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Maryland basketball profiles in Terpage: Jared Nickens

Our series continues with sophomore Jared Nickens, who should be an important part of Maryland's rotation this season.

Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Countdown Clock

Jared Nickens, sophomore, guard/forward, No. 11

Height: 6'7

Weight: 205

Twitter: @HeatCheck_11

Collegiate Stats: 6.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.8 apg, 39% (57/146) from 3-point range

Recruiting Ratings: 4 stars, No. 23 SF, No. 93 player overall

Who did Maryland beat out? Oregon State, Miami, Providence, Oklahoma, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Penn State,

High School: Westtown School

Hometown: Monmouth Junction, N.J.

How'd He Get to College Park?

Nickens was the 4th ranked player in the state of Pennsylvania in the 2014 class, according to the 247 Sports composite. He received a lot of offers from schools such as Providence, Temple, UMass and Iona, but eventually began hearing from larger programs. Nickens took visits to Providence and Oregon State before eventually taking an official visit to Maryland on June 14, 2013. Two days later, he committed to Mark Turgeon and the Terps.

Career Highlight:

Nickens scored a career-high 15 points against Iowa State last November, tying Jake Layman for the team lead. Jared also hit some huge shots when Maryland faced Rutgers at home last season:

Dream Season:

Jared Nickens is Maryland's 6th man, drains over 40% of his three-pointers and averages double-digit points during his sophomore campaign.

2015-16 Prospectus

Nickens played a very important role for Maryland last season, averaging just over 19 minutes per game. He attempted the second most three pointers on the team during his freshman year (146), just two behind Melo Trimble's 148. Amazingly, Nickens actually shot significantly better from behind the arc than he did inside of it. He made just 33% of his two-point attempts while converting 39% of his three-point shots.

Before Rasheed Sulaimon transferred to Maryland, Nickens could have very well been starting for Maryland. But with the arrival of the Duke transfer, Nickens will now be in a role similar to what he did last year coming off the bench. He'll likely be playing around 20 minutes per game, much like he did last year but because of the talent Maryland has added, especially in their front court, Nickens should have even more opportunities to attempt three-point shots this season.

If he can improve on his long range shot and execute better inside the arc, producing a more balanced offensive attack that goes beyond just shooting threes, Nickens should be a huge asset for the Terps this season.

He'll be even more valuable to Mark Turgeon if he can somehow maintain his extremely low turnover percentage (6.8%, 4th nationally) and continue to not foul.  Last season, Nickens picked up just 1.7 fouls per 40 minutes. Both of those are additional reasons Nickens should see a good amount of time on the court this season.

Up next:

Our next player scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds when he faced Maryland in 2013.

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