Are teams still limited to no more than five scholarships per year? Hope not. Pankey has physical problems and the Terps need another forward/center type to compliment Williams, Padgett and Gregory and to replace Milbourne. It would be nice if Goins became that guy but I doubt it.

Sure wish we had more size in this upcoming class. 5 players is a lot in one class. A 6'6" sixth man? Awarded the 5th scholarship? In Gary we trust...I guess.

Who the heck is this guy...? Is Gary aware that this kid Selby from Lake Clifton is a McDonalds All American... Why dont we get one of these guys......????

When will u people realize that gary likes system guy who like to be taught to play team ball and just give it a rest who on maryland is a McDonalds allamerican and the terps are ranked and number 1 in the acc. Hahahahhahaha look who's laughin now go terps we love u for who u are!!!!!!

Matt-
The word out of the Comcast Center offices is they really wanted Cooney, and offered Paulsan as a back-up.
I hear this kid is a very good shooter, and many say he is another rare find for Gary.
The problem I have is, we get destroyed on the boards. Notice the teams that sit in the top 5. They all have very deep and big front courts.
Yeah, the Terps are a pesky team, and they play good defense, but, we have NOT been that caliber team since well, Baxter, Wilcox, Mouton, Holden, even Randle, etc.
You have GOT to have 4 or 5 bigs that can give you many minutes.
I really see that where these 5 coming in are very talented, it just seems very small with Pankey, who is totally unproven on the offensive side of things, as the only legit big.
Milbourne's whole career has suffered because of him having to play the 4 and give up 3, 4, or 5 inches.
Parker is just 6'6 and the gaurds are really small. Hayes and Vasquez were 6'5 and 6'6 repectively.
Stoglin and Howard are 6'1 and 6'0.
I don't know.
I just think it is such a shame that we always seem to be just that 1 player short from getting back to where we were 10 years ago.
I mean, imagine if they could have kept Monroe. Or Gilchrest, or Taylor.
I guess they have written off this Hubert guy then?

Because Selby is the biggest head case around...and "Hawk" has the perfect bball IQ and skill set to fit into the flex offense

40+% behind the 3
50+% inside the arc
Plays good defense
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/mens/news/story?id=4866375

First of all, Maryland still has one scholarship left for 2010. They would have one more if Goins leaves.

At first glance, the scholarship offer to Palsson does seem odd. Maryland needs a top notch power forward to compliment Williams. If they can land one of the remaining five or six power forwards in the 2010 class, they become a top 10 team and a title contender. As for Palsson, while there isn't a lot of info on him, GW offered a scholarship on the spot after seeing him play one time.

Please don't tell me there are still bloggers out there who think they know more about basketball than GW, the 2010 ACC coach of the year?

Okay, I didn't think so. I'm thinking GW is going for that second title, right NOW and with this class. Why not? He's 66. He's got a big time center in Williams. The incoming class of Stoglin, Howard, Parker, Pankey and Palsson is talented, versatile and hard nosed. Like it or not, they are the kind of players GWs loves.

Power forwards still on the "board" include Eric McKnight, Moses Abraham, Juvonte Reddick and CJ. Jon Graham, too.

I'm guessing Maryland is holding that last scholarship for a power forward to round out the class.

As for Selby, who has recently expressed some interest in Maryland, the Terps have three PGs and don't need a selfish, me first head case to distract from the team philosophy GWs preaches. Besides, the Terps are more interested in Quinn Cook for 2011, when the team will have four more scholarships available.

Get ready for some good times in CP.

Have a great day!

Go Terps

Guru,

If Selby wanted to be here he would have been by now, the fans neeed to get used to the fact that some local talent can't measure up acedemically, or socially. Some just want to get away from local negative influences so they can focus on hoops and not the distractions.

Why isn't Gary recruiting Selby? He [left] two high schools and has academic issues so that's why. Only sleazeballs like Coach K are recruiting him. We already have two short guards in this class we dont need a 3rd. Selby is good but he doesn't want to come to Maryland so you have to move on.

Why doesn't Palsson start? He transferred in his senior year and he has two wing players committed to Villanova and Marquette so they are really good. No coach is going to bench 4 year players for a guy who just comes in for one year because its a slap in their face.

