from the free throw line, an encouraging uptick from his 58 percent rate with the Aggies. Maryland as a whole shot over 76 percent at the charity stripe Monday.

Darius Adams aggressive but inefficient

Adams saw an extended role in his first college game. The freshman guard, starting in a shorthanded Terps’ backcourt, logged 19 points — second to Payne — along with seven rebounds and two steals.

“It was just a regular game for me,” Adams said. “I’m always that aggressive … just doing whatever the team needs.”

He was the only Terp to play all 40 minutes, a responsibility Adams said he was prepared to uphold following Maryland’s three-week summer ‘Boot Camp,’ in which conditioning was a strong component.

Over half of Adams’ points came off free throws — a primary area of focus entering November, he said. Aside from that, the freshman was widely inefficient. Adams shot 3-for-13 while committing three turnovers in his Maryland debut.

[Maryland men’s soccer held Indiana star Palmer Ault at bay in crucial victory]

Sporadic shooting, defensive lapses

Despite early paint dominance, Maryland converted just one of its first 11 shot attempts from beyond the arc. But the Terps, down as many as six late in the second half, made each of their final four 3-pointers.

Williams implemented a three-two zone for the majority of the first half, then shifted to man defense down the stretch. A clogged lane and reactionary help defense made way for a barrage of open perimeter looks for the Retrievers.

“Our defense needs to get better, our physicality needs to get better,” Adams said.

Monday marked just the third time a Williams-coached team has committed 17-plus turnovers in a game this calendar year — the other two coming in January and February with Texas A&M.

Cleaning up offensive mistakes, specifically among Maryland’s young group of primary ball handlers, is a focal point moving forward, Williams said.

“Our turnover rate was one thing from an offensive standpoint … we’ve got to lessen,” Williams said. “It’s just the volatility of the learning and executing. There’s going to be some bumps.”

By 4:15, the junior management major had a golf cart loaded with training equipment. Greenbaum was en route to Ritchie Coliseum, a student recreation and wellness facility home to an underground weight room and — most importantly — one regulation basketball court.

The 1,500-seat gym served as Maryland men’s basketball’s home arena from 1931 to 1955. This particular morning was the return of Maryland’s revamped roster, joined by first-year coach Buzz Williams.

Greenbaum, the Terps’ head team manager, prepped the hardwood prior to three 45-minute group conditioning sessions — the first of which was slated to begin at 5:15 a.m.

The early-September morning encapsulates the life of a team manager. For the majority of the summer, 40-hour work weeks were common for Greenbaum.

It’s a grind. But he loves it.

“This is my family away from family,” Greenbaum said. “I’ve seen the staff and players more than I’ve seen my family in the last three years.”

Maryland has a 16-man roster this season, 15 of which are newcomers. Furthermore, six of the Terps’ senior team managers graduated this spring.

Walk-on guard Lukas Sotell, the team’s sole returning player in 2025-26, and a young manager core led by Greenbaum are the final tether to Maryland’s old regime.

“It’s been a great opportunity to lead while also learning myself,” Greenbaum said. “I’ve really been in charge, leading a lot of the transition stuff between last year to now.”

[Maryland basketball moves into long-awaited ‘first-class’ practice facility]

The nine Terp student managers are responsible for a lot, ranging from locker room, cooler and bench setup to late-night rebounding sessions and in-game stat coding. 

But their primary role is to energize.

“[They] would hype us up as players,” said Ben Murphy, a Maryland guard from 2023-25. “Just seeing the energy they bring, we were like, ‘Oh, we can’t let the managers have more energy than the players.’”

Oftentimes, during daily practices last season, the team managers took the role of vocal leaders — specifically motivating Maryland’s post players in the ‘Hibbert’ drill, a vertical layup exercise, Murphy said.

They helped boost the Terps to 27 wins and a Sweet Sixteen appearance last season. Derik Queen and Julian Reese, Maryland’s starting frontcourt duo, converted more than 81 and 72 percent of their shots at the rim, respectively.

Greenbaum grew up working as a team attendant for the Minnesota Timberwolves, yet being a team manager in college wasn’t in his initial plans. After learning about the role from Jake Layman, a then-Timberwolves player and Maryland alum, Greenbaum’s interest was piqued.

