UMBC Basketball Roster: Who’s Who on the Team?

Get to know the UMBC men’s basketball team with this Comprehensive Guide to the roster. Everything you need to know about who’s who on the team.

UMBC basketball roster

The UMBC men’s Basketball team is composed of student-athletes from all over the country, each with their own unique story. From the starting five to the benchwarmers, everyone on the team has something to contribute. Here’s a quick rundown of who’s who on the UMBC basketball team

-Jairus Lyles: Junior guard and leading scorer for the Retrievers. Jairus is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and was a highly recruited player coming out of High School He chose UMBC because he wanted to stay close to home and help put the school on the map.

-K.J. Maura: Senior guard and co-captain for the Retrievers. K.J. is originally from Bayamon, Puerto Rico and came to UMBC after spending two years at a junior college in New Jersey. He’s been a key contributor for the team since his arrival, and is known for his tenacious defense and outside shooting.

-Joe Sherburne: Sophomore guard/forward and one of the top 3-point shooters in the country. Joe is originally from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin and chose UMBC because of its strong academics and Division I Basketball Program He’s a key player off the bench for the Retrievers, and his outside shooting has been crucial in big games.

-Arkel Lamar: Freshman guard/forward who has contributed significantly since joining the team midway through the season. Arkel is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina and chose UMBC because of its great location (between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.) and its strong academic reputation. He’s known for his versatility on both ends of the court, and has been a key player down the stretch for the Retrievers.

Who’s Who on the Team?

The UMBC Men’s Basketball team is made up of 12 student-athletes, all of whom have their own stories, backgrounds, and strengths that they bring to the team. Here is a brief overview of each player on the 2017-2018 roster:

Daryl McCoy is a redshirt junior from Baltimore, Maryland. He is a 6’9” forward who transferred to UMBC from American University.

Joe Sherburne is a freshman from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. He is a 6’4” guard who was named 2017 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year.

Jairus Lyles is a junior from Silver Spring, Maryland. He is a 6’2” guard who was named America East Co-Player of the Year as a sophomore.

KJ Maura is a sophomore from Bayamon, Puerto Rico He is a 5’8” guard who was named second team All-Conference as a freshman.

Jairus Lyles

Jairus Lyles (born October 4, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he was named America East Conference Player of the Year in 2017. Lyles was not selected in the 2018 NBA draft but later signed a two-way contract with the Rockets.

Born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, Lyles began playing organized basketball in fifth grade. He attended Eleanor Roosevelt high school in Greenbelt, where he was a three-star recruit by major recruiting services. Lyles played AAU Basketball for DC Assault before enrolling at UMBC. As a freshman at UMBC in 2014–15, he averaged 10.4 points per game and was named to the America East All-Rookie Team With Lyles as a key contributor off the bench, UMBC made its first NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament appearance ever in 2018; he scored 28 points as the 16th-seeded Retrievers upset top-seeded Virginia 74–54 to become the first 16-seed to ever defeat a 1-seed in men’s tournament history. After averaging 20.2 points per game as a senior in 2017–18 and being named conference player of the year, Lyles ended his collegiate career as UMBC’s All-time leading scorer with 1,934 points.

After going undrafted in 2018, Lyles joined the Rockets for Summer League play and ultimately signed a two-way contract with them on July 25; he would split time between Houston and their G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. On December 8, 2018, after appearing sparingly for Houston through early December due largely to NBA roster rules regarding two-way players spending time with their NBA team versus their G League team—Lyles had already reached his 45-day maximum with Houston—the Rockets parted ways with him so that he could sign a 10-day contract with the Portland Trail Blazers that same day Portland subsequently announced that they had signed him to a multiyear contract following his successful completion of his 10-day deal.

K.J. Maura

Maura, a 5’8” guard from Bayamon, Puerto Rico is in her second season with the Retrievers. As a freshman, Maura was named America East Rookie of the Year and earned a spot on the conference’s All-Rookie Team. She started all 32 games for UMBC and averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.03 steals per game. Maura was one of only two freshmen in NCAA Division I basketball to average at least 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

Arkel Lamar

Arkel Lamar is a 6-foot-5-inch guard on the UMBC men’s basketball team He is from Baltimore, Maryland and attended St. Frances Academy Lamar is a fifth-year senior who has played in 113 games for the Retrievers. He is averaging 5.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game this season.

Joe Sherburne

Joe Sherburne is a 6’6″ guard from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. He is in his junior year at UMBC, and is majoring in business economics. Joe is a two-time America East All-Conference selection, and was named to the league’s All-Defensive team last season. He is UMBC’s all-time leader in three-point field goal percentage (.441), and is second in school history with 193 made three-pointers. Joe was named the America East Player of the Week on January 22, 2018, after he averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in a pair of conference wins.

Jourdan Grant

Jourdan Grant is a 6’2″ shooting guard from Randallstown, Maryland. He is a junior and is majoring in Economics.

Nolan Gerrity

Nolan Gerrity, a 6’8″ Power Forward from Wallingford, PA, is in his senior year at UMBC. He red-shirted his freshman season and has been a valuable member of the team since then, starting in all but two games over his junior and senior seasons. Averaging almost 11 points and seven rebounds per game last season, he was named to the All-Conference Second Team. He is one of only three players on the team to have started every game this season and is averaging a team-best 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game

Daniel Akin

Daniel Akin is a 6’11” center from Charlotte, North Carolina He played his freshman season at Charlotte Christian School before transferring to UMBC for his sophomore year. He has started every game for the Retrievers since arriving on campus and is a key player in the team’s success. As a junior, he averaged 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He is expected to be one of the team’s leaders as they enter the 2019-20 season

Max Curran

Max Curran is a 6-3 junior guard from Lutherville, MD. He is a key returning player for the UMBC Retrievers, who won the America East Conference regular season title last year with a 24-10 overall record and 13-5 conference mark. Curran averaged 8.4 points, 2.9 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game last season. He shot 42.9 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from three-point range and 77.6 percent from the Foul Line Curran started 27 of 34 games and was named to the America East All-Tournament Team after averaging 12 points per game in UMBC’s four games in the event.