Not one of these Baltimore kids are going to the Terps. Not one! What the heck is going on with Maryland's recruiting in Baltimore? One would think that having proximity to one of the country's hottest centers of high school basketball would be a competitive advantage for Maryland. No such luck. Maryland has to hire someone who has the grass roots network in the city if the program is going to elevate to the next level.

Note: The last time I had the temerity to post some like this, the roving Terp blog patrol called me out for being a Gary hater. It seems that any criticism of the Maryland BB program, constructive or not, is apparently morally repugnant to the Terp orthodoxy. Well, I will just have to take my chances in dealing with the College Park chapter of the Taliban.

All those high ranked Baltimore players may have NBA type skillls but I question their ability to conform to the more demanding college team orientation. Freestyle travelling and dunks do not the major college recruit make. And Selby, like Durant, is a likely one and done. I'll take Jordan Williams over any one of them. And, I doubt the academics at Lake Clifton, Walbrook or Randallstown qualifies some of the guys anyway. Hey Ed, I respect your opinion but I can't fathom how you use this as a forum to bash the only guy who won an ACC regular season, tournament and NCAA tournament at MD. College recruiting is more nuanced than the rivals 150 ratings reveal. Where was Dixon ranked. Nowhere. How about Joe Smith or Buck Williams. Than again, Travis Garrison and Mike Jones were very highly touted and they sure blossomed huh? As a fan, I have learned to accept that us fans do not posess sufficient knowledge to question GW though I for one wonder what Paisson and Pankey will become.

Buck Williams? C'mon zigzag- do your homework!
Gary Williams=most succesful Terp BB coach ever.

My point was not about Gary Williams recruits only, it was about ratings. Nobody expected Buck to be what he became. For that matter Len Bias was not a highly rated recruit. To me, they are the two best Terps of all time. Thanks for responding. Sorry I was unclear on my point. GW is and will for a long time to come be the measuring stick by which all other Terps coaches will be measured

Actually, Buck Williams and Len Bias were highly recruited....and neither was recruited by GW, rather Charles Grice Driesell. But we get your point zigzag, dont sell short the Dixon's & Baxter's of the world short.

Ed, your not a GW hater. You just don't know what your talking about. Selby played at 3 high schools in 4 years. Yeah, he's a real team player. Almighty DeMatha, God's chose HS program, ran him off. He's going to one of the least respected coaches in the game right now, Bill Self(ish).

Keep it going Gary......

I think that often times the decision has less to do with the recruiters and more to do with the school and location. I graduated from UMCP, but looking back, a smaller school in a smaller town/city with less crime and congestion may have been nice.

Some players just want to go away from the area for school, some go for the mystique of a big program like KU, and others go where they have an easier time getting into school. The ACC overall and UM do have higher admissions standards than the NCAA minimums. As for the best college career, that will depend on who stays for more than one year.

Obviously, zigzag didn't read the article thoroughly or else he would've noticed that Smith, Barton, or Young didn't attend Lake Clifton, Walbrook or Randallstown this year. Oh yeah and all 3 guys are full qualifiers. Also, Selby made it clear in two interviews that he had never been actively recruited by Maryland.

Dude Bentley's tonight. Gary said we was on lock for the 2011 class baltimore. aquille carr, coming to the U.

Ed I can't agree with you more, that is the same problem that MD football has as well.

Len Bias was rated the #6 player in the country by Street&Smith prior to his senior year in high school,I still have the magazine.

bias had 2 offers...nc state and maryland

I agree that it would just be nice to compete with some of these other programs for the best high school players that the Baltimore/Washington area has to offer year after year. I'm a big GW supporter. He does a great job of getting the most out of his players, particularly those who fly under the radar coming out of high school, but our recruiting is sorely lacking in our own back yard. Often times, Maryland isn't even in the conversation with these high schoolers. Maryland has more to offer then most of these other college programs ever will in terms of conference, location, academics, and history in tournament play... Maryland needs to step it up. The time is now if we expect to become a perennial Top 10 team.