Building toward a career in professional basketball, it seemed like a great opportunity to learn the inner workings of a Big Ten program while expanding his network, he said.

On home game days in College Park, Greenbaum’s Xfinity Center report time was often more than seven hours prior to tipoff.

The pregame duties fluctuate, with every manager assuming different positions. Some spent the day rebounding thousands of shots, others transported ball racks. During downtime, Greenbaum did homework.

[Maryland men’s basketball adds 4-star forward Adama Tambedou to 2026 recruiting class]

Now entering his third season with the team in an elevated leadership role, responsibilities increase. Days on the road start early for Greenbaum and the three other managers traveling with the team.

The day before an away game, the four-person crew conducts an unofficial hotel scout — scoping out the building for an adequate ballroom or meeting room. Later that night comes the room checks, when managers knock on doors to make sure all players are accounted for.

Then, early the next morning, Greenbaum leads a tedious process.

Just hours away from tip-off, Greenbaum pulls up an outline of collegiate court dimensions on his phone. The road managers sculpt a makeshift basketball court with temporary paper floor tape. Working under a mental shot clock, the baseline, three-point, key and lane lines are rapidly assembled before players — in pajamas and slides — and coaches arrive for a walkthrough of plays.

Finally, during Maryland’s game hours later, one manager is tasked with leaving the road arena early to pickup a postgame meal that’s ready for players immediately after the contest.

“Coming from a junior college where we had no managers and then coming into [Maryland’s] environment … is completely different,” Murphy said, who was previously at Howard Community College in 2022-23. “They’re definitely an important part of the team.”

Beyond the team-issued gear and travel benefits team managers receive, the position provides a wealth of value, Greenbaum said. The camaraderie with Maryland’s players, coaching staff and fellow managers is what keeps him coming back each day.

“It’s the little things that go into the day-by-day efforts that lead to those big wins [to mean] so much more,” Greenbaum said.

The Terps’ 30-game regular season begins with a neutral site matchup against Coppin State at Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena on Nov. 3 — part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Series.

Maryland hosts Georgetown on Nov. 7 in its home opener and will play Marquette in Wisconsin Nov. 15 as the Terps’ first true road test of the season.

The third-ever meeting with the Golden Eagles comes on the back end of a home-and-home series. Maryland fell 74-78 to Marquette at Xfinity Center in last year’s contest.

A Thanksgiving week trip to Las Vegas for the Players Era Championship tournament headlines Maryland’s nonconference slate.

The Terps, led by first-year coach Buzz Williams and a revamped roster, will play UNLV on Nov. 24 and Gonzaga Nov. 25.

[The Diamondback Sports Digest: Maryland football faces its first conference test]

Maryland opens conference play at Iowa on Dec. 6 and then returns to College Park for a Big Ten home-opener with Michigan — the Terps’ last conference game until January.

Michigan, one of the Big Ten’s projected frontrunners, hauled in the third-best transfer portal class in the country, reported ESPN. The Terps will look to get revenge after a one-point loss to the Wolverines at last season’s conference tournament.

The 2026 Big Ten tournament will expand to include all 18 teams after only having 15 qualifying teams participate last season.

Maryland closes out 2025 with a trip to Virginia on Dec. 20 before hosting Old Dominion on Dec. 28 — the last two nonconference games of the regular season. The Terps will stay home for matchups against Oregon and Indiana in the first week of the new year.

January will close out with a challenging pair of road contests starting with Illinois on Jan. 21. Maryland enters the match having won eight of the last 10 meetings against the Fighting Illini.

[Malik Washington has Maryland football fans dreaming big 3 games in]

The two-game road trip concludes in East Lansing three days later against Michigan State — a team led by coach Tom Izzo that returns more than half of its roster.

The Spartans sported the fourth-highest defensive rating in the nation last season, according to KenPom. Maryland has lost its last seven matchups against Michigan State, a streak dating back to 2021-22.

The Terps host Purdue on Feb. 1, the first game of the spring academic semester. Despite losing four of its last five matchups against the Boilermakers, Maryland has won four of the five most recent meetings played in College Park.

