Maryland men’s basketball adds fourth transfer in former Georgia Tech forward Tafara Gapare
Maryland men’s basketball appears to have landed its fourth transfer this offseason, bringing in former Georgia Tech forward Tafara Gapare.
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Gapare seemed to confirm his decision Thursday night when he posted on X, formerly Twitter, a turtle emoji and the number 100 next to it. He then shared two posts announcing his transfer to the Terps.
Gapare is the fourth player to join Maryland from elsewhere this offseason. Shooting guard Rodney Rice (Virginia Tech) and point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Belmont) committed to the program last month, and shooting guard Selton Miguel (South Florida) announced his intention to transfer on Tuesday.
The addition of Gapare leaves the Terps with one more scholarship to offer. The school bade farewell to point guard Jahmir Young (a team-high 20.4 points and 4.2 assists per game with 4.9 rebounds last season) and small forward Donta Scott (11.2 points and 4.7 rebounds), both of whom exhausted their eligibility. Transferring out were freshman small forward Jamie Kaiser Jr. (who went to Butler), freshman shooting guard Jahnathan Lamothe (North Carolina A&T), sophomore small forward Noah Batchelor (Buffalo) and sophomore center Caelum Swanton-Rodgers.
Gapare is the first frontcourt addition for Maryland. This past winter, the sophomore averaged 5.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 29 games, including 15 starts for the Yellow Jackets. He raised those numbers in his last seven appearances, compiling 7.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
Gapare, who spent his freshman year at Massachusetts, fortifies a frontcourt anchored by 6-9, 230-pound junior power forward Julian Reese, a Randallstown native and St. Frances graduate who was the only player at the NCAA Division I level to average at least 10 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.0 steals, finishing with 13.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.0 steals. The team also will welcome 6-10, 245-pound freshman center Derik Queen, a Baltimore native and five-star prospect who also played at St. Frances.