Gary Williams is a good coach, but he is not a good recruiter. His style of play is wonderful for the kids he recruit. A top tier player would loose stock coming to Maryland, because its all about Gary and his Terps and not the player coming in. The reason why Gary never got a hold of Carmelo, Rudy Gay, Josh Boone, Josh Shelby, Will Barton, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Michael Beasley, etc is because Gary is intimidated to coach these guys. He can not deal with having to be interviewed constantly about having a star player on his team. Joe Smith was a fluke, Juan Dixon over achieved and the others were good role players with great attributes that made them attractive NBA Prospects but they just never pan out to be decent NBA players. The game of college basketball is to develop a team and produce NBA players, help kids graduate from college and move on. Dont make this rocket science. Gary is good for second tier recruits like Vazquez, Caner-Medley, etc. Gary is afraid of these kids...he dont know how to coach them and he use his excuses to explain that he dont not want one and done players. Yes he do. Its just the people that surround these young kids will never let them come to Maryland. LOL. Look at Keith Booth. Here is your perfect example. I am from Baltimore...played against this guy and he was the best all around player that Baltimore has seen since Carmelo Anthony. What does good ole Gary does with Keith? Makes him a Power Forward because he can not recruit and sure Keith made it to the NBA but he lacked the skills and confidence that made him a top 5 recruit. If he had of went to Kentucky, he would still be in the NBA at this moment and not sitting on Gary's bench coaching. If he would have chosen Kentucky, he would have been a shooting guard or small forward and he would have been unstoppable like he was in high school. All of you people on here defending Gary Williams need to ask these young kids why they wouldnt go to Maryland and then you would get the real reason. Academics is okay in Maryland but these kids qualify just like Jordan Williams and Sean Mosely. They are NCAA bound and they wont go to Maryland for any reason besides being close to home and even that reason is not enough to ruin your future. Maryland is just okay folks. Rememeber that...Gary needs to grow into the new age of basketball. Maryland is an intramural squad with better athletes. LOL.

Billy Bmore,

Gary is not afraid to coach these kids, they just want to keep playing by their own rules and not the teams. Gary makes his kids play defense - something NONE of the players you listed has ever cared about. These kids are afraid to play for Gary. He doesn't put up with BS that the rest of these coaches do. You are probably one of the fools that thought Bob Wade was a good hire. Where did he leave us? And where did Gary take us?

Not worth the time to wade through all of the tinfoil hat notions of somebody like Billy Bmore and an old list of 'why didn't they go to MD players' - most of those rumors have been dispelled many times.

But the question is simple: if Rudy Gay had been offered a scholarship as he was - and he said he wanted to come to Maryland absolutely as he's said he did...then why did he go to UCONN? Gary can only recruit him, offer him and then that's it - it up to the recruit. If Calhoun offered Rudy's handler money through a backdoor paid game, is that's Gary's fault for not being sleazy or Rudy's fault for letting his handler make that decision for him (look for more news on Calhoun and his program this week)?

You want to live and die with the KUs of the world and one and dones - go ahead (PLEASE!). But please don't think that our program has to that one and troll a UMD article like you care. If Gary runs an intramural squad in your eyes - that's fine. But you should really worry about why your 'varsity' programs with ALL of the 1 year studs ala Coach Cal's teams still can't win when faced with real competition. Too bad they don't have any one to coach them up a little.

Billy Bmore:

Get real!! Keith Booth did not play shooting guard or small forward at Maryland because he COULD NOT SHOOT FROM THE OUTSIDE!! His jumpshot from outside of 10 feet was non-existent!!

That's the main reason he did not make it in the NBA! It had nothing to do with Gary or Maryland...

Get a life!

I think BillyBmore took one too many elbows to the coconut. I think Keith Booth's career did just fine. I f he went to Kentucky, he would have been a defensive specialist. Never could shoot the 3.

MtTerp is spot on. Gary detests the AAU circuit for all it's crookedness. Jim Calhoun, Bill Self and Calipari are swines to put it mildly. They pay to play.

Kudo's to people like GW, Izzo, Bob Knight, even Krzyjewski, who play it fair and honest. If you haven't figured out Gary by now, after 20+ years, you never will.

Terp fans (and I've been one all my life and had season tikets for 14 years during the Lefty era) just have to accept that we are no longer a top tier program and can't compete in recruiting with the Duke's, N.C.,Kansas,ect. All that we can hope for is to occasionally have a chance for an ACC title and run at the Sweet Sixteen if we have a good very experienced team and add a "find" like Dixon Joe Smith or JWilliams.

That being said Gary's an excellent coach who runs a clean(though recently academically embarrasing) program. He will probably be a Hall of Fame coach, but hasn't been much of a recruiter since the national championship. It's seems like he's had so many disappointments that he doesn't even try to recruit top 20 players,even locally.

