OWIE, Md. - Daniel Jacas of Bowie jumped to block Daryl Traynham's shot as the Wise High School point guard attacked the basket during a game earlier this week.

But when Jacas got into the air there was nothing to block. Traynham, who had driven toward the hoop from his left, spotted teammate Keith Shivers approaching from the right baseline.

Jacas, who had been guarding Shivers, came over to prevent a layup by Traynham, but instead created one for Shivers as Traynham shoveled the ball to his teammate for the easy basket. The play was one of 10 assists in the game for Traynham, who late last month gave the University of Massachusetts a verbal commitment to become a Minutemen next season.

The 5-foot-8 Traynham of Upper Marlboro, Md., will not arrive in Amherst as a polished product. He has plenty of talent, athleticism and game sense, but like most freshman he will likely need time on the floor and in the weight room before reaching his potential.

But a big part of the Minutemen's struggles this season is the lack of a player who can truly create shots for teammates. In that respect, Traynham could suit up for the Minutemen today and be an asset right away.

Since committing after the Minutemen's loss to Charlotte Jan. 30 on his official visit, Traynham has watched UMass games on TV and pictured himself playing with them.

"I watched them play against St. Joe's and Rhode Island too," he said. "I think they have good players, but there's no leader on the court, because nobody is a natural point guard. Coming in as a freshman, I'm going to be expected to come in a help lead the team to the next level."

According to his high school coach O.J. Johnson, Traynham has taken himself to another level both on and off the court. Traynham began his high school career at Wise, in the Washington D.C. suburb of Upper Marlboro, Md., but bounced around to different public and private schools. A fight off the court led to his departure from the Patterson (N.C.) School last year before returning to Wise for his senior season.

"He's been doing really well," Johnson said. "He's done an excellent job for us offensively and defensively. Offensively he's really developed a lot. When we had him as a freshman he was more of a penetrating passer.

"Now he's able to hit his jump shot consistently which will really help him at the next level," he added. "Defensively we want him to be a person that's going to cause confusion and wreak havoc with the other guards.

"He's gained a lot of maturity and has become more accountable for what he does," Johnson continued. "Hopefully he'll continue to grow."

Traynham acknowledged his past mistakes and said they're behind him. "You realize that you have to be an adult some day," Traynham said. "I'm 18 years old and I'm probably going to have to take care of my kids in five to 10 years. I can't be making immature decisions. I think it's a new chapter."

That chapter has included helping to make a Wise team without a lot of other talent pretty good despite the 76-73 loss to Bowie.

The Bulldogs focused a lot of defensive attention on Traynham. Each time he came out of the game, Bowie put on a full-court press, but took it off again when he returned.

In half-court sets, Bulldog defenders started by playing off Traynham expecting him to drive. But he made two first-half 3-pointers, forcing the defense to extend a bit.

Traynham's jumper at this stage of his career is comparable to that of former UMass point guard Chris Lowe. It won't likely ever be Traynham's primary weapon, but it's reliable enough to keep defenders honest and could improve much like Lowe's did.

Traynham missed three of his first four free throws, but when the game was tight in the fourth quarter, he swished all four.

His assist total could have been higher if his teammates converted a few of the missed layups and open jumpers. Wise was of sync after not playing for two weeks because of the Beltway's recent snowstorms.

"It's been a good season. We were on a five-game winning streak, but we took a bad loss," Traynham said. "We're trying to win a state championship."

Beyond that, he's looking forward to getting to Amherst and is preparing accordingly.

"I've got to get stronger, keep working on my ball-handling and I'll be OK," he said. "I'm excited to get up there."

Matt Vautour can be reached at [email protected]. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.