COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Former Terps center, now-Atlanta Hawks rookie, Bruno Fernando brought a lot to the table for Maryland in his two seasons manning the paint in College Park. But besides points, rebounds, and blocks, the Angola native’s most important contribution was his non-stop, unmatched energy on and off the court that at times seemed to carry the Terps through tough stretches.

With every key member of Mark Turgeon’s team returning from last year, sans Fernando, the Terps are hoping to build upon last season while at the same time trying to figure out how they’ll replace the spark Fernando brought to the team.

“I don't know if we have anybody like Bruno that's going to be so emphatic and playing to the crowd,” Turgeon said. “But we have a lot of really good players.”

Part of what made Fernando so electric during his time at Maryland were his emphatic dunks and vicious blocks. And while the Terps don’t currently have a post presence quite as intimidating as Fernando, they do still have some serious talent down low in former McDonald’s All-American, now-Preseason All-Big Ten selection, Jalen “Stix” Smith, as well as fellow sophomore Ricky Lindo Jr., freshman twins Makhi and Makhel Mitchell, and perhaps eventually 7-foot-2 freshman Chol Marial, who is recovering from knee surgery.

“Bruno was a tremendous shot blocker, and he covered up a lot of our mistakes last year. That said, Stix is a pretty tremendous shot-blocker in his own right. Ricky Lindo’s game has really improved. He can protect the rim. The twins [Makhi and Makhel Mitchell], they do a great job of protecting the rim and then hopefully eventually down the road, we're going to get Chol [Marial] back,” Turgeon said. “I think around the rim we're going to be really good again, especially as the season goes on. But I don't know if we'll have that (high-energy) guy, I really don't.”

As Turgeon mentioned, Lindo will be part of the collective effort to replicate Fernando’s energy in the post.

With a bulked-up frame, a little extra bounce, and a better diet, Lindo believes he is ready to step up as one of Maryland’s high-energy guys.

“I can see myself doing that, being a spark, especially on the defensive end where I feel more comfortable at right now,” Lindo said. “I think I can be that spark blocking shots, getting steals, just getting stops in general, and then just let the offense come.”

Outside of the frontcourt, Turgeon singled-out sophomore wing Aaron Wiggins as a player he sees ready to take a leadership role for the Terps because of his diplomatic demeanor, maturity, and work ethic.

“Aaron Wiggins is probably the most outgoing guy that we have,” Turgeon said. “He is great for us in public when he goes out and does things in the community. He's terrific, a little more shy on the floor. But he might be that (high-energy) guy, we’ll see.”

Wiggins is ready to accept the challenge and considers himself a natural leader.

“I’ve always just had a natural ability to be vocal, to be one of those guys who’s not afraid to step up and speak,” Wiggins said. “Being one of the leaders on the team isn’t something that I’m afraid of or that I’ll step away from. It’s just natural for me to want what’s best for the team and being able to speak and tell guys what they need to know and what they don’t need to be doing. It’s just something that’s natural for me.”

Wiggins’ leadership within the Terps’ locker room has already begun. Not long after Maryland was eliminated in the Round of 32 of last season’s NCAA Tournament, Wiggins and the other returning Terps realized the void that had noticeably been left by Fernando and took it among themselves to address it then and there with a plan for providing energy and vocal leadership throughout this season.

“It’s going to be impossible to replace Bruno by himself. One person can’t do that by themselves,” Wiggins said. “That’s something we addressed in the spring. We talked to each other and were like, ‘Guys, Bruno is gone. We, as a team, have to replace that energy that he brought.’ He was one of those vocal leaders off the court, telling us to make sure you’re doing what you have to do. And then on the court, he’d be the loudest guy and most energized guy doing everything on the court. But we said that everybody has to step up, and if it makes you uncomfortable, you have to do the uncomfortable things to be great. So that’s something that we’ve talked about.”

Smith remembers that conversation with his teammates and has already begun to step up his leadership role on the team.

“It pretty much all started in the weight room. Once we were in the weight room and we realized that Bruno wasn’t coming back, everybody was instantly like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to pick this up now. We’ve pretty much lost our battery,’” Smith said. “Bruno’s energy equals like seven of us, so since then, I’ve just been talking louder and louder, no matter if I’m just yelling random things. I’m always yelling and just pushing my team.”

Smith and Wiggins will try their best to recharge Maryland’s “battery.” And while they and their teammates realize there’s only one Bruno Fernando, the camaraderie created by trying to replace his leadership could be what ends up energizing the Terps this season.

“Bruno’s energy is always going to be unmatched because that’s just unnormal,” Smith said. “But we’re always picking each other up no matter what, so I think it’s going to help us in the long run.”