NEW YORK -- Averaging more than 27 minutes per game each and scoring nearly 41 percent of Maryland’s total points combined as freshmen last season made Terps sophomores Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter and Justin Jackson household names in College Park.

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Entering the 2017-2018 season, the Terps impressive trio of playmakers isn’t only being asked to replicate and build upon their first season at Maryland, they’re also already being viewed as leaders by their coaches and teammates.

“Coach [Mark] Turgeon has definitely talked more with me, Anthony and Justin about trying to be more of leaders just because of the roles we played last year,” Huerter said during Big Ten Media Day at Madison Square Garden Oct. 19. “We were guys that were on the court for a lot of minutes over the course of the year, so we’ve kind of been through a lot of it.”

Huerter, who led the Terps last season in three pointers made (65), was second in rebounds (163) and minutes per game (29.4), as well as third in field goals made (111), assists (88), blocks (23), and steals (32), added that he, Cowan and Jackson knew playing at Maryland came with lofty expectations, but he believes being thrown into the mix right away to start their college careers certainly helped them evolve into the players they are today.

“We had to grow up quick,” Huerter said. “That was something we had to kind of figure out pretty early. At a school like Maryland, you’re expected to be winning every year. We had a couple of guys get hurt [last year] so we knew we were going to have to play big minutes, but that was something I think we embraced and were looking forward to. We wouldn’t have wanted to have it any other way.”

Huerter thinks Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon is “still trying to find his guy.” And while he answered, “I think I could be,” when asked if he’s going to be Turgeon’s go-to guy down the stretch of games, Huerter believes there will be more of a leader-by-committee approach in College Park this season than there was last year when standout guard Melo Trimble filled that role.

With a solid amount of playing time and experience under Huerter’s belt already, Turgeon is confident that the 6-foot-7 wing will follow up his strong freshman showing with another impressive season.

“I think Kevin [Huerter] will continue to shine,” Turgeon said. “He’s already a much better player than he was last year, and he had a heck of a freshman year. He’s just so much further along and more comfortable with himself.”

Turgeon added that he saw Huerter’s potential on the court and leadership qualities very early on while recruiting and coaching him, and that he believes the New York native has a chance to create a long-lasting legacy at Maryland.

“[Huerter] is pretty special,” Turgeon said. “I’d have to go back and think about some of the guys I’ve coached, but he really sees things. He’ll see mismatch things that a lot of kids don’t see, and he sees it quickly. He helps me with seeing things on the floor that I don’t see, and I trust him because he’s really smart. So he’s special; he really is, especially since I think he’s still growing and still filling out. If he stays healthy, he should have a terrific year.”

But perhaps the hardest transition from freshman to sophomore year will be for Terps point guard Anthony Cowan, who has to take over for Trimble as Maryland’s primary ball handler.

At 6-foot, 170 pounds, Cowan played 29 minutes per game last year and averaged 10.3 points, 3.7 assists and 3.9 rebounds while splitting floor general duties with Trimble.

This season Cowan won’t have Trimble to share a backcourt with and not too many people in college basketball circles seem to be talking about Maryland’s guards as we draw close to the start of the season. Turgeon believes the Bowie, Md., native is ready to emerge as the Terps top ball handler and facilitator, but he doesn’t mind that his point guard is flying a bit under the radar nationally.

“I think Anthony’s best when he has a chip on his shoulder,” Turgeon said. “So if he’s underrated then that’s good for me and that’s good for Maryland because then he’s going to play with a chip on his shoulder.”

Turgeon is excited to see what Maryland’s offense will look like this season with Cowan running the show, but he cautions Terps fans to not expect to see the same game that Trimble brought to the court.

“I don’t want anyone to ever compare [Cowan] to Melo [Trimble] because he’s different than Melo,” Turgeon said. “He’s more point guard than Melo. Melo is a 6-foot-3 dynamic scorer. But I think the whole team will step out of his shadow. I mean, most of my questions [at Big Ten Media Day] are about Melo. They want to know how we’re replacing Melo. Melo earned that. He was a terrific player and he changed everything for our program. But I think our whole program will come out of that this year, especially Anthony [Cowan].

“Anthony is just so much more comfortable than he was a year ago at this time, in just everything that he’s doing--his relationship with me, his understanding of me, his understanding of our system, his understanding of what his teammates think of him as a player and as a person. So he’s just much further along and I think as the year goes on that will continue to grow. I can’t explain it. Last year he was really good, but he had no idea what he was doing. This year he’s really good and he has a total understanding of what’s expected of him and what’s expected of the team.”

The final piece of the puzzle to the core of this year’s Terps team is the long, versatile, and athletic forward, Justin Jackson, who decided to forego the NBA Draft despite some interest from professional teams to come back to College Park for his sophomore season.

The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Canadian proved to be Maryland’s most NBA-ready prospect last season as he showed a strong inside and outside game. Playing just under 28 minutes per game, Jackson averaged 10.5 points and led the Terps with 6 rebounds per game.

But perhaps what made Jackson most impressive, particularly to NBA scouts, was his efficiency when shooting from beyond the arc. While alternating between both forward positions, Jackson led the Terps last year in three-point shooting percentage (43.8 percent) and finished third on the team in total three-pointers made (46).

There’s not a ton more for the Preseason All-Big Ten First Team selection to prove, but Turgeon believes Jackson can follow up his phenomenal freshman year with an even better encore performance as a sophomore because of the work he saw him put into his game this offseason.

“It was something that we talked about when the season ended, if you want to be the type of player we think you can be, you've got to put in more than just what the coaches are putting in with you, extra time in the weight room, extra time in the gym,” Turgeon said. “So he's done that. He's gotten a lot better.”

Jackson’s highly touted guard skills for a player his size are an underlying factor that have yet to be fully utilized by Maryland. However, according to Turgeon, that should be changing this season.

“We're going to use Justin a little bit differently than we did last year, the ball being in his hands hopefully a little bit more,” Turgeon said. “He'll play perimeter. We played four perimeter guys last year with him. But his position, he'll play two positions for us. He only played one last year. He's really doing well. He's an amazing scorer, shoots the three, he's got mid-range game. He's got post up, scores around the rim. He's really a good player. He can really pass the ball. And hopefully we're going to put him in positions coming off ball screens and isolations where not only is he making plays for himself but he's also making plays for his teammates. And I think it will be a big change from what you saw last year.”

All three of Maryland’s primary playmakers will have their own story and individual accomplishments during their sophomore seasons, but collectively, they’re the key to the Terps’ success this season.

“They’re all great players,” Turgeon said. “The bottom line while they’re together, however long that is, is that they win as many games as they can possibly win and then the rest will take care of itself.”