COLLEGE PARK — One of the more surprising aspects of the Maryland men's basketball team's 17-3 start this season has been that two seniors haven't been largely responsible for it.
Guard Dez Wells has shown just flashes of the player who led the Terps in scoring in each of his first two seasons in College Park, and forward Evan Smotrycz is only now providing more regular glimpses of the player who averaged 11 points and six rebounds as a starter last season.
Since coming back from a fractured right wrist in late December that sidelined for a month, Wells has averaged 11.5 points and nearly five rebounds per game. A 50.5 percent shooter over the past two seasons, Wells has shot just 40.3 percent from the field, though his accuracy from beyond the arc (52.0 percent) has improved dramatically.
Asked why Wells has not yet re-established himself as Maryland's primary scorer, coach Mark Turgeon said Saturday: "It could be the way he is being played. They doubled him on the post the other night [in a loss at No. 23 Indiana], and we got open shots. He's making the right plays. We just need Dez to be a good leader for us; that's what really matters."
Wells and Smotrycz are connected not only by the injuries they suffered but also by the teammate who has replaced their production. Junior forward Jake Layman took over as Maryland's leading scorer during Wells' absence, then took over as the team's power forward when Smotrycz got hurt.
After breaking his left foot in preseason practice and sitting out six weeks, Smotrycz reinjured the foot when he returned in late November and wound up missing eight games. Since returning for good in late December, Smotrycz has averaged just 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 10 games off the bench.
What has been most noticeable is Smotrycz's poor shooting, which seemed to come back a little Thursday. In 20 minutes against the Hoosiers — close to the average playing time Turgeon has given the 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward off the bench — Smotrycz had seven points on 3-for-5 shooting. He hit his only 3-pointer after having missed 16 of his previous 18.
"I thought Evan was good defensively. He's smart defensively. He helps us a lot defensively," Turgeon said. "Offensively, I thought he made some good plays. He made some nice passes. He helps our spacing. He's a really smart player on offense, too. Is Evan where he wants to be or where we need him to be? No, he's not, but he's getting closer."
Smotrycz seems to have taken a big step forward in the past week. On Monday, Turgeon said he "is nowhere near where he was before, because he had a great summer and was in the best shape of his life and he really played at a high level the day he broke his foot. … I don't think he'll be 100 percent this year."
Wells started the season hitting 28 of 40 field goals in his first four games before breaking his wrist in the opening minute of Maryland's victory over No. 9 Iowa State. He continued to play with the injury in the upset, missing 15 of 20 shots. His mid-range touch has resurfaced in spurts since his return.
The injury "hasn't affected me that much. You've just got to play through the nicks and aches and pains you have. That just comes with the game," he said Saturday. "You just take it with a grain of salt and you stay accountable for your own confidence and you keep working and keep grinding."
Smotrycz said those who haven't played the game at the Division I level don't quite understand what it takes to get back from the types of injuries he and Wells suffered.
"People think it's easy coming back from injury, no matter how small. It's definitely tough having to sit out games and sit out practices and then jump right back in," Smotrycz said. "It takes some time, but we know we'll be back."