One of the many reasons why Maryland basketball is playing in its first Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament in nearly a decade has been the Terrapins’ dominance inside the paint throughout the college basketball season.

And a big reason for that is a player whose last name might ring a bell among college basketball fans. And it isn’t Derik Queen — well, he is part of it.

Instead, it is Julian Reese, the Terrapins’ senior forward.

Wait that last name sounds familiar? Yes, your first instincts are correct, as Julian Reese is the younger brother to the “Bayou Barbie” of LSU’s 2023 national championship team, Angel Reese.

Though the task is tall, Julian Reese and Maryland look to extend their storybook season on Thursday against No. 1 seed Florida in the Sweet 16 of the West Region at Chase Center in San Francisco at 7:39 p.m. ET. A win on Thursday would send the Terps back to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2002.

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Here’s what you need to know on whether Maryland’s forward is related to the WNBA star ahead of Thursday’s Sweet 16 game:

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Is Maryland’s Julian Reese related to Angel Reese?

Yes, Julian Reese is the younger brother to former LSU and current WNBA star forward Angel Reese.

The Baltimore natives are only separated by a year in age, as Angel Reese is 22 years old and Julian Reese is 21.

As noted by ESPN, if Julian Reese can help lead Maryland to a national championship, he will join his sister and their cousin, former UConn guard Jordan Hawkins, as national champions in their family. Angel Reese, of course, won a national championship at LSU in 2023.

“I know she’s probably going crazy on my phone still right now. But as far as the rebounding that runs in the family, I think it’s just a heart thing,” Julian Reese said after Maryland’s second round win over Colorado State when asked if he has gotten a text from his sister after grabbing a key rebound. “We just play the game with so much intensity and just wear our feelings on our sleeve and try to play our hardest, and I just really didn’t want that to be our last game, so I just really wanted to play real hard.”

Who is Julian Reese?

Julian Reese is a 6-foot-9 starting senior forward on Maryland’s basketball team, and the younger brother to Angel Reese of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.

He hails from Baltimore, Maryland —which is located 36 minutes away from Maryland’s campus in College Park, Maryland — and attended St. Frances Academy in high school. Julian Reese was ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 60 overall player in the 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports Composite Rankings.

During his freshman season with the Terps, Julian Reese ranked second on the team in blocks (23) and finished with at least 10 points in seven of the 32 games played, with one of those being a start against Rutgers.

From there, Julian Reese has transformed into one of the top forwards (and players) on Maryland’s roster (and in the Big Ten) each of the last three seasons. An All-Big Ten Honorable Mention as a sophomore, Julian Reese finished with the third-best single-season field goal shooting percentage in program history (63.2%) and finished second on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game.

He has started all but one game for Maryland over the last three years, and is a member of Maryland’s “Crab Five” starting five this past season. Averaging 13.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game this season, Julian Reese ranks 10th in the country with double-doubles at 13.

In Maryland’s second-round win against Colorado State, Reese became the second player in Maryland program history to eclipse 1,000 career rebounds. He currently has 1,006 career rebounds and 1,476 career points at Maryland — putting him as one of five players in program history to have over 1,400 points and 900 rebounds in a career.

Julian Reese stats at Maryland

Here’s a breakdown of Julian Reese’s stats at Maryland:

• 2021-22: 5.7 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field (30.4% 3-Point Shooting)
• 2022-23: 11.4 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 63.2% from the field
• 2023-24: 13.7 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 54.6% from the field
• 2024-25: 13.3 points per game, 9.1 rebounds per game and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 55.5% from the field