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Maryland’s Dez Wells grabs the reins in Seth Allen’s absence

Dez Wells2

When it was announced earlier this week that Maryland sophomore point guard Seth Allen would miss eight to ten weeks after breaking the fifth metatarsal in his left foot, many wondered where head coach Mark Turgeon would turn in his search for a replacement. The general expectation was that highly regarded freshman Roddy Peters was next in line, despite the fact that in team scrimmages he experienced some of the struggles that most freshmen tend to go through.

Ultimately there wasn’t much deliberation on the part of Turgeon and his staff; if anything it can be said that the decision was made for them by junior Dez Wells according to Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post.

“’I’m the point guard,’” forward Charles Mitchell recalled Wells barking. “’This is me now. Just follow me. I’m going to be your leader.’”

Despite being a newcomer himself last season Wells was looked to as a leader by his teammates in 2012-13, as he averaged 13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game after transferring in from Xavier. The assist total ranked second on the team behind the now-departed Pe’Shon Howard (he’s at USC), and for players who accounted for at least 24% of his team’s possessions Wells ranked sixth in the ACC in offensive rating according to kenpom.com.

So with his teammates looking to him for leadership, and Wells’ acceptance of that role, it makes sense that he would take on the point guard responsibilities when Maryland plays its exhibition game against Catholic University on Sunday. But there are areas in which Wells needs to improve, such as turnovers.

In an area that proved to be problematic for the entire team last season (Maryland ranked 8th in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio), Wells finished with just four fewer turnovers (109) than he had assists (113). And that fact hasn’t escaped Wells as he looks to improve his production in 2013-14.

The simplified offense – Turgeon wouldn’t get into specifics – should help Wells curb the turnover issues that plagued him last season. Besides, Wells hates watching film of his successes, of which there were plenty. He studies only the failures, like many of his 109 giveaways.

Regardless of where he plays on the floor, the better Wells is as a player the better Maryland will be as a team. And if it so happens that Maryland’s best shot at early-season success is to have Wells in the role of primary ball-handler, it’s hard to believe that anyone would have a serious problem with that.

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