Shocker.
Looks like we're rolling with Padgett/Weiss as the bigs for next year.
If Jordan leaves (probably will) I think we'll have a losing record - overall. What a pathetic joke Gary has become.

Tied for the regular season title last year. 5th winningest active coach. This equates to "a pathetic joke". I am tired of all the Gary bashers. Go route for Duke like so many other locals who only route for them because they win - they have to claim allegience to a winning team because they have self-esteem issues. Hey, I'd love to win more too. And maybe Gary is not the best recruiter. But he has hired someone who is pretty darn good - Bino. That move will pay off - it will just take some time. Just because we lose out on a recruit, it makes Gary "pathetic". The guy has done more for Maryland b-ball than anyone else. RESPECT HIM! You do not have to like him, but he deserves respect.

By the way - JW leaving would be a big mistake. He's not ready. He needs to develop a face up game and his post defense need to get better. Very, very good player. Not great yet. Could definitely benefit from TWO more years in college.

terp12: Are you serious? You obviously have no clue. J-Will is NOT leaving, Bruenig is better than Whittington and Faust and Gibbs coming in makes our team legit next year. Step back from the ledge. Every program has a down year (We were the ACC Regular Season champs last year)

There's also Breunig and I think there's also Pankey. Matt, do you know if they red-shirted Pankey already or if they plan to red-shirt him?

I guess I'm one of the few that's surprisingly upbeat about next season. It would have been great if they had made the NCAA or even the NIT, but this is a team built for the future.

I doubt Jordan goes pro. He will probably declare, so he can be formally evaluated by the NBA scouts, but he's not even listed on many (if any) current projected draft boards. He's pretty smart, so I think he'll appreciate the need for another year of seasoning. They are stacked at the guard position and should be pretty solid on the front line. They just needed a year to gel and to find themselves. I see a very bright future. Plus, Gary's pissed again. He does his best coaching and motivating when he's pissed. I think all of the returning players will be equally upset. This should be a very dangerous team.

Fear the turtle!

Charles: I don't know if there's been an official determination on Pankey getting a redshirt, but it's definitely something that was expected to happen. -- Matt

I've always hoped that Maryland would turn into a football school!!!

terp 12.

Guess you forgot about bruenig, Pankey. Whittington was a wing Player anyway. So PLEASE Before you bash get the facts straight.

There is no way Jordan goes pro I don't know if you ever watch the NBA but there isn't much room for Guys who have no face up game, cant defend the NBA 4 or 5 and need to work on recognizing the Double team better. He at best would be a second rounder at this point. He would be best served by coming back developing a jumper and making himself a lock of a 1st rounder.

I hate when people just bad mouth Gary Williams. If Gary leaves UMD who is your alternative? Who do you would better coach than Gary and by the way come to UMD? The only ammo people have is that Gary doesn't make a consistent effort to recruit. But obviously he has made strides by hire Bino Ranson and he has great ties in dc metro area. Next year is going to be a plus 20 win team. With the growth of our freshman and our incoming firepower N Faust and let's not forget Sterling Gibbs we are going to be very tough to contend with next year. Everyone chill out we have been so spoiled for so long. But if you insist on continuing to bad mouth Gary to get out of town. Just be careful for what you wish for.

terp 12:

What makes you think that Jordan Williams will leave Maryland? If you watched his play this season, you would have noticed that his game does not yet translate to the NBA. Glaringly, he has neither any definitive face-the-basket moves nor a consistent mid-range jump shot. Those skills will be essential if he harbors any illusions of playing in the league.

As far as the front line, it could be a weak spot, however, you must remember that Weiss was a JUCO. It usually takes a season before such players really contribute (Jamar Smith only showed flashes in his junior year.) Padgett could be a significant x-factor. I certainly expected more development from him than he showed this year, but he seemed to improve late in the season. Of course, Pankey's recovery, too, will be critical. With a lost season, practically, he'll still be a freshman. However, my understanding from what little I read about him was that, when he practiced, he was an absolute animal on the boards.

Bruenig and Whittington play essentially the same position. While I'm certain that Williams would have found ways to incorporate both of them into a rotation, this loss appears minimal. Because of his frame, Whittington woul not have been an inside "banger" anyway.

Finally, there remains the chance that Maryland may sign either Hubert, albeit not a strong likelihood the longer his recruitment darags on, or Wally Judge. If the latter, Judge, a former McD's AA, will have to sit out a year before suiting up.

In all, Maryland, if very fortunate, could have a pretty large and deep front line next season--Williams, Padgett, Weiss, Pankey, Bruenig and Hubert--and beyond,...Williams, Padgett, Pankey, Bruenig, Hubert and/or Judge. Will they get all of them. Not likely. Even without Hubert, however, and just assuming the health of all of the players, that will give the Terps 5 bodies 6'8" or greater next season, including the ACC's 1st team center. Things could be far worse.

I hate when people just bad mouth Gary Williams. If Gary leaves UMD who is your alternative? Who do you think would be a better coach than Gary and by the way also come to UMD? The only ammo people have is that Gary doesn't make a consistent effort to recruit. But obviously he has made strides by hiring Bino Ranson and he has great ties in dc metro area. Next year is going to be a 20+ win team. With the growth of our freshman and our incoming firepower N Faust and let's not forget Sterling Gibbs we are going to be very tough to contend with next year. Everyone chill out we have been so spoiled for so long. But if you insist on continuing to bad mouth Gary to get out of town. Just be careful for what you wish for.

Thanks Matt. Great work as always.

This is a program which hopefully takes a good long look at it's self this summer and figures out how to restore it's once mighty standing. You don't have to hang Gary to see there are other problems like not playing Gtown every year and showcasing yourself as the premiere place to play college hoops in DC. That my friends is called BUZZ and Gary needs some.

