Maryland basketball finally has minutes to give Michal Cekovsky

Maryland basketball tips off its season against American on Nov. 11. Until then, we’re profiling every player on the team.

Michal Cekovsky, power forward

Height: 7’1

Weight: 250 pounds

High School: Canarias Academy (Spain)

Jersey No.: 15

How Cekovsky got to College Park

Cekovsky committed to Maryland in April 2014, becoming the final member of the program’s 2014 recruiting class. The junior hails from Kosice, Slovakia, but spent his final year of high school at Canarias Academy, as did current Maryland freshman Joshua Tomaic.

2016-17 prospectus

Cekovsky showed his potential as a freshman when he helped contain future National Player of The Year Frank Kaminsky in a win over Wisconsin, but was buried in the depth chart last season.

He should be in for a bigger role this season after Diamond Stone and Robert Carter Jr. left for the NBA, freeing up a lot of minutes in the frontcourt. This was compounded when power forward Ivan Bender broke his wrist in practice last week.

Maryland needs someone to fill some of Bender’s minutes, but Cekovsky’s main role will be as backup to center Damonte Dodd. He could still get around 20 minutes a game, but the foot injury he suffered in the Terps’ exhibition last week puts his status for the beginning of the season in question.

What a dream season might look like

Cekovsky’s foot injury is not serious and he sees solid minutes off the bench throughout the season. He becomes a better defender and improves his touch and finishing around the rim, giving Maryland a strong scoring option in the low post.

Up next

Our next subject saw a dip in his three-point shooting percentage last year. Maryland’s gonna need him return to form this season.

Standings

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