It’s been a lost decade of men’s basketball for the Maryland Terrapins, who went from the penthouse of the sport under legendary head coach Gary Williams to the outhouse of malaise that comes from having one Sweet 16 berth in 10 years.
Recently, BetMaryland.com looked at the Terrapins’ transition from the Atlantic Coast Conference to the Big Ten.
The Terps have reached the field of 68 five times since 2014 but fell well short of the period when UM made three Sweet 16’s, two Final Fours and won a national championship from 2000 to 2010, It illustrates the gulf between expectation and reality in College Park and why there are skeptics throughout Maryland sports betting.
Still, there’s no denying that Maryland’s had more than their fair share of top-notch players in recent years, including second-team All-American Melo Trimble in 2015 and third-team member Jalen Smith in 2020.
Throw in seven first-team All-Big Ten members between 2015 and 2024 and you have some semblance of perspective into the quality of player that Maryland’s trotted out each year, meaning the task of picking an All-Decade team for the Terps’ is no small feat.
BetMaryland.com – your source for Maryland sports betting apps – used Sports-Reference.com to develop the Maryland men’s basketball team of the past decade, from 2014-15 to 2023-24. The players included had to have played for the Terrapins during this period and it is based on combination of Player Efficiency Rating (PER) Win Shares during those years with the team.
Maryland’s Basketball Team of 2015-2024
Who Makes Maryland’s All-Decade Team?
The top player over the last 10 years in College Park when it comes to combined PER + WS figures is guard Anthony Cowan, who accumulated a career total of 36.6 PER + WS between 2016 and 2020.
Then there’s Smith, who notched a total of 35.9 between 2018 and 2020 before getting picked by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, and Trimble’s 35.5 PER + WS total and you have the top three in recent Maryland history.
Rounding out the Terps’ quintet of stars is 2019 First Team All-Big Ten forward Bruno Fernando, who had 33.4 PER + WS in his three-year run in College Park, and Donta Scott, who finished with 31.1 PER + WS between 2019 and 2024.
All five came along well after Maryland’s time in the sport’s limelight, but left an indelible mark on the program, netting them consideration as being some of the best players to step foot on the hallowed grounds of College Park’s Xfinity Center in recent years.
Stay tuned to BetMaryland.com for updates on the state’s college and pro teams, as well as for Maryland sports betting promo codes.
USA Today photo by Kim Klement