After spending much of the first half of the season at home, four of Maryland’s final seven regular season games are away. The Terps will close out the regular season at Xfinity Center March 8 against Illinois in a game that could have major postseason implications.

Indiana, led by Garzon’s shooting, won three of its last four matchups against the Terps. The 6-foot-3 guard scored on about 52 percent of her shots beyond the arc throughout the contests.

So when the Big Ten’s reigning leader in 3-pointers entered the transfer portal about a month after dropping 18 points on Maryland in February, Frese didn’t hesitate to pursue her team’s former rival.

About a week later, Maryland became the latest stop in Garzon’s international journey rooted in faith and basketball that spans nearly 7,000 miles.

College Park stood out to Garzon as a familiar yet comfortable destination to close her collegiate career — and one where she could fully embrace her Jewish identity and competitive ambitions.

“I felt very welcomed and loved from the first moment there,” Garzon said. “They welcomed me in the best way possible.”

Garzon never wanted to play basketball, let alone pursue the sport collegiately abroad. Growing up in Ra’anana, Israel, an affluent suburb north of Tel Aviv, volleyball was always Garzon’s sport of choice.

The only issue was playing competitive volleyball in Israel was often restricted until middle school, Garzon said. Midway through elementary school, Garzon and her twin sister, Yuval, showed up to a basketball workout — after much convincing by Yuval.

“After this practice, I stayed and she left immediately,” Garzon said. “My twin sister actually put me into it, and the rest is history.”

When Garzon reached high school, she knew she wanted to play basketball in the United States. It was a familial dream first blazed by her older sister, Lior, who had left for Villanova University in 2020.

Garzon’s international goal was realized after an impressive showing at a European championship. Months later, Indiana signed the four-star recruit to its 2026 class.

“She’s a proven winner, and she’s done it at every level,” Frese said. “Nobody really knew who she was, and then all of a sudden [she] just made a huge name for herself and elevated that program from the minute she got there.”

[Karen Blair’s authenticity shaped Maryland women’s basketball and guides her next chapter]

A stellar freshman season in Bloomington followed. Garzon earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors while logging nearly 30 minutes a game.

But less than a year later, her world was flipped over.

When Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Lior said Yarden was up all night searching for information.

Garzon’s once-tranquil hometown morphed into disruption and uncertainty over the coming months. She and Lior, both in the United States, felt helpless as their family sought safety.

“It shouldn’t be part of our life,” Yarden Garzon said. “I can do whatever I can do to raise awareness, but it’s tough that my country, my people are going through that.”

Israeli legislation mandates that every new residential unit in Israel must provide close access to a protected space. This includes Garzon’s one-story family home in Ra’anana.

Yarden and Lior Garzon frequented the isolated, windowless basement below their home when they visited Israel last summer, Lior said.

“Growing up in Israel, you get used to it, unfortunately,” Lior Garzon said. “Obviously, it’s not fun. It’s not the ideal reality we want to live in.”

During Indiana’s season-opener that November, Garzon revealed she’d written “Bring Them Home” on her wristband — a reference to the more than 250 people taken hostage by Hamas.

Aside from an annual summer visit to her hometown, Yarden Garzon spends the rest of the year in the U.S.

Staying involved with Indiana’s Chabad and Hillel, cultural and social organizations for Jewish students, helped Garzon maintain her connection to Israel while in Bloomington.

[Front court issues, injuries riddled Maryland women’s basketball’s 2024-25 season]

“We have a really strong Jewish community here,” Garzon said. “We love each other and we’re there for each other.”

The guard entered the transfer portal on March 31. Instant communication from Frese led to a quick response — both Yarden and Lior Garzon made the trip to Maryland soon after.

After touring Xfinity Center and the surrounding campus, they stopped by Maryland’s Jewish organizations before a team dinner with Garzon’s soon-to-be teammates.

In addition to joining an improved basketball landscape, Garzon said maintaining Jewish community was a factor in choosing a transfer school. This university ranks fourth among public universities nationwide in Jewish undergraduate population with 5,800 students, according to a 2024 Hillel International study.

