Jeff-

So, MD hasn't had an inside presence since 2002. The last 3 years they haven't had any shooters either. So, now they get a solid class, but...... TADA!!! Gary can't close the best player.
Awesom.
How can ANYONE support Gary Williams at this point?
I mean, he built the program, so he can tear it down, I guess, but....

I was very disappointed when I heard the news about Ross, but not totally surprised. I've been a Terps fan my entire life, and I still don't understand why Gary is largely unable to recruit top tier players, especially those from the Maryland/DC area. Sports commentators have offered various explanations for Ross' likely defection (he doesn't want to wear Under Armor, someone "got" to him, Gary - unlike other coaches - plays by the recruiting rules, etc.). Is the answer really that simple? A few months ago Ross was not only committed to Maryland, but actively recruited Mychal Parker to come to the school. Yes, 17-18 year olds are very impressionable. But why is it that Maryland - where a player such as Ross would be the central focus on offense - consistently losses out on the elite players?

i totally agree and wonder why we cannot grab and hold on to the really good ones. an idea watch, watch a game and watch gary screaming at the bench and his coaches, then calls a time out and still screams. what is others thoughts

This one is pretty disappointing especially losing out on T. Harris which semed a good possibly to get. I think this goes way beyond anything Gary could have done in this particular instance. As far as the overall pulling of local talent into the program - no excuses. I would have loved to see Ross, Parker, Stoglin, Mosley and JWill play together. I don't think people really comprehend the shadyness of college bball recruiting. I feel a kid should hold up the verbal -maybe he made it too early - he is 17 and those schools cameinto the mix later and his buddy is committed there - don't blame Ross. I would be really torn up to see him go to Duke of all places. You never know he may change his mind and re-committ but let's not fool ourselves we are not Duke, Kansas, or Kentucky. We are one tier below and will always have a harder time pulling the top kids. Don't forget - Parker is a stud and Stoglin is for real.

Losing to the likes of Williamand Mary and the threeothers don't help things either as far as us being elite.

Disappointing but not unexpected.

I think one of the reasons why Gary cant get the top tier players is because Maryland has a very structured offense and when really good and young players come out of high school they want to just play and not worry about running plays.they want to play the way they want to play. if i was extremely athletic and one of the best players in the nation i wouldnt want to go to maryland either. i wouldnt want to worry bout running plays i would wana be able to play free. If u look at schools that get the best players like unc uk ut duke pitt ect. they have a very free offense. u dont see teams like that running a flex offense the whole game. they let their players use their abilities.

I can't stand the experts in these comments who blame Gary for recruiting. Why aren't you doing the recruiting if you are such experts? Sometimes a player just wants to go out of state or to another school, it's that simple. There are a lot of ways coaches play games, is he supposed to play to the strengths of all 10 top of the line recruits that all you think is so easy to get. Be a fan and support the team or go away and don't be a fan. All coaches yell and scream at players- you must not have played sports with a comment like that.

Steve:

Are you familiar with Occam's Razor? It really is and can be that simple. Unfortunately, I agree with Winston-Salem Terp on this issue: college recruiting, to be overly kind, is incredibly shady. If the NCAA had either the resources and/or inclination to do so, it could probably place a very large number of prominent programs on probation. However, with the money involved in promoting its "brand," it will not look closely into any particular situation with a large program unless it has no other choice. The result is that the NCAA creates certain sacred cows such as Calipari (how he has managed to escape sanctions is utterly unbelievable), Knight (not that he ever cheated, but his personal behavior was always highly questionable), Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, et al.

No top players will come to MD if they have other options. While Gary has been a very successful coach, his coaching style is anti-recruiting. As stated above, he screams at the players on the bench and the floor. He screams at his assistant coaches. No one is happy and one one is having fun.

So why would you come to MD when you could play somewhere else where there is sanity.

I am an MD alumni and love MD basketball and have followed it for 40 years. I am not bashing Gary just stating the facts. Gary does one heck of a job with the diverse collection of kids he recruits.

But he can not recruit like Lefty Driesel and his coaching style will never draw the top players nor the support of those players parents.

fire gary williams

Mike,
Well, did Lefty win a national championship? Did our championship was won by having the top players coming out from high school?

Under Armour and its presence w/Maryland is not helping the school -- and its uniform designs are awful.

MD can not recruit the elite players because it is not an elite program. It is just a very good, well respected program. Enjoy it. MD is fun to watch. Can beat anyone on a given night. Plays hard. I love Gary Williams teams for the most part. They can be frustrating sometimes but so can any team. Evan the elite teams.