Guard Varun Ram is challenged by Abilene Christian’s Rafael Farley during the Terps’ 67-44 win over the Wildcats on Nov. 13, 2013 at Comcast Center.

ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands — Varun Ram hadn’t been on the court for two full minutes of game time before he dove on the floor. The Terrapins men’s basketball guard, a former walk-on, pounced on a loose ball after knocking it away from a Marist player, and while several Red Foxes charged at him, he called a timeout to preserve possession.

No one on the Terps’ bench seems really surprised by Ram’s quick transition from sitting on the bench to snagging loose balls. And they weren’t surprised when Ram remained in the game and continued to fluster Marist’s guards.

In the Terps’ 68-43 victory over Marist in the opening round of the Paradise Jam, the team reaped the benefits of Ram’s aggressiveness. He forced several turnovers and had three assists off the bench, serving as a spark for a Terps team that appeared lethargic for much of a hotly-contested first half.

“He had a couple steals, a couple loose balls he come up with, there was some loose balls he came up with,” coach Mark Turgeon said. “I thought Varun was terrific.

When he transferred to College Park from Division III Trinity prior to last season, Ram wasn’t sure how much — or if — he would get to play. Fast forward to Friday when Ram fouled out of the game, and the Terps-centric crowd in the University of the Virgin Islands gym gave the fiery, 5-foot-9 guard a standing ovation.

There were even chants of “MVP” after ram knocked down a 3-pointer, his first of the season, in the second half. Ram, though, didn’t hear them.

“That’s funny,” he said.

Despite the affinity Terps fans have for Ram, he hasn’t played a major role in every game this season. Ram played less than one minute in the Terps’ 90-83 loss to Oregon State on Sunday and Turgeon mentioned afterward that he needed to give Ram more time on the floor.

Ram played 19 minutes against the Red Foxes, which tied for fifth on the team, and Turgeon’s notice the positive returns.

“I got to have confidence in all my games that I’m playing,” Turgeon said. “And I thought that I showed that tonight.”

When Turgeon does give Ram an opportunity, the Clarksville native knows his role. Ram said he needs to manage the tempo when the Terps have the ball and make simple decisions to keep the offense moving.

And then once the Terps’ opponents have possession or the ball is loose, Ram’s can make his most significant impact.

“I might not be the best offensive player,” Ram said, “but I can help us defensively, that’s what I try to do.”