Any basketball player can miss, say, nine shots in a row. What sets the good ones apart is that they don't unravel. They compose themselves and find the confidence and focus and fortitude to convert the 10th if the situation demands it.

That ability -- to regain one's footing, to stay in the moment -- is the essence of one of the questions Gary Williams was asking Tiger Woods the other day.

Williams and Chick Hernandez had the opportunity to question Woods on Comcast SportsNet at the AT&T National.

Said Williams: "In basketball, you have to move on to the next play. You can yell at a referee -- every once in awhile I'll do that. But the next play is happening while you do that."

Woods said he'll look at the scenery, gauge the wind and begin assessing the next shot. The key is not to get stuck reliving a difficult moment.

Williams said he heard that Woods' father told his son he had 12 steps to forget a botched shot.

Said Woods: "It was his way of saying, 'Get over it.'"

Handout photo courtesy of Comcast SportsNet.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

Schools were once dazzled by Lance Stephenson, New York State's boys career scoring leader. Maryland took a long, hard look. So did many others.

But, one by one, schools pulled out of the running. The Baltimore Sun reported on June 15 that Maryland was no longer recruiting him.

Colleges were wary of the recruit in part because of an Internet reality series called Born Ready. Some schools worry the NCAA may question an athlete's involvement with such a site. There was also concern about a misdemeanor sexual assault charge.

But there will always be a suitor for a basketball talent as enticing as Stephenson. And yesterday, Stephenson found his match. He will play for the University of Cincinnati.

"We are very excited about Lance's decision to become a Bearcat," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said in a written statement. "Lance has terrific talent as a basketball player, and is also a fierce competitor on the court. His desire to win will help us compete for a BIG EAST Championship."

More from Cronin: "As a big guard, Lance brings playmaking ability and versatility to our team, along with his talent for scoring. We look forward to getting Lance here for summer school and building our team for the upcoming season."

Posted by Jeff Barker at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

I have a story today about how long Ralph Friedgen might remain as head coach – and how his current thinking squares with the school’s “coach-in-waiting” agreement with offensive coordinator James Franklin.

There is a bit of a discrepancy here – which is one reason I wrote the story (i.e., to try to make sense of the situation).

Fridge says he’s not trying to set a record for coaching longevity. He says he won’t be Joe Paterno. But he doesn’t seem to want to be limited to three years. He talks generally about coaching three to five more years. He says he might be tempted to stay past 2012 if the Terps go to the Orange Bowl in, say, 2011.

But Maryland has a contract with Franklin that says the university is liable to Franklin for $1 million if Friedgen remains head coach beyond Jan. 2, 2012.

So how do you reconcile these two things?

One way would be for Franklin – who has passed up opportunities in the NFL and at other colleges -- to simply remain as offensive coordinator if Fridge stays on and therefore not exercise his right to claim the $1 million. Another way would be for Friedgen and Franklin to agree to amend the timetable, provided the school’s administration agrees.

Here’s a quote from Athletic Director Debbie Yow that didn’t appear in the story about the $1 million promise to Franklin:

“We have a legal obligation at this point in the document to (pay) that. If Ralph wanted to have that conversation with him, that has to be an agreement they would have that changes the document.There could always be a conversation – of course – between the two of them.,” Yow said.

Continue reading "Friedgen, Franklin and the $1M Promise" »

Posted by Jeff Barker at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Terps football
        

Quarterback Chris Turner says he wants to leave a "legacy" at Maryland. He wants to be remembered -- to stand out.

It's always good to aim high, and Turner is doing that. It's not easy to rise into a group that includes Boomer Esiason, Frank Reich, Stan Gelbaugh, Neil O'Donnell, Shaun Hill and others.

Turner knows he'll need a big senior season to end his career where he and the Terps want to be.

Entering the season, Turner ranks fourth on Maryland's career completion percentage list and seventh in career passing yards. He's seventh in total offense, fifth in completions and tied for 11th in touchdown passes.