Palsson plays for one of the best teams in the country and they beat Findlay Prep and Montrose Christian this year. Landon Milbourne didn't even start for Oak Hill and he's scored over 1000 points in his career at Maryland.

They still have a scholarship if they want to use it...the 5 scholarship limit is no longer in place. As far as I know they are still going after CJ Leslie and Moses Ayegba, but chances are prob. relatively low for both. Also, I heard Pankey's surgery went well, so he's perhaps not as big of a question mark as some think.

"In Gary we trust...I guess"? Yeah, he's really given us reason to doubt his ability to put a good team together. [/sarcasm]

@"The Guru", the reason we're not going after Selby is because he has Baggage with a capital B. You don't think Gary remembers the mess created with the likes of Tyree Evans, Gus Gilchrist, Lance Stephenson, and of course Terence Ross? All 4 of those guys ended up being very sketchy and problematic for one reason or another, so why would Gary jump into what is clearly a mess with Selby? That's asking for trouble. Besides, at this point the priority if we pick up another recruit would be to go after an athletic 4 like Leslie.

With regard to Palsson, he sounds like a glue guy (along with Pankey) to complement the more flashy skills of Stoglin, Howard, and Parker. IMO, next year's team is coming together nicely.

I don't question the Md staff since that would not be my place. I am curious to the newest Md commit, Haukur Palsson. He is the approximate same height/weight & plays the smae position of Mychal Parker, who is a more highly rated player in whatever publication you read. Why sign a 2nd swingman. What would Mychal Parker think when he leanrs of this. Would it not be better served to perhaps further evaluate the bigger position 4 & 5 players still out there & having some interest in Maryland. As a team, Maryland is a bit on the small side. Why not wait a bit longer before getting the final pieces of the puzzle? Lastly, is Steve Goins on the Maryland team for next year?

"We" don't get these guys because most of Baltimore's talent is controlled by AAU coaches who steer their guys to their "favorite" coaches. Williams doesn't deal with such shenanigans and has lost some players as a result. That's fine by me.

Would love to get a power forward to play with Jordan Williams. Their probably is no chance that CJ Leslie will come to MD but damn would a front line of Leslie and Williams be explosive.

I think Howard is going to be the surprise in this class. He looks like a hell of a player. I saw some highlights of him going head to head with Dukes prize recruit Kyrie Irving and Howard held his own. Very physical point guard who is passionate. Think he will be a great player for the Terps and a Gary guy.

Not every player should be projected as a 3-4 year starter. Don't discount academics for the 5th scholarship in 2010 - this guy was being recruited by Harvard. That's not to say he can't develop, but good solid production plus a guaranteed diploma is a good deal for Gary.

If Gary Williams could get Selby or any of the other 5 star players. He would accept them. Its just that the top players don't want to play for Gary.

@Doc: have you not been following the whole AAU/handler thing?

While I agree a good 4 would be an excellent addition to play alongside Jordan Williams, it needs to be the RIGHT one as opposed to simply a highly ranked one. Chris Wilcox and Travis Garrison come to mind, respectively.

to those wanting another 4- lets not get too concerned. Next season the frontcourt will have Williams and Gregory starting, with Padgett and Pankey as back-ups. that's solid, and expect improvement from all 3 currently on the roster, with williams likely to avg close to a double-double. Sure it'd be nice to add a star big-man, but dont forget there may already be one on the roster

Matt-

I have NEVER seen a major (lol) d1 program NOT be able to get the top players more than MD.
WE get 3,4, 5 of the exact same players it seems and NEVER what they really need.
They are small this year, and it showed against good teams, and will be their downfall in the tourney.
It will be their downfall next year.

They are in line again in 2011 for NO ONE of any serious value.
They were very lucky in a mediocre ADD this year, but it will not be like that next year.
I just don't understand why they can't land just 1, big name 5star recruit.
Its a shame. Its a joke.
THAT Gary, is why no one respects us and you have to win 23 games before anyone even votes you into the top 25.

