Terp of the Week: Dez Wells
3/22/2013 8:00:00 AM | Terrapin Athletics
March 22, 2013
Each week during the 2012-13 season a Maryland student-athlete, who has shown excellence on and off the playing field, will be selected as the Solomon Eye Associates Terp of the Week. This week's Solomon Eye Associates Terp of the Week is Dez Wells from men's basketball.
Wells was named to the ACC All-Tournament first team after averaging 22.0 points per game in three games, including a career-high 30 in a quarterfinal win over Duke.
By Taylor Smyth | Maryland Media Relations Student Assistant
When Dez Wells was named Terp of the Week in December, he was still a fairly unknown commodity to Maryland fans. While any pre-Maryland highlight reel would show Terp supporters Wells' world class leaping ability and shiftiness in the open court, the nuances of the sophomore's game could not yet have been deciphered in only two months of play.
Ask any member of the Terrapin faithful about Wells' skills now, and you'll surely see their eyes grow wide with excitement. From his ability to dictate pace in the open floor, his one-on-one defensive acumen and his polished mid-range game, Wells has been a revelation, especially on the road, in ACC play.
Never were these skills more on display than in the ACC Tournament, where Wells took Greensboro by storm. The native of nearby Raleigh averaged 22 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in the Terrapins' three game run to the semifinals, and was named to the All-ACC Tournament first team.
Even though the Terps fell short of an ACC title and an NCAA tournament spot, the first two-time TOTW recipient wants to continue the Terrapins' recent strong play.
"We just want to come out and compete as hard as we can," Wells said. "Coach has told us to just relax. Sometimes we push things to fast at times. Once he told us that, we've got it going and that's what we've been doing [recently]."
One of Wells' biggest contributions this season has been his on-court leadership, both through his words and his play. Any viewer of Maryland's three tournament contests would have noticed Wells' commitment to keeping his teammates on the right path.
"Attitude reflects leadership," Wells said. "That falls upon the leader of the team. At a certain point, you have to accept responsibly for your own doings, or lack thereof. Someone has to take ownership."
Now with the Terps in postseason play, Wells is ready to lead his teammates towards an NIT title and further success next season.
"We just want to win the NIT," Wells said. "We're in it to win it. We're not here just to buy time. We want to work as hard as we can to send our seniors out on the right note. That's our focus right now, is to play the best basketball."