Turner knows there's room for improvement. Here's an analysis of his game:

Assets: Poise, smarts, toughness. Turner is at his best in big games. Maryland says he has led the Terps to six wins in seven games against Top 25 teams in the AP poll. Among the most memorable came when he entered after Jordan Steffy suffered a concussion in Turner's sophomore season and helped beat No. 10 Rutgers.

Needs to work on: Arm strength, mobility. Sure. Maryland would love to have a quarterback making plays with speed and moves when the pocket collapses. That's not going to happen much with Turner.

I almost fell out of my seat in the press box last season when Turner took off and ran on fourth-and-five from North Carolina's 32, giving the Terps a criticial first down near the end of a tight game.

He's a good college quarterback. He's a bit streaky -- he calls himself a "rhythm" passer. He was picked off twice in each of last season's final two regular-season games. But he doesn't quit when things go poorly. His coolness can be mistaken for apathy. Truth is, he cares a lot.

I think he'll have an excellent senior season if the offensive line -- last year's wild card -- provides him ample protection and a consistent running game.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Terps football
        

Sure, it's 90 degrees out. But what is stopping us from looking ahead for a moment to the hoops season? Absolutely nothing. So let's proceed.

What do you think of Gary Williams' recent tweet? The one where he said: "With Greivis (Vasquez) back and our 09' class and the rest of our team improving every day, I truly believe we have the chance to be top 25 next year."

Here's my take:

Maryland could be a top 25 team, but some things would need to happen.

Greivis coming back is welcome news for Maryland, but it still needs more offense. The Terps certainly hustle on defense -- trapping and pressing and clogging the lane. But what happens when they get into a shootout such as when North Carolina hit 11 of its first 14 three-point attempts to begin a 108-91 victory in Chapel Hill?

Maryland needs more scoring options. Sean Mosley averaged 5.3 points per game and Adrian Bowie averaged 9.0. The Terps need more scoring from these backcourt guys not named "Vasquez." Note: an improving Eric Hayes averaged 10.3 points.

I'm looking at Mosley and Bowie -- and Landon Milbourne-- as sources of more scoring. I think the Terps need to have at least two of these three players pick it up offensively.

And it could well happen. Mosley, a freshman, is such a hard worker and does other things so well, particularly rebound. But he was 5-for-21 on threes (23.8 percent). We've all seen players make big strides once their freshmen season is behind them.

Bowie, so speedy to the basket, can also improve his outside game. He was 13 of 58 on threes (22.4 percent).

Continue reading "A look ahead to Terps hoops season" »

Posted by Jeff Barker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

You heard it here first, folks. Lance Stephenson is no longer being recruited by Maryland. I filed a story for today's paper on this, but let me give you more if I can.

My sources say Stephenson hasn't been in the recruiting picture for about three weeks. One source said flatly that Stephenson will not be a Terrapin.

This story was slow in developing. I began to get curious when I was a guest on Jerry Coleman's radio show on Baltimore's Fox 1370 on the same day Gary Williams did a call-in interview a few weeks ago. Coleman asked Williams whether the makeup of next year's team was uncertain.

Replied Williams: "I've got a pretty good idea. I don't know how hard we're waiting, let's put it that way."

Williams was not free to go further. But doesn't that sound like a hint? Obviously I couldn't write something based on a whim, and it took some time to confirm it.

Stephenson is obviously a talent. I don't know all the reasons behind Maryland's decision to stop pursuing him. I wish I did. Much of it remains private.

But I would say this, folks. Recruiting isn't just about bringing in the best player. Programs have to consider whether the player has baggage, what it takes to get him and whether he fits into the system you're running. You think Maryland wouldn't pursue a player as talented as Born Ready without a sound reason?

Posted by Jeff Barker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

What a pleasant, sunny day at Comcast Center yesterday.

Greivis Vasquez was back and happy. His teammates -- some were milling around, others were running sprints on an adjacent field -- wore smiles.