The ACC doesn't mandate a softer non-con schedule anymore. Now you need to play some more meaningful games or less meaningless games.

And please make free throw shooting the #1 area of improvement for next year.

Maryland should just hire Calipari. He gets the best recruiting classes every single year. Someday he may make a final 4 without having it taken away for cheating. Since he usually only lasts 3 or 4 years at a school before the NCAA catches up to him, he should be leaving Kentucky pretty soon. Maryland should definitely snap him up to get those top recruits! (Yes, I am being sarcastic. I agree with the be careful for what you wish for posts)

what id Hubert waiting for?

SUPRISED??
Gary can't recruit. NEVER has been able to. 1 player does not a class make. Look at this years seniors. 1 role player, and 2 total losers.
Mosely was the only member of that class, and he is a bust too.
Williams class. 1 player. The rest bench meat at MOST.
The freshman. Can't handle the ball, and play totally out of control. Stoglin can score in spurts. Parker hasn't played 10 minutes, and Howard is another out of control PG. Paulsen is solid. So, 1 1/2 players in 6.
It's a total joke. THESE ARE NOT ACC PLAYERS.
lol.

Who supports Gary at this point? They tied for a REGULAR season title, in a down ACC, because of 1 shot that TUcker hit. 1 shot in 4 years. They got bounced in the 1st round of the ACC, then bounced by MSU without their best player.

NOW, they don't even carry enough clout to get to the NIT? They don't deserve to go, because they didn't beat anyone.

3 NIT, and 1 nothing, in 7 years.
What a total joke.

Matt, can you post the comments about Gary NOT EVEN GETTING INVOLVED until way late on Whittington?

When Justin Anderson in 2012 goes elsewhere, and when Hubert goes elsewhere, what will the apologists say then?

Is what Gary did 10 years ago gonna carry him for the next 10?

Billy Packer said it best the other night.

"MD SHOULD BE A TOP 25 TEAM EVERY SINGLE YEAR. WITH THEIR TRADITION, IN THE ACC, LOCATION, ETC."

ANYTHING LIKE THE LAST 8 SEASONS, IS A TOTAL DISGRACE!

I can't believe all of the Gary Williams apologists. He gets paid $2 million per year. We all should expect better. He has only taken 1 group of players past the sweet 16. Since the national title he has only made it to the sweet 16 once. He has only finished above .500 in the acc 10 years out of 22. his acc winning % is only 55%. People mention he hired Bino to boost the recruiting. That's Gary's job. Gary is supposed to be out in front. Yet recruit after recruit mentions the lack of contact from Gary. And, it's very naive to think every top program is paying every top player. Of course there is some of that but not to the extent some of you believe. If there is, where are the sanctions and death penalties? If people think this program, in this conference, in this media market and in this recruiting base couldn't do better then you are just blind to the facts. Outside of a handful of programs, coaches would be lining up to get the chance at the helm. Lefty had no programs getting top talent to Maryland and if he played under the same rules as Gary he surely would have won at least 1 national championship.

Matt,
Thanks for the information as always. There's a lot of frustration here with recent results from men's basketball, but we are kidding ourselves if we think Gary is going anywhere before the end of his contract.Yow gave him that long term contract and Gary is convinced, I'm sure, that he can turn things around his way. The sad thing is that he is wrong. He is inflexible and that is not a good thing. His inability to bring top notch talent to Maryland stems from:
1)his continued use of the flex which gifted offensive players don't like.
2) His demeanor on the sidelines which turns off a percentage of recruits.
3) His refusal to give any face time to recruits.
4) The perception that freshman will sit the bench here in favor of upperclassmen with far less ability.

On top of that, Gary seems to have a total disdain for those players perceived as one and done so you put it all together and Gary has created a downright terrible recruiting situation.

It is a shame to criticize the players we have as they give it their all and the flex does hide to a great extent their overall deficiencies. The shame of it all is that it doesn't have to be that way.

We have a great location next to the seat of power DC. We have great alumni who have been very successful in life after college and that provides lifetime connections after basketball is over. In fact, we have several former players as sports commentators.

We have a top notch University with one of the best Business programs around.

We are in the ACC, still one of the best conferences.

We have a great talent pool to pull from.

It is just a shame that Gary has wasted all the resources available to him and has allowed this program to slip so far.

Also...

It's not like he has completely ditched recruiting over the past years. Truth is, you never really know what you are going to get with these players. Dupree was highly regarded in high school. So was Mosley and Tucker. JW was not as highly ranked as Dupree, Mosley or Tucker. Yet, JW is proving to be an absolute beast, meanwhile, Dupree was a kitten. You cannot blame the coach for that but since you do, it is obvious that you have lost a few marbles. The village has 'em. They want you back.

The ACC was not down last year. 6 out of 11 ACC teams made the Tourney, you tool! That is not a down year. This year is but not last year.

And to the clown who wants a contest with G'Town every year, you make it seem like it is GW who does not want to play G'Town. Go do some research before you come here spewing crap. Besides, MD did not have a weak schedule last year. To say that is to show how ignorant you are to MD BBall. Last year, we played Pitt, Illinois, Villanova, Temple and then Duke, UNC, Clemson, FL State & Penn State (all tourney teams). We just did not capitalize in those games but to say that we had a weak schedule is to kill your credibility on this blog post.

And to criticize 17 year old boys who have not played more than 35 games of college BBall in their lives (about their ball handling skills) is just short sighted. Remember that Vasquez was a turnover machine in his 1st 2 years. That panned out well for us, didn't it. Let the boys grow and then when they don't improve, have at it. Chew and spit out Mosley all you want but you have to give Peshon and Stogs a break. Gosh!!