Dodd reaches milestone ahead of Senior Day

With two blocks Tuesday night at Rutgers, senior center Damonte Dodd moved into sole possession of 8th all-time on the blocked shots list for Maryland. Dodd’s 138 career rejections represent a no-fly zone around the rim when he’s on the floor and his ability to swat shots has made him a cornerstone on defense for the Terps during his four years in College Park.

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A once under-recruited, raw prospect out of Centreville (Md.) Queen Anne’s County High, Dodd prepped a year at Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Va., before coming to Maryland, where he quickly found a spot in head coach Mark Turgeon’s low-post rotation.

Dodd averaged nearly eight minutes per game as a true freshman and has averaged 15 or more in each season since. He has shot around the 60 percent mark from the floor over the last three seasons and is averaging almost two more rebounds per game this year (4.6) than he did as a junior.

Turgeon would be the first to admit, as he did during a radio interview March 2 on ESPN980, that Dodd has had a surprising amount of success as a Terp that has led to an impressive college career, which will be recognized March 4 during a senior day ceremony at Xfinity Center before Maryland tips off with Michigan State.

“Damonte Dodd has had an unbelievable career for us,” Turgeon said on ESPN980. “I wasn’t really expecting him to have this kind of career, he’s just turned into a great player. He really gave us a big lift the other night (against Rutgers), he was tremendous in the game, so he’s just a great kid that’s done everything right for me for four years. I’ll be happy for him and his family.”

As Turgeon brought up, Dodd was an integral part of Maryland’s 20-point win at Rutgers Tuesday night, helping the Terps go on a run in the beginning of the second half with solid play on both ends of the floor.

Finishing with nine points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 18 minutes against the Scarlet Knights, Dodd used his seniority to express the importance of defense to his teammates in the huddle, and as a result, Maryland looked like a completely different squad after halftime.

“I said in the huddle let’s just start out defensively and get as many stops as possible because I know we can score but it’s important that we get stops and that’s what I said to the younger guys and that’s what we did,” Dodd said after the Rutgers game.

As one of just two seniors currently on Maryland’s roster but the only one to play his entire career in College Park (L.G. Gill is a fifth-year senior transfer), Dodd has taken on a big leadership role for the Terps.

He’ll have his last chance to guide his team through a home game when he takes the floor Saturday afternoon against the Spartans, and Dodd is hoping his College Park finale will end on a high note.

“It’s senior night, it’s Michigan State, good team, so it should be a good game with a good crowd,” Dodd said. “My family is going to be there so I’m just looking forward to going out with a bang. That’d be nice.”