COLLEGE PARK — After reinjuring the left foot he broke in October and sitting out the past three games, Maryland senior forward Evan Smotrycz could get some minutes Saturday against USC-Upstate if there is no residual pain following his first practice in nearly two weeks.
"It's probably the most he's done, what he did today," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said during a teleconference Friday.
Turgeon said the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Smotrycz, the team's leading returning rebounder and third-leading scorer last season, is "further along, he's done more things on the floor for us, practiced a little today. Whether I play him tomorrow or not, we'll see how his foot reacts."
A decision will be made before the 11 a.m. tip at Xfinity Center.
Smotrycz, who broke his foot in practice on Oct. 21, played 22 minutes against Monmouth on Nov. 28, pulling down a team-high six rebounds to match last season's average. He looked rusty offensively, missing three of four shots. He then played just eight minutes two days later against VMI, all in the first half.
He finished that game with three assists and missed both his shots. Given that USC-Upstate plays almost exclusively a zone defense, Smotrycz could be of value to the Terps. He's typically a good outside shooter and he is an extremely good passer in tight spaces, as he demonstated against VMI.
Turgeon would like to have Smotrycz close to 100 percent when the Terps open the Big Ten season Dec. 30 at Michigan State.