Don,

You're the professional, so I hate to question you. However, my understanding of the Gilchrist situation was that he sat out last fall and could have been elligible this past december after transferring from Va Tech. Why would he need to sit out this year and part of next year?

Why do the Terps keep Gary Williams? Hall of Fame Coach? Only in fantasy basketball or his mind!! Gary can't win consistantly and this program is as good as ti's going to get with him as head coach....If all we want is "close but no cigar" then keep him and don't complain every year we don't win the ACC or get into the NCAA's. It's time to pass the touch and not to "lefty's kid either!! Just one man's opinion.

I'm not really sure it's fair to compare GWill's job security with the Fridge.

Maryland Basketball's program is at a significantly higher level (public perception wise) than our Football program.

I think the end is near for Garyland. As sad it is for me to say, I think the program needs some new blood. Each year cannot continue to be a rebuilding effort.

My picks for transfers are Gregory, Dupree and Hayes. Hayes is a given. He's over his head in the ACC, can't match up at the 2 guard and isn't quick enough to play the point. Plus with Greives, Bowie, Mosley Maze and Tucker (what a 2-guard he could be), I can't see Hayes playing. He's got to know that. A year off and a mid-major school is his calling. If Gary doesn't get out and bring some major local talent to the school, he's done. You think this year was bad? What till next year. Gilcrest can't play until January of next year. They got some guards and no big men. It could be ugly. Fridge won his first three years with mostly Vanderlinden's recruits. He hasn't done squat and made one of the worst play calls in Maryland history with the third down, goal line pass against Wake that was intercepted and run back for a TD. The Terrps were up 24-3 late in the 3rd. A field goal ends the game. And the Terps had two of the best backs in the ACC. I still can't believe that call. A high school coach would have run it up the middle and kicked the field goal. Game over.

Ralph and Gary MUST have pictures of Debbie Yow at a fundraiser with a lampshade on her head. Why else would she, or any other AD, tolerate the pathetic mediocrity that has enveloped our football and basketball programs?

The was a terrible play call, especially picking on the best corner in the league last year, alphonso smith, but at least ralph recruits good kids. james gist is a great role model for kids but i cant remember another one that stands out for maryland basketball in recent years besides ekene ibekwe. we need a coach that recruits smart basketball players, on the court, and in the classroom. a few names: mike brey (a post reader brilliantly suggested him), anthony grant at vcu, carl hobbs at gw, brad brownell at wright state (great coach but indiana may come calling for him) and jim larranaga.

These supposed "fans" make me sick when it comes to Gary. The reason why this season was a failure is not that tricky and it's not Gary's fault. We had a very good starting five and next to no production from the bench. As a result, by the second half of the season, the starters legs were completely dead and we started losing. That's it. That's why Osby disappeared in the second half and that's why Gist got leg cramps against UVA when he hasn't played a game in a week. Mr. Markus can speculate all he wants about what freshman Gary should have played more but he wasn't in practice. Bowie did look good at times, but Mr. Markus fails to note that Bowie fouled out of the Virginia game because he committed extremely stupid fouls. Not the mark of a player that needs p.t. to push a team over the top.

It's easy to forget how Williams developed little sought after players like Dixon when you are in the midst of a mediocre 4 year run. How many trips to the final 4 did other Maryland Coaches boast on their resumes?

Maybe it's time, AD Yow and coach Williams need to talk about the future new associate head coach Keith Booth.Maryland needs to improve in several areas. Our first should be coaching and second better playing consistance from the starting 5.I'm tired of seeing coach Williams raising his blood pressure, [save it for practice]. Play the your best players, if that means benching a starter or 2 oh well!!! your job depends on it.

If Gary can't/won't go recruit the top kids, and cannot get the mid-level prospects he does recruit to play smart basketball, then why is he still considered untouchable?

We caught lightning in a bottle when lightly recruited guys like Juan Dixon, Lonny Baxter and Steve Blake took UMD to back to back Final Fours. Expecting this to happen again is foolish.

Gary is obviously very content to get the local 3 star kids that Georgetown passes over but UMD (and their supporters who shell out BIG bucks to fund this program) deserve better. Unfortunately the local media is, shall we say, less than forceful when it comes to dealing with Gary.

Mike,

Gus has to sit out additional time based on ACC rules regarding within conference transfers. He could have played this year based on just NCAA rules.

gary should not be fired but its the same old thing with his team: not very smart players who rarely graduate and when they have a lead, get lazy. it is sometimes very difficult to watch his teams play because some make so many bad decisions you are hoping for a "not bad" play as opposed to a good play. paticularly vasquez, who probably leads the nation in t.o.s per game. shane walker might transfer, hayes is a thought because he would destroy a mid-major conference and dino gregory might be too small to play in the acc.

I am a life long Maryland fan, grew up on them with the best and worst of times. My opinion, Gary needs to go!!!! ASAP!!! Rumors around Maryland is that his arrogance with AAU coaches has made it impossible to get the great local players and that his screaming and cussing on the sidelines causes parents to move on. You dont see the coaches from Duke, NC, etc, acting like a immature brat,,,and I hate Duke and NC. Gary got us here, but we need someone with recruiting and interpersonal skills to take us to the next level,,,i.e. consistancy. Btw, supposidly Juan Dixon spoke to Gary about his sideline antics when they won the National Championship and he calmed down after their losing streak at the beginning of the season,,,he needs to listen to Juan again, these are kids, not pros!

We love Gary for what he's done but its time to paCss the torch. He's like an old boxer who doesn't know its time to go. He and his teams don't play with the passion and intensity of the teams pre-2002. The players are not improving. Its almost as if he's lost the passion and hunger since the National Championship and it shows in the way his team plays.

I for one would love to see Mike Brey on the Terps sidelines. What a pedigree he has: Assistant to Morgan Wooten at DeMatha, K at Duke. A winner at Delaware and is well on his way to building a program at Notre Dame. Given the right environment (which is not at Notre Dame and is in College Park) he could build on the foundation Gary built and take the Terps to new highs.

Hey all you fans lets be real, if you know basketball then you know that MD has missed out on great opportunities to bring in good local players. College player of the year type players that were in thier back yard. When MD won the championship they won it with great leadership, if they were a younger team nothing GW did during that run would have gotten them them the title. If you think that GW developes players that's only applies if the players do most of the work on their own. But you don't get to teach or develope any player until you recruit them. After all that time the spend watching the player in AAU or in the Highschool setting you have an idea of where each ones skill level is at. So his decisions after he gets these players on when and how to use them, and how much time to give them is whats hurting the Terps. One and dones aren't such a bad decision if #1 it gets you a championship, and #2 it brings more attention to the program as far as recruiting, and makes it easier for recruit to relate to beacuse they live in an area the has a championship team. Look at North Carolina they won the title a couple of years ago and are still getting the top recruiting class MD couldn't even say that and still hasn't been in the top 25 even after a championship. Gary Williams will have to change his mindset on how he does things in order to survive that's his job anyway.

I thank Gary for what he has done for the program, but it's time for him to go. I hope he chooses to retire rather than be embarrassed by a firing. It's clear to me that he is not the same coach that built that 2002 team.