I think most suspected Vasquez wouldn't stay in the NBA draft and would return for his senior season. "I thought he would (remain)," Eric Hayes said. Gary Williams had said much the same thing.

But still. You never know when an itchy NBA team will get a covetous feeling about a player and whisper in his ear.

Gary Williams said he was perfectly prepared to say goodbye to Greivis if the player got a top-20 draft nibble. But I don't think the coach expected that to happen. And neither did most of you Terps fans.

Say what you will about Greivis and his personality -- mercurial? passionate? hot-headed? I think the guy really works to improve himself. He knows all about the turnovers and knows he must improve his shot. I expect him to return a better player this year.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

The long-anticipated meeting of Greivis Vasquez and Maryland coaches is ongoing. Obviously it's private.

But I'll get you a verdict as soon as I get it.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

Greivis Vasquez has until 5 p.m. today to decide whether to remain at Maryland or keep his name in the NBA draft.

My theories on why the announcement came down to the last day:

*I think Greivis decided the smart strategic move was to keep everybody in suspense. That way, he could potentially exact a higher price from any interested NBA teams because his status was uncertain. You try to use any leverage you can get.

*He wanted to take full advantage of the workout process with NBA teams. The process is good for his game -- he got lots of feedback from NBA coaches -- and he seems to have genuinely enjoyed it. He had workouts scheduled right up until the final weekend.

*I think there were genuinely some mixed feelings about the decision. Pros and cons either way, although I've said before that it's probably best for him to return to college and continue to work on his game, particularly in such a guard-heavy draft.

I was told over the weekend there was a meeting scheduled between Greivis and coach Gary Williams, but no details available yet. We'll keep you posted today. Obviously this is an important decision for the Terps. I could be proved wrong, but it doesn't seem these days that recruit Lance Stephenson fits into Maryland's plans, or vice-versa.

While this situation is still fluid, consider these comments that Gary Williams made a few weeks ago. He was asked by Jerry Coleman of Fox 1370 in Baltimore whether the makeup of next year's team was uncertain.

Williams: "I've got a pretty good idea. I don't know how hard we're waiting, let's put it that way."

The Terps could really use Vasquez's ability to create shots for himself and, just as important, for others.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

Brian Ullmann’s day job is senior associate athletics director for the University of Maryland. In his spare time, he writes.

He’s completed a book called "Darwin's Race,” about an adventure race in southeast Tibet.

Ullmann says he included a Maryland reference in the story. “The hero of the book --
Conner Michaels -- is a Terp alum, and at one point gives a Terps hat to his
then-girlfriend,” Ullmann says. “Years later, after a tough break-up, he sees her again, and she's wearing the hat.”

Ullmann says his literary agent is the same one who handled “Sweet Redemption,” the Gary Williams book.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Terps football
        

We talked a lot last year about true rivals, or more specifically the absence of one for the Terps to lustily despise.

Maryland is, in a sense, a solo dance partner. It’s Alabama without Auburn, Army without Navy, Harvard without Yale.

Sure, Virginia is a rival of sorts. Maryland and Virginia play every year, are in neighboring states and have played some exciting games.

But I took notice of the announcement recently that Maryland and West Virginia have signed on for two more football games.

The teams were already scheduled to meet in 2010 and 2011. Now they will also play in 2012 and 2013.

Maryland-West Virginia just feels like a rivalry. It feels hot. Maybe it’s because West Virginia has been more successful than Virginia in football and poses a big challenge. I think it’s because both schools’ fans get amped up for each other. It doesn’t hurt that former standout tailback Steve Slaton vowed revenge for the Mountaineers after being rebuffed by Maryland, his original school of choice.

Credit Maryland for keeping this rivalry alive. I’ve complained in this space before about soft non-conference scheduling by Maryland and other schools. I detest the mismatches that schools put on the early-season schedule simply to fatten their bottom lines. Obviously, the Mountaineers aren’t a cupcake for the Terps.