But it's a lot better than the alternative.

I take it that none of you guys ever seen Keith Booth in high school. In case you did not know...he actually played Point guard, Shooting guard and Small Forward. He could shoot too. He was not Sarunas or Juan Dixon...but he had a respectable shot. So my point was it was funny to see him guarding Tim Duncan, Rasheed Wallace and others for the Terps. This is not about Keith Booth. I actually respect Gary Williams. I am not a Terps fan, but I respect his work. I think he is the perfect coach for the Terps just as I think the Orioles are the best team for our lovely city. We accept mediocre things around here. But on a more personal level...I am a huge Ravens fan. Go Ravens. Maybe the Ravens need to start recruiting some of Gary's athletes because they are definitely not going to the NBA. Go Terps!

Billy...I PLAYED against Keith Booth in high school. Yes, he played all those positions you mentioned but he was NOT a shooter. His final year in HS was the first year city schools played in the MPSSAA. This wasn't the Dunbar dominance of the 80's which was on a national scale. Yes they won a State title but he was never a shooter.

Look, the guy had an NBA career and he will probably be a head coach in college some day. Stop making him sound like a scrub that went nowhere. He went further than his cousin at UMAss or Mike Lloyd.

stop bashing Bob Wade too. Its college sports. Its all corrupt even at your precious U of Maryland. Duke cheats too. Its just a beauracracy. There is no way that anyone can recruit and not break on rule. Gary is not innocent...neither is Coach K. They just dont get caught. Its life. Some of the best criminals have never been arrested. Calipari produced more pros in the past two seasons that gary produced in his whole career. Hey Terps fan...you want to hear something funny. How did it feel for Gary to lose to Morgan State and Reggie Holmes who is not a top tier player coming out of high school but a second tier player and MD never considered him. If you want to have faith in Gary and his lying ways...then so be it but read this article to show yourself how Gary excuses dont add up. Copy and paste if needed. lol

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/108244-maryland-morgan-state-bears-rip-the-heart-out-of-the-terrapin-press

@Billy Bmore
I just read the article and I'm not sure how it proves that Gary is a liar whose excuses don't add up. You're biased. Thats fair. We're all biased. It's ok to let our biases affect our opinions. But I don't think its fair to let our biases affect objective facts. When you make a truth claim like the one you made and then back it up with an article like the one you posted, there better be some objective way to connect the two. If not, admit that you're subjectively reading articles and interpreting statistics.

Objectively, Maryland shot 1 for 14 from three ad had 21 turnovers while Morgan hit 8 of 19 from three.

The weakness of the press is that you can give up easy baskets. Could Maryland have lost because Morgan got hot at the right time? Or is every team that wins a game better than the team that it beat?

lol

@ Billy Bmore
If GW cheated in recruiting, do you really think he would go after the guys that he does? If you are going to accuse him of cheating, at least have some kind of evidence: subjective or objective. For example:

Calipari last two teams committed NCAA violations. However he personally has not been found in violation of NCAA regulations. Subjectively, you could call him a cheater. It could be argued either way, but still there is some evidence that he is a cheater.

Bill Self manages to draw multiple top-10 recruits to Kansas every year. One could use that fact as subjective evidence as to why he is a cheater.

Kelvin Sampson was caught twice in violation of NCAA recruiting rules. Therefore, objectively, he can be called a cheater.

Objectively, GW cannot be called a cheater because he has never been found in violation of NCAA regulations. Subjectively, the highest rated players he has recruited to Maryland were Garrison and Jones and they stayed all four years. Francis was 1-and-done but he previously played at Allegheny CC: not exactly a bball powerhouse. I can see no subjective evidence for calling GW a cheater.

lol

What is with some of you people? It's always about Gary. Either you fawn over him (Rob K,) or you despise him (Billy Bmore), But, it's always about him. The lovers find every excuse in the world to defend an underachieving program and the haters ignore that GW seems to always be able to coach a mediocre squad into contention for the ACC championship. The man can coach, but its about time that he finds a way to recruit top echelon talent. Unless of course you are satisfied with reaching the second round of the NCAA tournament every year. (I think you lovers out there are!)

By the way, to defame Baltimore high school athletes and suggest that they are a bunch of disloyal troublemakers who will destroy Maryland's BB program is ridiculous. Just because Selby may have jumped around from school to school does not justify blasting every kid in the city. I guess sometimes love is blind.

