Wiley, Nickens earning extra shot

Healthy, confident veterans show signs they are ready for bigger roles

COLLEGE PARK – A year ago, Dion Wiley was still struggling with his recovery from a knee injury that sidelined him the previous season. Jared Nickens was healthy, but his jump shot was ailing.

As a result, the two players who came to Maryland with Melo Trimble and Michal Cekovsky in 2014 had been passed by a trio of incoming freshmen — Anthony Cowan Jr., Kevin Huerter and Justin Jackson.

While Nickens eventually overcame a horrendous start to become a reliable 3-point shooter in Big Ten play last season, Wiley was in and out of the lineup and rarely part of coach Mark Turgeon’s regular rotation.

That will likely change this season, if their performance in Sunday’s 96-53 win over UMES is any indication of what the two upperclassmen can give the Terps.

Going into tonight’s meeting with Butler at Xfinity Center in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, Wiley and Nickens have showed signs that they are ready to assume bigger roles than they did a year ago.

Wiley, now a redshirt junior, has played well in easy victories over Stony Brook and UMES, and has been used as Maryland’s first guard off the bench in both games.

“It feels great,” Wiley said after scoring 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting (3-for-6 on 3-pointers) in Maryland’s win over UMES on Sunday. “I’ve been hurt the past two years, so it feels great to get back into action.”

Said Turgeon: “Dion’s a good player. COVERAGE, PG 5 Gavitt Games Tonight, 8:30 TV: Fox Sports 1 Radio: 105.7 FM