Jeff, that was a cryptic comment about Stephenson.

The last information as posted by Zagsblog last week, was that Stephenson remains committed to having his court-case behind him before he makes a decision.

Florida is out of the equation, he has not visited Arizona... Memphis remains a question mark, and he again stated he would not be heading to Europe.

Stephenson and his father went out of their way to talk about how MD, and their coaches have remained involved and it was appreciated.

Re Vasquez, I totally agree that he is coming back. If he was definitively going pro (ie Europe) no matter what, he would have stopped going to class, and hired an Agent.

Since he did neither, his intent was NBA or returning to college.

You can't leave for the NBA as a projected mid to late 2nd round pick, when everyone is telling you that you could be a 1st round pick after next year and get the guranteed contract.

-----FROM JEFF-----

Let me clarify my Stephenson comment. As I said to another reader, you guys have a right to know where I'm getting my information. it's based on:

*Interviews with people who know the thinking in College Park.

*Gary Williams' comments. 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."

"I could be proved wrong, but it doesn't seem these days that recruit Lance Stephenson fits into Maryland's plans, or vice-versa."

Comment based on what???=> hearsay, off the record, pure conjecture? C'mon... If Lance is looking ok on elgibility issues and is ok grades wise, he very possibly will join the Terps - his parents only have a 4 hour drive to see him play - don't sleep on it... helps to have a HOF coach and a 1st round draft pick asst. coach.
-----FROM JEFF-----
The thing about my blog is that I don't report hearsay or conjecture. I've been a reporter for too long (more than 25 years) to do that. It's just not the way I was trained. I consider it my role to get you the best information available and let you make informed judgments.
You do have a right to know -- as best as I can tell you without violating a confidence -- where I get my information, though. My comments were based on interviews with staff in College Park who know. They didn't say the Stephenson recruitment was dead, just wavering.

Hi Jeff,

I don't get the Stephenson comment you made. It's clear Maryland is his choice but the Terps are waiting until his court case clears up. If the charges are dropped or he's found innocent, I guarantee he's a Terp. Do you have info to prove otherwise?

-----FROM JEFF----

What I know in a general sense is that the Terps have backed off a bit. But this is still a 'developing situation" and perhaps the court case could indeed be a factor down the road.

I personally think that Lance coming to MD could be the most important thing to happen this decade. It was not until Francis came here that MD got into the National Elite when they did. They need a high profile guy to show the rest of the young kids out there that MD is still a cool place to go and not just an out-dated program.
You can not argue the kids talent.

If I am wrong about Vasquez and Stephenson… all would not be lost for the Terps.

I would expect a 2009-10 season similar to this past year.

With Vasquez gone, and without Stephenson; the Terp line-up would figure to look like this:

1 Bowie, Hayes
2 Tucker
3 Mosley, Gregory, Kim
4 Milbourne, Padgett
5 Williams, Burney, Goins

I look at that roster, and I see a team that would again be capable of beating anyone, and losing to anyone. I see a roster that would have a lot of guard experience, but limited depth. Although, that guard depth could be helped with Milbourne getting more time on the wing, with Padgett and Gregory getting extended time at the 4.

That team would not need the Cliff Tucker that averaged 20pts per gamein the two matchups vs North Carolina, but they would need Tucker to bea consistent double figure scorer. Some would question Tucker's ability to do that, as he had a habit of disappearing on the court at times. I think with the ball in his hands more often, and more regular mts, that him scoring in double figureswould be a given. Tucker shot 37.8% from 3 this year, and 72.4% from the line. I would expect with additional mts that his 3pt% would decrease, and his foul-shooting would increase. Tucker is very athletic, and runs the court well, but he has to work on being able to finish around the rim.

The scoring responsibilities would be pretty spread out for this team,which would figure to make for a good passing team, as it would be less about the individuals. That said, you can also envision this team struggling to identify who gets the ball when a basket is needed.

I like a lot of these players in complimentary fashion; but their ability to lead is to be determined.

In the ACCT, Hayes took over the game vs Duke down the stretch. If he spends his Senior year driving to the rim, and getting fouled... he isgoing to have a big year.

Obviously there is a large transition from Connecticut HS ball to the ACC, but I do believe that Williams will provide a post-player that was missing in the offense this past year. If he can give you 8pts, and 5boards every-night, that will be huge.

I think MD being able to bring Padgett, Burney, and Goins off the bench to provide size, and fouls is a plus. Having options at the 4, should allow Milbourne's mts to be limited, and gain more production from him towards the end of ACC play.