Continue reading "Bring on the West Virginia "rivalry"" »

Posted by Jeff Barker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (56)
Categories: Terps football
        

It's often a guessing game -- a popular sport among the Maryland beat writers -- as to exactly what times football games will start. As you know, many of the times aren't known until 12 days before the game to allow ESPN/ABC or Raycom Sports flexibility.

But we do know the start times now for the first three games of the season, courtesy of Maryland media relations:

--The Cal game on Sept. 5 will begin at 10 p.m. ET and be televised on ESPN2. I'll be drinking sugary, caffeinated beverages in the press box to stay awake. We knew this start time already, thanks to the Pac-10.

--Maryland’s home opener against James Madison on Sept. 12 will kick off at 6 p.m. No television scheduled. You think players will appreciate the late start time because it can be hot and humid this time of year?

-- The next week’s game against Middle Tennessee State begins at 3:30 p.m. and is to be streamed live on ESPN360.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Terps football
        

First, let me tell you the latest from Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez's road tour as he visits NBA teams.

*Greivis continues to work out for teams. Most recently, he attended a workout of some 10 clubs. His schedule has been pretty frenetic.

*He recently met Larry Bird. This was a big moment for him. The former NBA great is the Indiana Pacers team president.

*Vasquez hasn't made up his mind yet. "He's not leaning one way or another," said Stu Vetter, his former high school coach at Montrose Christian. "It's definitely going to come down to the last day or two."

The deadline to decide is two weeks away. One advantage to waiting until the very end is that it gives Vasquez some leverage.

Consider what happens if an NBA team covets Vasquez. If he is still seriously considering returning for his senior season, the team may need to up the ante to secure his remaining in the draft.

Having said all that, I believe Vasquez will likely remain at Maryland. One reason is the abundance of quality point guards in this year's draft. Another is that Vasquez feels at home at Maryland. If he believes it will benefit his draft position to come out next year instead of this one, that's what he will do.

Continue reading "Looking at Vasquez and Born Ready" »

Posted by Jeff Barker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

Thoughts after watching Greivis Vasquez work out with the Wizards and talking with him afterward:

*You get the sense that this process of working out with NBA teams will be good for Greivis even if he returns to Maryland. I had never attended one of these sessions before so I didn't realize that prospects can get some feedback from guys who really know hoops. Vasquez's session was run by Washington coach Flip Saunders with help from former NBAers Sam Cassell and Gene Banks.

"Show them how they do it at Maryland, baby," Banks, who played at Duke, yelled to Vasquez during one of the drills. Banks was not shy about offering encouragement or pointers to Vasquez and other players on hand.

Greivis seemed not only comfortable but buoyant afterward.

In the two-on-two drills, he had pretty easily taken the other prospects to the hoop. Remember that there were no big men in the drills to guard the lane. Vasquez's outside shot was not great in the scrimmages, but he looked good from behind the arc during shooting drills. He made nine of 14 uncontested shots from behind the line during one drill.

Vasquez said there is no downside to working out -- this was his third such "tryout" -- for NBA teams and going against such talents as Kentucky's Jodie Meeks and North Carolina's Wayne Ellington.

Continue reading "More on Greivis and the NBA" »

Posted by Jeff Barker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez will work out for the Washington Wizards Thursday -- part of his NBA tour to decide if he'll leave his name in the draft or return for his senior season in College Park.

The Wizards said the workout will last about an hour.

Also working out for the club tomorrow are three other guards -- LSU's Marcus Thornton, Kentucky's Jodie Meeks and Mississippi's David Huertas.

Like other NBA clubs, the Wizards may invite as many as 40 to 60 players to work out before the June 25 draft. So this should not be taken as a sign of serious interest. If Washington did select him, it wouldn't be in the first round. The Wizards hold the fifth pick.

Vasquez is also scheduled to attend a pre-draft combine in Chicago on May 27-31.

