Photographs courtesy University of Maryland Athletics
When Julian Reese plays in a game for the University of Maryland men’s basketball team, he says his mother’s voice is the only one he can hear in the crowd. Since Angel Webb starred as a basketball player at UMBC, her cheers sometimes turn into critiques. Reese also gets advice from his aunt, who played at Coppin State, and his sister Angel on and off the court. Of the three, Angel, who played at Maryland and LSU before joining the WNBA, is the most vocal.
Julian and Angel were together at Maryland for the 2021/2022 season. “Angel definitely says a lot,” Reese says. “She says you could have done this or that. It’s typical big sister stuff.”
Angel won a national championship and NCAA Tournament MVP honors after transferring from Maryland in 2022. She has appeared in a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and on the cover of the issue “The 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports.” She now plays professionally for the Chicago Sky. “She handles the spotlight well,” Reese says. “I am happy for her. The spotlight really doesn’t matter to me.”
Like it or not, the 6-foot-9 Reese has already received more attention this season. He’s improved his numbers every year in college and averages 13.5 points and 8.9 rebounds this season (as of press time). He bulked up to 252 pounds for this winter. The presence of 6-10 freshman center Derek Queen—one of the country’s top-10 high school recruits—should benefit Reese as well.
“I would take Julian over any other big man in the country,” Maryland Head Coach Kevin Willard says. “He was here every day at 7:30 a.m. getting his work in. He was in the gym working out and working on improving his shot and free throws.”
One of the reasons Reese didn’t leave Maryland to play professionally was because of his love for the Terrapins. The Randallstown native grew up a Maryland fan and attended St. Frances Academy in Baltimore.
We spoke with Reese about the team, his game, and more.
Photographs courtesy University of Maryland Athletics
How good do you think the team could be? Just seeing all the weapons we picked up in the transfer portal was awesome. I feel we can be a team in the NCAA tournament that can play until late March. I feel like me, DeShawn, and all the other guys that stayed have gotten the new guys to by into our culture—especially Derek. We are hanging out a lot off the court and really just coming together. We are building our chemistry to an all-time high. Everybody has really bought in and that’s the most important thing.
Since you are the player who has the most years as a Terp on the roster, do you feel you have to be more of a leader this year? Yes, definitely. I have learned from guys in the past I played with like Eric Ayala and Donta Scott. They helped build a tradition at Maryland and I have taken some things from them about being a leader. I feel like I am ready to step up. I am not really a very vocal guy. So, I lead by example more. But sometimes I have to lean on some teammates just to get them in the right headspace and make sure they are doing the right thing.
Have you gone out of your way to help out Derek Queen? I have known him since high school. We played for one year together. It’s kind of a recurring thing now in college. I feel he is handling things well. He is a down to earth guy. On the court, he just makes all the right plays. He is everything I thought he would be on and off the court. He has a great attitude. He is like a sponge. He is ready to learn all day, every day, including from me.
How would you describe your relationship with coach Willard? I feel we have grown closer over the years. Our personalities are kind of different. But he knows how to talk to me. We just have gelled really well. It’s definitely refreshing playing for the same coach for three years after having so much change in the first two years. It’s a great thing building the program with him and understanding him.
Talk about the relationship you have with your sister. Did basketball bring you closer? We have played together a lot over the years. We played on the same team in elementary school and in rec league. We played really good in those leagues. We were always close because of basketball. We bonded that way.
Why did you come back to Maryland for your senior year? I saw all the pieces we had coming in—all the great players. We had a dominating freshman [Queen] coming in. It seemed like the best place to be for me. It’s one of the reasons I came back for my senior year. I probably would have gone pro if I didn’t come back.
Do you use last year’s 16-17 record as motivation for this year personally and for the team? Yes. You have to think about the disrespect we got last year and how the season unfolded. We don’t want to go back to having that type of season. You don’t want those things to wear on you. We have to look to the future and not the past. There’s definitely a lot of pressure this year. I get a lot of motivation from it.
