COLLEGE PARK | Maryland junior point guard Anthony Cowan dribbled the ball past midcourt and then swung a pass to his left to sophomore shooting guard Darryl Morsell.
Morsell lofted a 3-pointer from the left wing that swished through the net and gave the first unit a 10-minute lead during a practice session Tuesday afternoon.
“It is not surprising,” Cowan said. “Darryl is a workaholic. He is shooting with confidence.”
That was not necessarily the case last season, as Morsell made just three of 25 3-point attempts and 42 percent overall as a freshman.
But Maryland hopes new-found confidence from Cowan, Morsell and the addition of freshman guard Eric Ayala could aid the Terrapins’ frontcourt in an effort to get back to the NCAA Tournament. Ayala is expected to play the point at times, freeing Cowan to move off the ball on occasion.
Last season, Maryland was 19-13 overall and finished eighth in the Big Ten at 8-10. The season ended with a loss to Wisconsin in the second round of Big Ten tournament after Maryland appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2016.
“Super frustrated,” Cowan said of missing last season’s NCAA Tournament. “I think things are definitely starting to change around here, in terms of culture.”
Cowan, a third-team preseason All-Big Ten selection from Bowie, led the Terrapins in nearly every major category last season after all-conference point guard Melo Trimble departed for the D-League.
Cowan averaged 15.8 points, 5.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 37 minutes per game last season for coach Mark Turgeon, who enters his eighth season.
“Anthony has grown so much,” senior forward Ivan Bender said. “He is trying to be more of a team player.”
“The guy is full of energy,” freshman guard Aaron Wiggins said. “One of the great defenders in the Big Ten.”
But there were times the body language of Cowan was not that of a leader last season.
“We’ve talked about body language and we showed him some different things,” Turgeon said. “We’ve talked about it a lot. A couple times this summer it came back when we were playing (overseas). That was what was great about this summer. I thought we really played well and Anthony didn’t play great for Anthony — what we expect. But he has changed. He’s a totally different kid and I think he likes the new Anthony. I think it’s a comfort level he has with his teammates too.”
“I think I have grown, just knowing how to talk to different teammates,” Cowan said. “There are different personalities on every team.”
Cowan and his teammates were able to bond more than normal this past summer.
Every four years, Division I schools are allowed to make an overseas trip. That can mean up to 10 extra days of practice. This past summer Maryland went to Italy. But beyond the basketball, it is a time of bonding, especially with incoming freshmen.
“Those early summer practices definitely helped build chemistry,” Ayala said.
“It was big for team bonding and learning each other’s strengths,” Morsell said
Freshman forward Jalen Smith enjoyed visiting Lake Como in Italy.
“It was also cool driving by George Clooney’s house,” the Baltimore native said. “That’s was a big house.”
Maryland was able to play three games in Italy.
“It was an amazing experience,” freshman guard Serrel Smith said.
Serrel Smith is from Florida and had previously never been out of the country.
Now the Terrpins are motivated to get back to the NCAA tourney.
That includes forward Bruno Fernando, who tested the NBA waters before deciding to return for his sophomore season.
“It is pretty important to us,” Fernando said. “The trip we had overseas helped a lot.”
Fernando averaged 10.3 points and 6.5 rebounds last season.
Serrel Smith said he can tell the upperclassmen want a return to the Big Dance.
“They set an example every day,” he said.
Maryland hosts Division II Lynn University in an exhibition game on Oct. 30 and begins regular-season play at home on Nov. 6 against Delaware to kick off the school’s 100th season of hoops.
The Terps are picked to finish eighth out of 14 teams in the Big Ten Conference by Street & Smith’s magazine.
⦁ Owen Dunn contributed to this report.
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