I think Gregory will continue to get on the court at the 3 through 5 because of his hustle, and defensive abilities.

I think without Vasquez or Stephenson, that MD would be looking for scorers, and that would cause Kim to get additional looks in the pre-ACCseason. If his strength has improved, he could play the roll of designated bench scorer with this lineup.

In my ultimate opinion, that team would be depending on Mosley to make a large leap in his game between his Frosh and Soph seasons. Mosley showed an ability to do a lot of things well this past year; particularly using his strength in the blocks, and on defense. For that team to win 7 to 9 ACC games, and advance to the NCAAT, Mosley will have had to improved his shot, and be able to give the Terps 15ppg. I think he would come close enough to that, that I would project this team to win 8 ACC games, and be a bubble team on Selection Sunday.

Whether they get in, would depend on what MD did out of conference, and how they finished the year.

It seemed like I was seeing in the news all weekend players from various schools dropping out of the draft, and I kept expecting to see Vasquez among them. I agree that it would be best for him (and certainly for Maryland) to come back, but there must be more room for him in the draft after all those others removing their names.

Jeff,
As a reader, what I appreciate the most about you is that you do not provide heresay or conjecture.

I also appreciate you providing feedback on what else you were hearing.

We will see what happens with Stephenson as the month ends... right now I just want to hear that Vasquez is coming back.

-----FROM JEFF---
Thanks much.

Chris: Aren't Burney and Goins gone?

I see Vasquez back and Stephenson as a Terp, too. But the problem is you're likely to see Tucker in particular transfer. And they'd really need him after next year, with Vasquez gone and BR one and done.

JB,

Can you call Greivis on the red phone and tell him we are waiting...

We need you G.V. !!!

Look for MD to sign a top player soon.

Parker, you are at the Top of our list too!!

Goins decided to stay, and performed well at the Elite camp this weekend. Apparently has lost weight and is in better shape.

The last reports on Burney were that he was still dealing with the broken foot... his 3rd since arriving at College Park. Still, he has two years of eligibility remaining, and there have no reports of him definitively leaving the program.

If Vasquez were to return, and Stephenson were to come - I do not see Tucker leaving.

Tucker can still get good mts, and plus he would have the knowledge that he would start for the Terps his Senior year.

Could have a career similar to Nicholas where he played off the bench for 3 years and was an extremely valuable weapon his Senior year.

To the people questioning Jeff on his reporting... You all say you think Stephenson is cominig to MD.. WHAT DO YOU BASE YOUR OPINION ON!?!?!!?!?! Do you have inside resources at the University of MD? Do you know Stephenson personally? Terptek, what is your "garuntee" based on? Please endulge the rest of the readers.

Before you question someone else's reporting, you should probably do your homework..

I think there is only a slim chance he comes to MD, and thats only if Memphis and Zona back off.

Steve-O, asking Jeff to clarify a statement is not questioning his information.

Jeff is a good-guy and good-reporter that provides quality information.

Did you see Zagsblog last week?

http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/06/11/florida-out-for-lance-maryland-the-leader/#more-17731

According to that, Arizona Coach Sean Miller is on record saying he would likely keep his recruiting class at 3, and not add a 4th player.

Zagsblog also said Memphis Coach Paster does not seem to have a clear picture of Stephenson's intentions.

Of course the intent of the blog post was to say that Florida was out of the running… but Lance and his father also go out of their way to say that Lance will not be heading to Europe.

Stephenson Sr said the following about MD:

“I talk with Coach [Gary] Williams, Coach [Keith] Booth and Coach [Chuck] Driesell, they’ve just been there,” Lance Stephenson Sr. said last week. “Maryland is going through their process where they want to pick a player and they’re not putting any rush on us. They want Lance to be sure if he does want to go to Maryland, that he really wants to be there. Maryland has been really patient in working with the family.”

As far as what I base my opinion on… I base it on known facts.

Stephenson wanted to go to Kansas, and when Henry left Memphis for Kansas, that forced Stephenson to sit back and reevaluate.

He wants to get the court-case out of the way, and when that is completed… he will have a couple of options:

1) Go to MD, where he has visited… where the coaches have visited him in NY, and team with his HS teammate Padgett.

2) Go to Europe, where he stated numerous times he does not intend to go.

3) Go to Memphis, where he has not visited… and play for a rookie Head Coach, who may or may not improve him in preparation for the league in 2010.

This is all pretty self-evident.