Georgia Tech transfer forward Tafara Gapare commits to Maryland

Kevin Willard and the Terps added yet another experienced piece to next season's roster on Thursday, landing a commitment from former Georgia Tech forward Tafara Gapare.

A native of New Zealand, Gapare prepped at South Kent in Connecticut and began his collegiate career at UMass before transferring to Georgia Tech this past season.

Gapare played in 29 games with 15 starts for the Yellow Jackets, including the final nine games of the season. He scored in double figures in three of those final nine games he started, including a 10-point, nine-rebound effort in a win over Syracuse and an 11-point, six-rebound effort in a win over Wake Forest. For the season, he averaged 5.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 18.2 minutes of action per game.

Gapare had his best performance of the season versus the Big Ten's Penn State. He scored a career-high 20 points, while also adding six rebounds and a block as the Yellow Jackets knocked off the Nittany Lions 82-81 in overtime.

The 6-foot-9, 206-pound Gapare played for Baltimore-based Team Melo on the Nike EYBL circuit after arriving from overseas. Rated a four-star prospect coming out of prep school, he was the No. 138-ranked prospect in the 2022 class according to Rivals and had offers from the likes of UConn, Illinois, Rutgers, Syracuse and more.

Gapare is the fourth commitment from the transfer portal this offseason, joining former Belmont guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie, former Virginia Tech guard Rodney Rice and former South Florida guard Selton Miguel.

With the addition of Gapare, the Terps currently have one additional scholarship opening remaining.