COLLEGE PARK, Md. — When the Terps open the season Tuesday night versus Mount St. Mary's, they will have already played a couple of scrimmages versus Cincinnati and Virginia. But despite having those two scrimmages under their belts, the Terps are yet to be at full strength.
Some combination of Mady Traore, Noah Batchelor, Jahari Long and Caelum Swanton-Rodger have missed practice and scrimmage time leading up to the opener. Long is the the primary backup at the point guard spot while Swanton-Rodger is a significant backup at the center spot.
All four were back practicing this week ahead of Tuesday night's opener and are likely to play versus Mount St. Mary's.
Back to near full strength, it is now about finding the right lineups and getting guys used to playing with each other in a short period of time.
"This will be the first time we've had close to a full roster. In our first two scrimmages—against Cinci we had eight guys and against Virginia we had probably eight and a half guys, so this will be the first time trying to figure out our rotations and things like that," head coach Kevin Willard told reporters on Monday. "So I think the biggest thing is just seeing how these guys react to different lineups on the floor, because we weren't able to do that whatsoever the first two games, we were handcuffed with really just one lineup. So having everyone out there against a veteran team that knows how to run their stuff, that's the biggest thing I'm looking for is seeing when we get different lineups in there that we haven't played with, how they react."
Unlike some years where they might play three or four home buy games before the schedule starts to ramp up, the Terps will get into the meat of their non-conference schedule immediately following Mount St. Mary's, with Davidson in Asheville, N.C. on Friday, followed by a possible game versus Clemson on Sunday and then a trip to Philly for a game at No. 22 Villanova on Nov. 17.
"These guys will get a crash course in how quickly you have to get ready for a really good Davidson team," said Willard. "And then getting ready for another game a day later. The fact that Mount has so many veterans and seniors it's going to be a good test for us right off the bat."
The Mount is led by senior guard Dakota Laffew, who averaged 13.1 points per game last season while shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc.
The Terps will be led by their own senior guard in Jahmir Young while they will also be adding three talented freshmen into the backcourt mix.
DeShawn Harris-Smith, Jamie Kaiser Jr. and Jahnathan Lamothe are the nucleus of a top-10 freshman class. Harris-Smith is expected to start at one of the guard spots, while Kaiser could very well start on the wing next to him. The three are close, but also still learning how to play together.
"Off the court, they are close," said Willard. "They do everything together. You see the three of them on campus, riding their scooters. They get [to the gym] at the same time, they are out shooting right now together.
"I think its been a little bit of a wake-up call on the court, because they have always played against each other, but never really played with each other but also have to battle each other in practice. So I think they are still trying to figure out how to practice and compete against each other, but do it in a way that helps them and is not hurting them. And I think that's something that all freshmen struggle with. As you get older, you learn how to practice and do it the right way. I think these guys are still trying to figure out how to do it. Everyone is fighting for minutes, no one knows rotations right now so everything is up in the air. But off the court, they've been great."
One lineup that worked in the preseason and is likely to be used at some point Tuesday includes Long on the floor with both Young and Harris-Smith.
"Against Cincinnati we played three guards at one time and it worked really well," Willard said. "It gave Jahmir and DeShawn a chance to get some spot up threes and not have to work so hard. So Jahari gives those guys a chance to get in there and do that. They work well, we've been playing that lineup a lot in practice."
Still, with Long having missed the Virginia scrimmage, it is still a work in progress.
"Because of the injuries, they are all still a little bit trying to figure each other out because we've had so many injuries in the preseason," said Willard.
The Terps and Mount St. Mary's are set to tip-off at 7 p.m. and the game being streamed on B1G+.