Barry-
I get mad too that they can't get a top big man. I totally disagree that they are a joke. Yes, they didn't get much respect this year until lately, and who knows, they might get knocked out in the 1st round, but they STILL have the ACC (or ADD as you call it) banner now hanging from the rafters.
In a few years, no one will remember that it was thought of as a week ACC. I think that is arguable too. I mean, there will be at least 6 ACC teams in the dance.
Virginia Tech is over-rated and didn't play anyone, and didn't beat even the top 2 teams in the ACC.
I don't even think they NEED a top big man. Jordan Williams was 73, on Rivals, they just need a Gary Williams big man, and they will be fine.
Don't forget, they will have Gregory, Padgett, AND Williams.

Goins is not going anywhere. Just look at him as a JUCO transfer like Jamar Smith, thats what I do. He will eventually be ok to play.
Pankey is not very good offensively, but he is a BEAST on the boards and THAT is what they need.

You talk about 2011 but, they really haven't even started pushing for anyone yet. RELAX!!!

Lawdy...I wish some of you folk stop screaming...Why doesn't Gary Williams get McDonald's All Americans. I seen footage on Josh Selby and I think he's going to be a great player also a ONE and DONE player. As far as McDonalds All Americans go. Do the names Chris McCray, Mike Jones and Travis Garrison mean anything.

Having a McD's All American does NOT guarantee a national championship. And besides..most of these kids already have their mind made up as to what school they are going to go to. For the most part, they want to see who else might be interested in them.

Whether or not Maryland really wanted Cooney, of which I'm certain it did given that nearly everyone who saw him play was recruiting him (and which gives Ryan very little insider credibility for his stated "the word out of the Comcast Center offices" connection), he is a 2011 recruit. As an alleged "back-up" plan, I think that it a seriously flawed statement as there are any number of other shooting guards still available in 2011.

While the addition of Palsson to the same class as Parker initally seems a bit odd, it really provides Williams with a great deal of line-up flexibility. This addition provides Maryland with another 6'6" guard/forward to compliment Williams, Gregory, Padgett and Pankey. With this roster, Maryland could play a reasonably large line-up with increased athleticism next year: Bowie/Stoglin at PG, Mosley/Tucker/Parker/Palsson at SG, and Tucker/Parker/Palsson/Gregory at SF. To me, this signing only seemingly indicates the Terps' withdrawal from the recruitment of the two brothers in the South (can't remember their name).

I also don't understand Ryan's statement of disdain that Maryland "can't get a big man." Jordan WIlliams? By the way, Maryland never had either Monroe or Taylor to "keep." They were simply highly rated prospects recruited by, but who did not commit to, Maryland. As for Taylor, he's really lit it up, thus far, at Pittsburgh, huh? The drama regarding Gilchrist's "issues" is not worth rehashing, but his overall production at USF has not revealed him to be the fornt court "messiah" many on this blog would have liked to annoint him. Frankly, the time spent by people like Ryan pining about players Maryland did not sign is both worthless and wearisome.

Would I like (have liked) to see another "big" signed for next year? Sure. But it appears that Maryland is still looking at McKnight, Reddick and Abraham for 2010 and at least Hubert for 2011. With Williams' continued improvement, Gregory's established veteran presence, Padgett's hopeful "jump" next year and Pankey's reported aggressiveness on the boards, assuming Goins stays, no one else is signed, and Goins can make any contribution, the Terps will still have a pretty solid front line. By adding another one or two big men in 2011 will augment that process and offset the loss of Gregory to graduation.

As for Selby, he's never really wanted to go to Maryland. Likewise, it appears that his mother (haven't we seen this act before?) is playing a very large role in his recruitment process. He's already transferred high schools several times and decommitted from one college. Aside from any unconfirmed academic qualification issues (which is what appears to have occurred with Goodman's 2011 commitment to Georgetown versus Maryland), all in all, he seems to be a headache waiting to happen, or what Bobby Knight, I believe, describes as a "5-star talent, with a 2-star understanding of the game and a 7-star opinion of himself." If not, then he's likely a "one-and-done" type player. Besides, Selby's not needed for this class given Howard's and Stoglin's presence. Getting either Gibbs or Cook in 2011 makes a great deal more sense.

