Faces To Know: 2024-25 Men's Basketball Newcomers

Head coach Kevin Willard and Maryland men’s basketball were active in the transfer portal and its recruiting efforts this offseason. The Terps welcomed five transfers and two freshmen. Here’s everything you need to know about each incoming student-athlete ahead of the 2024-25 season, including their reason for choosing the University of Maryland as their new home. 

The Transfers

Tafara Gapare

Forward, 6-9, 206, Jr.
(Georgia Tech)

Tafara Gapare is a versatile, athletic and skilled 6-foot-9, 206-pound forward from Georgia Tech who can score, rebound, pass and defend multiple positions. He became a significant contributor off the bench at Georgia Tech as a sophomore in 2023-24, earning starts in his last nine games. Gapare appeared in 29 games, starting 15, where he posted averages of 5.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 18.1 minutes per game. The New Zealand native was a former four-star recruit who spent his senior year of high school in Connecticut. He played his freshman collegiate year at UMass. Gapare is a rising junior with three remaining seasons of eligibility.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie

Guard, 6-1, 180, Jr.
(Belmont)

Ja’Kobi Gillespie is a 6-foot-1, 180-pound rising junior guard from Belmont named to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Second Team, All-Defensive Team and Most-Improved Team in 2024. The Greeneville, Tenn. native averaged 17.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game in 25 appearances as a sophomore. Gillespie is an efficient three-level scorer, shooting 56.1% from the floor and 38.7% from the 3-point line. As a freshman in 2022-23, the guard was named to the MVC All-Freshman and All-Bench teams. Gillespie was also named Tennessee’s 3A Mr. Basketball in 2022, becoming the first player from northeast Tennessee to receive the honor in its 37-year history. 

Selton Miguel

Guard, 6-4, 210, 5th
(South Florida)

Selton Miguel is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard from the University of South Florida and the reigning American Athletic Conference (AAC) Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player. He was also selected to the All-AAC Second Team after posting averages of 14.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while appearing in all 33 games for a Bulls team that finished 25-8 overall and 16-2 in the AAC, their most league wins in program history in 2023-24. The Angola native is a fifth-year graduate student for the Terps who will fill a vital role on both sides of the floor with plenty of game experience. Miguel previously attended Kansas State from 2020-22.  

Rodney Rice

Guard, 6-4, 195, So.
(Virginia Tech)

Rodney Rice is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard from Virginia Tech and a native of Clinton, Md. He is a rising junior with three remaining years of eligibility and an attendee of nearby DeMatha Catholic High School. Rice didn’t compete for the Hokies this past season but battled through an injury-riddled season to compete in eight games in 2022-23, where he averaged 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds as a freshman. He played under former Maryland assistant coach Mike Jones at DeMatha, where he was an All-Met First Team selection in 2021-22 after leading the Stags in scoring. Rice was tabbed the third-best player in Maryland and the 10th-best combo guard nationally in the class of 2022, according to 247Sports. 

Jay Young

Guard, 6-2, 175, 6th
(Memphis)

University of Memphis transfer Jayhlon Young is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard who appeared in 27 of 32 games for the Tigers in 2023-24. He averaged 2.2 points on 43.4% shooting from the field in 11 minutes per game. Maryland is Young’s fifth stop after splitting time at Grambling State, Baton Rouge Community College and UCF before Memphis. Kevin Norris, who joined the Terps as an assistant this offseason, coached Young at UCF during the 2022-23 season. He averaged 4.5 points and shot 35.8% from beyond the arch that season. Young enters College Park as a redshirt senior for the Terps. He can score on the perimeter and finish at the rim.   

Incoming Freshmen

Malachi Palmer

Guard, 6-6, 215, Fr.
(Mt. Zion Prep)

Malachi Palmer is a 6-foot-6, 215-pound four-star guard, according to ESPN, and the No. 1 overall recruit from Maryland, according to 247Sports. The big-bodied volume scorer attended Mt. Zion Prep in Lanham, Md., for his last two years in high school, where he eclipsed the 1,000-point scoring mark. The guard was selected to play in the Capital Classic and Iverson Classic Showcase in 2024. As a junior, Palmer was a First Team All-Elite Prep League selection. He was also named a MaxPreps Freshman All-American while attending Central Dauphin High School in Pennsylvania. Palmer played on the EYBL circuit for Team Melo and NY Renaissance.

Derik Queen

Center, 6-10, 245, Fr.
(Montverde Academy)

Derik Queen, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound center from Baltimore, Md., is the highest-rated recruit to sign with the Terps since Diamond Stone, who earned a No. 8 national ranking in 2015. According to ESPN, Queen is also a No. 8 nationally-ranked player and a five-star recruit. The center was a McDonald's All-American named Co-MVP of the game, becoming the first Terp to win MVP since Adrian Branch. Queen played three seasons at Montverde Academy in Florida after his freshman year at St. Frances Academy alongside Julian Reese. He led Montverde to a 33-0 record in 2023-24 while leading the Eagles with 16.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The Baltimore native was named a MaxPreps Second Team All-American and earned All-Tournament honors as Montverde went to the Chipotle National Championship. Queen was also named the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year at St. Frances. He played AAU basketball for Team Thrill, leading them to the Under Armour Association U-17 spring championship in 2023.