The 6-foot-6 guard from Caracas, Venezuela -- who led the Terps in scoring, assists and rebounds -- has not hired an agent and could still opt to return to school in the fall.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

*Steve Goins, the 6-foot-10 center, had been expected to transfer but it hasn't happened yet. I'm told now that he may remain with the Terps. Some fan sites jumped the gun by saying he was already gone. We'll see.

*Jerome Burney is still bothered by a stress fracture. It's been hard for coaches to evaluate Burney because he has been sidelined so much. He played in nine games and averaged 0.9 points.

*Maryland coaches are hopeful that incoming freshmen Jordan Williams and James Padgett will be able to contribute early in their careers. They may need to.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

So Braxton Dupree is a Towson Tiger.

I asked him yesterday about his Maryland experience.

High point? He said it was the wins over North Carolina, one in his freshman season and one this past season.

Low points? After starting out well in his freshman year, he struggled with consistency and with his weight. Remember that Dupree scored 14 points in his first game as a starter, followed by 10 points the next game.

The next game was a loss to VCU at Verizon Center in which he started but scored only three points with one rebound in 12 minutes. He scored three points the next game, too (against Morgan State). He had trouble regaining momentum after that.

Dupree told me: "I just felt like if I had taken better advantage of my initial opportunity by being more consistent, then we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

Give Dupree credit for this: he lost 20-25 pounds and moved better his sophomore season. But that, it seems, came too late to salvage his Maryland career.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

Everybody remember Tyree Evans and Gus Gilchrist, the two almost-Terps?

Both of their recruitments came with issues -- neither was simple. As you know, there was a war of words between Gary Williams and the athletic department last season over why Evans and Gilchrist didn't end up playing for Maryland.

Since this is the offseason, I wanted to check up on how these guys did.

*Evans played for Kent State, starting eight games and averaging 11.7 points per game. He was solid from the three-point line, shooting 39.9 percent on 158 attempts.

*Gilchrist started a dozen games for South Florida and averaged 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds a game.

Just thought you'd like to know.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 8:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

Here are notes from Greivis Vasquez's world as the junior guard begins the process of working out for a series of NBA teams. I've filed a story about Vasquez's schedule, which includes attending a pre-draft camp in Chicago on May 27-31. Here are some items not in the story:

*The pre-draft camp is more of a combine than a camp. It's about getting weighed and measured and doing drills. Players typically do agility tests and sprints and get their body fat indexed. Participants are not scheduled to play actual games this year.

The NBA says the testing is "anthropometric." That's AN-THRO-POM-ET-RIC, meaning related to bodily proportions. Thanks, NBA. Miss Myers, my eighth-grade english teacher, would be so delighted I learned a new word.  

So what is the camp's point, you ask? It's just more information for the NBA teams. Supplemental data, really. I don't think teams make decisions based on these combines, but the data might steer them in one direction or another.

*Schools like Maryland are in an odd position. Obviously Maryland would like for Greivis to stay for his senior season. At the same time, the school says it is helping Greivis make an informed decision -- the right decision for him. Can Maryland do both those things at once? You be the judge.

*Is it significant that the Wizards told me they're interested in Greivis? Not so much. The Wizards didn't say they were interested in drafting Greivis, but rather in bringing him to Verizon Center for a workout. The team is likely to bring in dozens of players before the draft. They brought in four players Wednesday and they've scheduled more workouts for next Monday, Thursday and Friday.

*The last word is yours. Do you think The Excitable One is coming back?

Posted by Jeff Barker at 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Terps basketball
        

You may have seen that Gary Williams has joined the Twitter brigade. Old School meets new tech, right?

Maryland's news release said the coach "has become part of the social networking site Twitter.com. With the launch of Williams' official Twitter account (www.twitter.com/MDCoachWilliams), fans can receive updates from the popular Terps' coach on the Internet or on their mobile phone."

I call Williams "old school" because of his coaching style. But I think Maryland has been pretty quick to adopt new tools such as ample online video streaming and reality programming related to Terps teams.

Posted by Jeff Barker at 5:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Terps basketball