Hello Party People...Im Back!!! I am back to bash some more turtle lovers and I just got a few things to stay before I leave this alone. What you guys are saying to me is Gary dont want or need the top talent in the country. He would prefer the fish filet over lobster and shrimp. He probably would drink a 2 buck rail drink over expensive champagne. HAHAHA!!! Gary is snowballing all of you into this and when he is still saying the same stuff after 15 more years and he never one another championship...will you understand then? Maryland just cant compete in recruiting not because of the school, the ACC, the facility and alumnae...but its all because none of these kids wanT to go to MD. The only kids that go to MD are kids that think they can play in the ACC and compete and win a spot on the Terps starting squad because the team before each freshman is not legit. I think GW will become a great coach, he just needs to keep recruiting in his networks of mediocreville. If he wont take the number one player in the country...he should be one and done too. One more season to watch these bums. I could gather up 10 former hoopers from bmore city to beat the Terps with Gary coaching and I will get the local booze hound to out coach GW. lol. I should get me a blog or spot on ESPN for drawing so much responses from you people. You guys would probably vote Gary for Governor too. Then he would raise taxes and tell you to wait for the next financial surplus to arrive. hahahaha. I am out. It was nice hearing your comments. GO TERDS!!! LOL

I'm with Billy 120%. Gary is a very solid coach by all means, but he like most of his players UNDERACHIEVE a great deal. Dontae Greene for example wanted to go to MD more than anywhere to put some hometown pride in the program, and Gary treated him like a sap! I know this for a FACT before all you Gary lovers cry foul, and Dontae was a fantastic student/athelete so what's your excuse? And for those screaming about 1 and done, that is pure BS, ask Jimmy Boheim if Melo going 1 and done destroyed Syracuse, who since Melo left have been in the top 10 recruiting class ever since! I notice most Gary lovers don't have a clue about sports in general, they are just fans of a man named gary.

I love the Gary Bashers,they make me laugh.Gary's two biggest problems are,one,a study just done that was posted in the Sun about 3 or 4 weeks ago,said that 75%-80% of inner city kids want to go somewhere away from home because they have never been away from home.In case you haven't noticed thatis where most of the local talent comes from.Secondly,Debbie Yow has not been and will never be a real Gary Williams backer.Or for that matter,a Ralph Freidgen backer,even though they have traditionally carried the rest of the athletic department.For those that wouldrather have the Traveling Wilbury's like Pitino,Self,Calipari,Sampson,And even one of the most sanctioned in Calhoun,have at it.I'll take Gary anyday,and Billy in BMore,which I probably doubt,get your head out of your butt,find a couple facts and come back when you don't make yourself look like the doofus you are.And take Ed with you.

Sorry that I missed this one!!! But Billy Bmore is correct to a certain point!!! I played ball in the area growing up and I know for a fact that majority of the kids from the inner city loves MD and would attend( if GW was gone)!!! THE REASON going back to the Keith Booth point I played with Turk at collington square and against him at Dunbar and Turk wasnt a great shooter but by his senior year he was shooting three's from two steps across half court consistantly. And Turk was one of the best all around players along with Kevin Simpson that we had ever seen during that time. So why would you put a ball handler, scorer, rebounder, and a pretty good shooter on the box playing Tim Duncan instead of using his talents to the best of the team ability. Practice makes perfect all ballers knows that if your practicing box moves instead of being the player that you could be of course your skills will deminish because your not using them in real game situations reguardless of how much you work on it. Bottom line kids would attend MD if they beleived that GW would get them ready for the next level hell even Coach K changes his coaching style depending on the talent he has around him. Not GW its the same old system reguardless and thats not going to bring the real exceptional kids to our city. GW has a negative reputation when it comes to recruiting I remember as kids when Billy Haun would come around GoldieLox to recruite Mark Karcher and you know why he didn't go to MD because GW never came personally he always sent his assistants thats not good. Another point you say Gw doesn't coach players but a team well if thats true why was the team focused around Joe SMith insetead of Turk he clearly had more overall talent and why didn't Duane Simpkins sit down along with Exree Hipp because he felt obligated to play these players. Like someone else mentioned the only type of kids that suceed at MD are under the radar recruites why i don't know but everyone elese feels like as long as GW is the coach they wont suceed at MD because GW will hold you back and you wont be ready for the NBA!!! Look at DJ Strawberry who ever knew he could shot like that he never showed it at MD like he's doing now on the next level. SORRY YALL BUT TRUE!!!!
MD fan 4 life!!!!! RIP to LEN BIAS