Finally, saying the ACC is "watered down," is simply a matter of perspective. While it certainly doesn't have the typical 3-4 dominating programs which are legimate challengers for a national title, the league is significantly more balanced than in previous years and highlights some ofthe best individual talent in the NCAA. One of the graphics shown during the Terps' game last Saturday showed that the ACC had no teams ranked below #80 in the RPI. Therefore, every conference win arguably represents a win against an RPI "Top 100" team.

Once again, congrats to GW and the Terps for an ACC Regular Season title! That is a monumental achievement. Especially considering a "down" ACC will probably send six or seven teams to the big dance. That's six or seven out of 65. In a "down" year? Think about that for a sec.

I guess there will be no pleasing some folks. Why don't we get this player? Why don't we get that player? It seems to go on and on. This isn't McDonalds. You can't simply order a young man off a menu. We're talking about a very critical decision in a young man's life. If he's not 100% sure that MD is the school for him, then he shouldn't be there. At the same time, you can only go so far in convincing him that MD is the school for him (unless you're certain schools or coaches).

I think this is shaping up to be an incredible recruiting class. In the next two years, MD is losing most of its guards and wings (and, oh by the way, they already lost one during the year in Choi). Why wouldn't you want at least two in your new recruiting class? It would make sense to me.

Next year, the team will have a minimum of three solid bigs. I'm not even counting Pankey or Goins. If one of them comes to play, then that will be four. Basically, the same sort of rotation we had this year (and that's with Milbourne playing a four).

I just think that this is a very smart recruiting class. Winners, great guards, high profile recruits, less hearalded but intelligent players. I'm not sure what recruiting one more big gets you, but more depth. That would be nice, but recent MD teams have shown great success by playing small ball. Many teams across the national landscape have been successful at that for years (e.g., Villanova, Tennessee, etc).

I'm excited about the current team and very excited about next year's recruits as well. It's obvious that GW knows way more about the game than any of us ever will. Why not just applaud him for his savvy and the success that he has brought to this program. Fear the turtle!

Thanks Terp'nTexas for taking the time to write out what alot of Terp fans think. Where have all the high school All-Americans gotten UNC this year? What has Calipari won with all his one-and-doners? We wont even get into how he has destroyed programs as he departs.

And some say Gary needs to do a better job of keeping local talent. But kids go where they want to and lots of programs in basketball "hotbeds" have this problem. UNC and Duke may get alot of NC talent. But what about NC State? They have tradition, but never get top talent. What about Illinois and all the Chicago talent? You can also look at USC and UCLA with the LA hoops scene. And when is the last time a team near New York city had a good team? It's tough to keep kids from major cities in the area. Maryland is not the only school with this problem.

The point is that there are different ways to build a program. Gary has been wildly successful here with his methods. He has proven you can win a championship with good kids, you can develop into good players.

First off he picked Maryland because that was the only power conference school still recruiting him. South Florida had backed off him over a month ago. I live in Tampa and have watched Palsson play several times and wasn't impressed. In fact he hardly scored or didn't score at all in the games I watched which was against good competition. I'm very surprised that a program like Maryland would recruit him so heavily since he probably was headed to a mid-major.

Goins is gone and Pankey is a health question. We need to get bigger at the 4 to compete inside on a consistent basis. There is a scholarship left and some decent choices out there. Whether they like the Terps is another issue. Rebounding or lack thereof has been a sore point this season and another true big body, over 6'7", would really help. Abraham would be my first choice, but he is strongly leaning toward the Hoyas.

Oops. Word today of an impending NCAA investigation of Kentucky recruiting violations under Calipari. Man. That was faster than even I thought. Guess they're finally on to him after he ruined two programs.

Bye. Bye. John. Have a nice day.

Thank God we have Gary Williams running our program.

Palsson is an honor student. Gary has to have kids graduate. too. Maybe he can play, maybe not, but college basketball isn't just about five-star recruits. Or has everybody forgotten that minor detail......

GO Terps-When is this impending investigation on Calipari coming down? Have not heard or seen anything. By the way, what ever happaned to Calhoun's investigation? These things seem to fade away.