“Having a huge Jewish community in Maryland definitely helps,” Garzon said. “With everything going on in college campuses around the U.S., the antisemitism, the hate, I felt very safe in Maryland.”

Maryland checked all of Garzon’s boxes, from the positive team culture to being able to expand her skills on the hardwood. But for her, the move meant more than just basketball.

“I’m representing something bigger than myself. I’m Israeli and I’m Jewish — and I’m proud of it, Garzon said.”

“I just went into that interview … and it was like, ‘This is your shot,’” she said.

Sequestered in the coaching equivalent of an interrogation room, Blair was sent reeling by a simple question. Why was her Instagram account private?

“I knew the interview got done at 4 [p.m.], and I said, ‘Well, I’ll tell you this. At 4:15, my Instagram will no longer be private,’” Blair recalled.

It was good enough for Frese. A tight knit, seven-year partnership blossomed between the veteran coach and budding assistant in College Park — one that would help pave the way for Blair’s move to Georgia Tech as a head coach in April.

Maryland won two Big Ten tournament titles and posted five 25-win seasons in that span. Much of the success, Frese said, was due to Blair’s skill in building relationships.

But Blair didn’t consider being a coach at first.

The 5-foot-7 point guard played for Southern Methodist University her entire undergraduate career. Blair, a 1997-98 All-WAC honoree, averaged more than eight points and nearly four assists in 118 games.

Blair briefly parted from basketball to work at PepsiCo after she earned a business administration and marketing degree. But she quickly got a call from her former coach Rhonda Rompola.

“Hey, would you like to coach?” Blair recalled Rompola asking. “I thought about it that night and I never looked back.”

[Front court issues, injuries riddled Maryland women’s basketball’s 2024-25 season]

While on the Mustang sidelines for a decade, Blair doubled as an assistant coach and, by her own admission, a practice player well into her early 30s.

Shortened coaching stints at Colgate, Texas-Arlington, North Texas and VCU preceded Blair’s transition to Maryland, which she dubbed an opportunity of a lifetime.

Blair’s jump to Big Ten basketball as the Terps’ recruiting coordinator was a luxury and a challenge at first. Blair adjusted from finding overlooked talent at mid-major schools to competing with top programs for elite prospects.

The Terps’ priority was to find players that would best represent Maryland’s family-oriented culture, Blair said.

The Terps’ recruiting staff identified Shyanne Sellers as a possible fit early, when she was nearly in high school. Blair said she quickly recognized that she had found a potentially program-altering talent.

Years later, Sellers graduated as the first player in Maryland women’s basketball history to log 1,500 career points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.

Other players, such as Saylor Poffenbarger, were handpicked as transfer talent. The 6-foot-2 guard spent time at Connecticut and Arkansas before making the move to Maryland ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Blair met the Maryland native during her time at Middletown High School and made an effort to reopen communication last spring.

“She came in, took the time to be intentional and ground me,” Poffenbarger said. “It’s kind of hard not to believe in yourself when you have a coach like her.”

[Golden State Valkyries select Shyanne Sellers with No. 17 pick in WNBA draft]

Relationship-building has always been central to Blair’s coaching approach, including helping athletes achieve their goals and supporting their endeavors.

It’s a strength that led to an unexpected Zoom call during the COVID-19 pandemic where Frese officially promoted Blair to associate head coach.

“For me, it was a big moment of validation that I was doing things the right way, and I was at the right place with the right people,” Blair said.

The newfound trust was on full display when Frese temporarily put Blair in charge of the program after Frese’s father died in January 2022.

“We never missed a beat,” Frese said.

Blair credits Frese for fostering trust, mentorship and a culture of growth — something she valued deeply. After Maryland’s Sweet 16 loss to South Carolina, Blair knew it would take the perfect opportunity to leave.

That came a week later, when Georgia Tech offered her its head coach position while she was on her way to the Final Four for speaking engagements. She quickly told Frese.

Her potential to grow into a trusted leader is what her biggest mentor, Frese, identified when first recruiting Blair.

“She really connected people and really valued each and every person in our program,” Frese said. “Her pedigree spoke for itself.”