First of all, I took alot of heat for some of my comments and the GW lovers made me out to be cynical of some sort, but let me be the first to say...I am a hometown guy. I love the Ravens, I love the Orioles, I loved the SkipJacks back in the day. I am a true Baltimorean and I dont like Maryland Basketball because of how overrated the system is and I believe that MD has so much potential to be better. Maryland as a state has produced so much talent in the past years that are Pro level players such as Melo, Donte Green, Ty Lawson, Rudy Gay, Josh Boone, Mike Beasley and the list goes on. How many All-Americans or Baltimore All-Metro players qualify and MD never consider them or they just didnt want to go to MD. I remember being in High School and GW never showing up but you always seen his assistants when I played over the Dome, AAU, or Super 50 that used to be at Loyola College. I seen Mike Jarvis and other schools before I seen GW and this is his backyard. He never took Bmore serious and now he has to suffer because Keith Booth can not come in the city and get people to come to MD promote a program that made his career diminish. These kids want to be in the NBA or at least have a shot to go. Good work Josh by not selecting UMD. Once again, the only kids from here that will go to MD are the kids that have no other schools from big conferences recruiting them. Keep getting your three star recruits and as All Metro 1995 said...I bet Syracuse is not complaining. Melo has done wonders for SU. The game of basketball has changed. From AAU to NBA. Maryland needs to step up to the plate. I think that the local colleges are suffering because they have yet to take advantage of the hottest recruiting bed in america. Its Baltimore City. Maryland keep recruiting your bums that are coached by friends of GW. Coppin is terrible because they are not recruiting in the area. Getting one kids does not mean you are working hard in Baltimore. Morgan State got the product. They got some decent players from Bmore and they are in the tournament for that reason only. And they beat MD at Cole Field House or whatever they call it two years ago. And for that...Gary will not schedule them for years to come. lol Those kids played hard because of their dignity to respresent being overlooked by the best school in their state. They wanted to prove a point and they did that. Imagine a Maryland team with Reggie Holmes and Malcolm on the roster. They would be guard oriented and able to compete with anyone in the country and not just by winning home games in MD. But being able to challenge for the title last year. So the next time a big time kids comes from Bmore and you dont understand why he wont go...ask him and his family about their goals and UMD can not supply it. How dont you actively recruit the top player in the country that is in your backyard? Josh is going to Kansas. Will and his brother are going to Memphis, CJ is going to Syracuse, Roscoe is going to UCONN. Terps fans are you understanding whats really going on.

By the way...Kev Simpson was possibly the better of all the players in bmore since my high school days. Donte and Mike and Turp was all in the mix too.

This is my last post, but I just want to congratulate all of the young Baltimore High School kids for being special. Regardless if you are a top recruit OR DII, OR DIII prospect. Keep pushing in life. Keep pursuing your goals. Baltimore is not the only place on earth. Let your talents be your attraction for people to help you and take advantage of all opportunities to help yourselves and your family. Bmore Hoops is the best. From Dickie Kelly...to Skip Wise...Reggie Lewis, Muggs, and David Wingate...to Sam Cassell and Rudy Archer to Mike, Donte, Turp, to Shawnta Rogers and Mark Karcher...to Melo (Best Ever sorry 80's and older era its the truth) Melo is the best thing to come out of Bmore...and last but not least the Newcomers like Josh Shelby, Will Barton, Roscoe Smith keep up the good work and make this city proud.

@ Rob K

whats wrong with Bill Self? He seems to run a pretty straight-up program.

Billy Bmore- I respect your appreciation of Baltimore hoops, but I gotta say that the statement
"Imagine a Maryland team with Reggie Holmes and Malcolm on the roster. They would be guard oriented and able to compete with anyone in the country and not just by winning home games in MD. But being able to challenge for the title last year" is actually quite hillarious. Really??? Holmes was a nice player for a mid-major program that was 1 and done in the tourney, and Malcolm was a nice player as well, but he never even played in the tourney- so to suggest that the two of them together would have played for a title is a tad far-fetched. Sorry, but I'll take Greivis and Hayes any day.

Oh yeah, when you congratulate all the Bmore kids, why no mention of Sean Mosley, the all-time leading scorer in the state?...or Juan Dixon, one of the few to win a Natl Championship? just wondering. Guess Gary doesnt like Baltimore kids