JuJu Beast: Julian Reese Is At The Center Of Maryland Men’s Basketball’s Hot Start

For Julian Reese, a new coaching staff meant a new mindset and a fresh start. Seven games into the 2022-23 season and Reese, now a sophomore, is taking full advantage of all three things—much to the benefit of the 22nd-ranked Maryland Terrapins. 

Reese has been one of the key cogs for the undefeated Terps throughout their impressive start to the season. Reese is averaging 13.7 points a game along with 7.9 boards—a big jump from his averages of 5.7 and 4.4 as a freshman. 

A major factor in his massive sophomore leap? Leaning into the physicality of the center position.

“Definitely just being physical,” Reese said of his biggest growth area over the past offseason. “That was my biggest focus over the summer, just getting bigger and stronger so I could be more physical.”

Reese’s offseason journey wasn’t handled alone. Led by Kevin Willard, the coaching staff has been hands-on with his development since day one. Assistant coach Grant Billmeier, who specializes in coaching big men, has been particularly instrumental, especially when it comes to getting Reese reinvested in prototypical post moves such as drop-steps, hook shots and duck-ins. 

“(Billmeier’s) definitely helped me redevelop those skills,” Reese said. “I was always the biggest kid growing up so I used them a lot then, but I definitely shied away from that a little as my career went on. Now, getting those things back down as a big part of my package is helping my game.”

“With me being 6’9’’, that’s not really the textbook size for a big nowadays, so just going over those types of things is really good because I feel like some post players forget those fundamentals and fall more to the perimeter,” he added.

When Billmeier was hired on April 4, 2022 after 11 seasons with Willard on Seton Hall’s staff, it didn’t take him long to look at some tape of Reese. Of course, he saw raw talent that was not yet developed, but he also saw a future star down low. 

“He was just a baby,” Billmeier said of his first impressions of Reese’s game. “He was like a flower that you’re ready to see blossom. He’s someone you knew was going to grow into an elite college player and I was really excited to be able to work with him.”

The excitement to work together was mutual. Billmeier, who has coached several star big men including former Kareem Abdul-Jabbar National Center of the Year Award Winner Angel Delgado, instantly had Reese’s complete confidence.

“I know he’s coached a lot of really good post players and that definitely helps me put more trust in him as a player,” Reese said. “I try to just be a sponge. He’s one of the best in the business; he helped me a lot this summer and there’s still more to learn now.

An equally important component to Reese’s hot start to the season has been Willard’s unwavering trust in his young center. From day one, Willard has been explicit in how much he believes in Reese’s talent and about how much the Baltimore native means to the program. 

For Reese, that trust has helped his own belief in himself on the court.

“That confidence in me definitely helps my confidence as well,” Reese said. “It’s definitely a confidence booster when a coach believes in such a young player, a sophomore, like me so much.” 

That trust has carried over into game action. After the season opener against Niagara, a 71-49 Maryland win where Reese notched a respectable seven-point, seven-rebound performance, Reese wasn’t satisfied. As a result, Reese, Willard and Billmeier sat down to watch the film together to see where Reese could improve.

“We saw some areas where I could be better like posting up stronger, ducking in more, just doing some extra things to put myself in scoring position more,” Reese recalled. “We took those things into the second game and it kinda took off from there.”

Took off is an understatement.

Reese followed up that film session with personal bests in points (19), rebounds (12), and made field goals (seven) while also notching the first double-double of his career against Western Carolina. Three games later, when the Terps hosted Juan Dixon and Coppin State on Friday, Nov. 25, Reese hit his first nine shots from the field en route to a 22-point first half, making him the first Terp to score 20-plus points in a half since Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 20 against Temple in November of 2019. 

"This is the Julian I see everyday in practice,” Willard said after the Western Carolina game. “He's been like this for the past month. What I saw the first game was a guy that didn't play a whole lot last year and had a little nerves in his first game. What I saw today was a kid that accepted my challenge and wanted to be dominant. I think you're just seeing a small sliver of how good Julian can be."

And while the coaching staff has played a huge role in Reese’s ability to go out and dominate on any given night, the credit goes to Reese for working relentlessly to improve and to be coachable. 

“He’s been all eyes and ears since we got here,” Billmeier said. “He really enjoys being coached and he likes how hands-on Coach Willard and our whole staff are. 

“He’s a kid that, no matter what time you text him at night, he’ll get back to you right away and he always finds a way to be there,” he added.

With a Big Ten slate ahead featuring some of the top big men in the country, Reese will be challenged night in and night out, starting tonight when Maryland hosts No. 16 Illinois. 

Fortunately, Reese is ready for the battle.

“I’m definitely excited. Last year, I got all the rust off playing those types of guys. Just getting a little taste of what those top post guys do, their tendencies, I feel like now I’m ready for the challenge even more and I’m just excited to keep growing.” 

Equally as fortunate for the Terps is the fact that Reese isn’t nearly done growing and developing as a player. At just 19 years old, Reese’s best days are in front of him. 

And that’s a scary sight for the rest of the Big Ten and the nation overall. 

“From the first game of the season until now, less than a month in, I think he’s already made tremendous leaps in his game,” Billmeier said. “If he stays working like this, he’s just going to keep getting better. And as he continues to get even better, our team is going to continue to get even better.”