The Terps spoke about the upcoming season, their fresh new uniforms and much more on Thursday.
Brady Ruth, Staff Writer
10/22/2026
Maryland men’s basketball welcomed media members to XFINITY Center on Thursday morning to discuss the upcoming season and preview the Terps’ new-look roster.
The team took the court in their stunning new throwback uniforms, building on the already-palpable excitement for the 2026-27 season.
“I like the material of the jerseys a lot,” Andre Mills said. “There’s definitely a lot of history and culture here. There was a national championship run in these, so whenever we wear them, we get to be a part of something bigger than us.”
Inspired by the uniforms worn for Maryland’s title 25 years ago, the new white alternate jerseys tie into the iconic look while including flashy new components worthy of the Terps’ exciting roster in head coach Buzz Williams’ second season at the helm.
“The little design on the outside of the jersey is amazing,” Pharrel Payne said. “With Maryland’s history and getting to celebrate the 25th anniversary, it’s a huge honor to wear these this season.”
Gallery: Men's Basketball External Media Day
College basketball looks a lot different than it did 25 years ago, but the 2001-02 team still serves as the standard for what Maryland wants to be. Williams knows the challenges of navigating the current era of the sport, and believes in his process of raising the Terps back to the acme of collegiate basketball.
“Everyone’s aware of the outcomes we want,” Williams said. “We want to be the 2001-02 Maryland Terps. So it comes down to how in the process can we diagnose what’s happening to lead to the outcome we want.”
Part of that process included constructing a roster with a blend of returning production and new faces, each with a shared hunger for excellence and drive to bring Maryland back to its standard.
“We’re here to win a lot of games,” Austin Brown said. “I’m excited to see how all the hard work we put in over the summer plays out. Everybody’s hungry to win.”
This team’s looking great. We have good chemistry. We’ve bonded with each other. We have a great staff. It’s been a long summer, and we just can’t wait to get on the court and play in front of the fans.Tomislav Buljan
With two exhibitions — both of them wins — already under their belts, the Terps have already learned a lot about their new-look squad. Freshman five-star Baba Oladotun was encouraged with Maryland’s 19-point comeback victory over West Virginia, and expects their mental toughness to be a theme all season long.
“I’ve learned that we’re resilient," Oladotun said. “That’s going to be our identity this year. We’re going to play hard no matter what. That and how connected we are is going to be our identity.”
Coach Buzz and company ?? https://t.co/PBNYqeDJ5i
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) October 22, 2026
DJ Wagner is one of 11 new faces on the roster this season. Maryland became an attractive landing spot for fresh talent in the offseason for hungry athletes ready to give their all to the Terps.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that like to work hard,” Wagner said. “We all want to get better, and we all play off each other really well. The work we all put in in the gym makes all of us better.”
Preseason All-Big Ten honoree Payne is back after missing much of last season with an injury. He spent his time off the court lifting up his teammates and building his leadership skills. This year, he’s excited to be someone that the guys look to on and off the hardwood.
“I learned my leadership role a lot last year,” Payne said. “I learned how to verbally pick guys up and help however I can while they’re playing. Being able to take that into this year, help hold guys to a certain standard and get them where we need to be is a big thing for me.”
We’re really well connected. We all hang out after practice or workouts. I think we’re all faster and longer than last year. We have better listeners. We’ve all bought into Coach Williams’ philosophies. We have great shooters, great ballhandlers, great playmakers, and I think our rebounding will be outstanding this year.Lukas Sotell
Mills tore up the floor during the back half of his freshman season and is back for another year in College Park.
“I’m excited about the roster,” Mills said. “I love our people. I’m really excited to get after it this year. Personally, I’m excited to see my growth, my patience and how poised I’ve become in maturing my game.”
Gallery: Maryland Reveals 02 Throwback Uniform
But the highlight of Thursday was the beautiful new threads. Maryland will don its throwback uniforms three times this season, all at home, against Bucknell (Nov. 2), Illinois (Jan. 16) and when it celebrates the 25th anniversary of the 2002 National Championship against Indiana (Feb. 13).
“It’s going to be nice,” Guillermo Del Pino said. “We want to see XFINITY completely full. I’m so excited to see the team this year and silence a lot of the doubts from last year.”
