Cowan hoping to ‘go out with a bang’

Senior’s goal is steering team to postseason glory

COLLEGE PARK — Maybe the most remarkable aspect of Anthony Cowan Jr.’s four years at Maryland has been the rarity of it all: a top local recruit who attends the flagship university and starts from day one.

It’s been 129 straight games, and counting, since Cowan’s freshman year in 2016.

Amid the one-and-dones and transfer rules, Cowan is in some ways the antithesis of college basketball.

With that comes being entrenched in the lore of a program and associated with the highs and lows of a specific era.

Ahead of Sunday’s regular-season finale against No. 25 Michigan, fans at Xfinity Center will show their appreciation for the four-year player as Cowan will be recognized before playing his final home game in College Park.

Maryland coach Mark Turgeon has seen his share of players leave his program early, whether it be to transfer or head to pro basketball. But Cowan has been a constant and in many ways has adopted

the role of a player-coach.

“He’s become an extension of me as his career’s gone on, which has been great,” Turgeon said after Saturday’s practice. “[It] helps me coach.

“He’s been a scoring point guard for us for four years. I know he’s up there in assists and all that kind of stuff too, but he’s been a great all-around player for us.”

When Turgeon first watched Cowan as a sophomore at St. John’s College High School in Washington, he became enamored with the 6-foot point guard.

“He could do a lot of things,” Turgeon said. “He had a moxie about him and he knew how to play. It was really a no-brainer for me. Being a point guard, being a little point guard, it was a no-brainer.”

Playing in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, which Turgeon and former assistant Dustin Clark — who helped recruit Cowan to Maryland — praised as the top high school basketball league in the country, helped prepare Cowan for the high-pressure situations that come with playing in the Big Ten.

It’s also a personality trait that’s been passed down from Cowan’s father, Anthony Cowan Sr.

“One of the things that we have as a family mantra is, ‘Don’t get too high [and] don’t get too low on your lows,’ ” the elder Cowan said Wednesday in a telephone interview. “You have to take it week by week, game by game. I think that mantra has helped him manage the pressures and the expectations that he has on himself.”

That mantra has been displayed fully by Cowan in his final year as he’s led Maryland through countless comeback victories and hit shots when the Terps have needed it most. His stretch in the final minutes of a come-from-behind road victory against

Michigan State, scoring the game’s final 11 points, might be the banner moment of his career to date.

“They’re going to miss Cowan because he’s the straw that stirs the drink,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said after the teams’ second meeting Feb. 29. “He does not get rattled.”

At Big Ten media day in October and as Maryland prepared for the 2019 season, Turgeon spoke about Cowan trusting his teammates more and making “the right play.” No other play might be more indicative of that than in the waning moments of the Terps’ game against Minnesota on Feb. 26.

Down two with just seconds remaining, Cowan attempted to drive to the basket but was impeded by Minnesota forward Daniel Oturu. Cowan picked up his dribble and quickly found Aaron Wiggins behind him, who passed to a trailing Darryl Morsell for the game-winning 3-pointer.

It’s just one aspect of Cowan’s growth as a leader, both on and off the court.

“Last year he tried to lead, but he wasn’t comfortable,” Turgeon said. “This year, you can tell it’s more comfortable for him.”

When asked what aspect of his college career he’s most proud of, Cowan pointed to “connections that I’ve built over these last couple years.”

“My teammates, my coaches, people that work in Xfinity [Center],” he said. “I think that’s the thing I’m always going to take back, just the relationships that I built. Points and assists are nice, but I think relationships last a lot longer than that.”

Of course, Cowan still has his eyes set on delivering something to Maryland basketball that will last forever: the first of multiple banners hung in rafters of the Xfinity Center.

The Terps can clinch a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with a win Sunday against the Wolverines.

“We all knew this day would come,” Cowan said. “It is what it is. Now all I can do is try to go out with a bang.”