Vasquez finally plays like Vasquez
That sigh of relief from Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams comes not just from going on the road and beating Indiana 80-68 last night. It also comes from finally seeing his excitable senior guard, Greivis Vasquez, playing like his old self.
Vasquez often seemed out of sync in the Terps first three wins over punching bags Charleston Southern, Fairfield and New Hampshire. He forced passes, passed up open shots and his jump shot was off.
Things didn't improve too much in the EA Sports Maui Invitational, where he often seemed sluggish and out of sorts, especially when the Terps were mauled by Cincinnati.
But against Indiana, he seemed to get his confidence back after a shaky start and finished with 23 points and eight assists for his best game of the season.
But once Maryland's zone defense slowed Indiana and the Terps picked up the tempo, Vasquez seemed to gain confidence and was soon playing like the Vasquez of old: running the break, distributing the ball, attacking the basket and hitting key foul shots down the stretch when Indiana was forced to foul.
The Terps have another big test this Sunday when they play Villanova in the BB&T Classic in Washington, D.C.
Back-to-back big games by Vasquez would help Gary Williams breathe even easier.
in Terps, Today's Special
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Comments
"He forced passes, passed up open shots and his jump shot was off."
Sounds like Vasquez to me.
Posted by: Anonymous | December 2, 2009 9:40 AM
Do you know what happened to Tucker? Where was he last night??
Posted by: Stephen Kornblatt | December 2, 2009 10:01 AM
Are you sure that was Vasquez passing up open shots? If anything I think he takes too many shots that aren't there. By now any Maryland fan has grown accustomed to Vasquez driving the lane out of control, jumping and spinning 180 degrees in the air, and throwing up an over-the-shoulder bank shot attempt (or getting up in the air and then trying to find someone to pass to).
I think the Maryland press kit should cut the commentary on Vasquez being a star NBA prospect. It sickens me to hear game commentators go over the same script on Vasquez's NBA prospects game after game, while Vasquez is on the floor turning it over and forcing up bad shots.
Somebody should pull Vasquez aside and tell him that the NBA wants winners. If Greivis, a "tweener" sized guard who isn't exceptional in any aspect of the game, wants to be in the NBA it isn't going to be by forcing the action and trying to draw fouls by driving out of control and taking bad shots (the "Caner-Medley method"). It will be by playing smart, with strong defense, improved shot selection, good passing, and stronger team leadership (the "Dixon method"). And he should let his play speak for itself- talking about yourself as a top NBA prospect doesn't make it so.
Posted by: Andrew | December 2, 2009 10:27 AM
hayes runs the offense much better in the half court. vasquez forces too many shots. he runs the middle on the fast break fine but i think he's better off adjusting to the shooting guard position in the half court. he goes without the ball better than hayes and is good in that curl towards the middle they like to run a lot
Posted by: fkterp | December 2, 2009 1:08 PM
Hopefully, this is a sign that Vasquez is getting out of the ugly rut that he's been in.
Posted by: Marcus | December 2, 2009 5:26 PM
Vasquez is clearly a high-stakes player -- he is sensational some nights, horrible others.
He'll have his big games this year. But the Terps player I am really excited about is Sean Mosley. He will be the most improved player in the ACC this year, and by the end of the season it will be he -- not Vasquez -- who is recognized as the Terrapins' MVP.
Posted by: Smitty | December 2, 2009 10:53 PM
Did you even watch this game Cowherd??? Vasquez kills this team. He only scored 23 cause he went 13-14 from the line. He was 4-14 from the floor. He takes bad shots and doesn't get the ball to people at the right time. The offense runs better when he isn't in the game. I hope Gary benches him when Dino comes back. I think there best lineup is Hayes, Mosley, Milbourne, Dino, Williams. Vasquez could be a great spark off the bench, because he is capable of scoring 8 or 10 points quickly.
Posted by: KD | December 3, 2009 9:12 AM
yeah i agree w/ kd and andrew and fkterp.
Vasquez had a decent enough stat line because of the last minute of the game, but he clearly is waaaay too concerned with forcing plays that aren't there. He's still too excited about his senior year perhaps.
He's getting his shot blocked when he drives, and can't shoot from deep at all. never has. Hayes should go back to point and let Vasquez post and curl.
Posted by: onceawarrior | December 3, 2009 2:00 PM