Let me begin by saying I love Mark Turgeon's candor. It's way too early to know for sure if he's the right coach for Maryland's men's basketball team in the post-Gary Williams era (although I happen to think he is.) But no matter how well Turgeon does, you've got to love the fact that he tells it like it is.

Having said that, I offer this bit of advice: go easy when talking to the media about Nick Faust's  confidence.

I've seen coaches do this sort of thing before. And sometimes it gets in the player's head and makes things even worse.

To recap, Turgeon made his comments about Faust after Maryland's 71-62 loss to Illinois in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The highly touted freshman guard had just suffered through a tough 2-for-11 night shooting in front of the home crowd at Comcast Center.

 "The poor kid, he's lost his confidence," Turgeon said. "He's air-balling shots. He's a young kid."

 Turgeon didn't say it to be mean or overly critical of a kid who is expected to play an important role with the Terps the next few years.

And this isn't to suggest that Faust, the former City standout, is an emotional piece of bone china who shatters at the slightest criticism.

But Faust is a proud and sensitive kid who's still learning what big-time college basketball is all about. And as we all know, so much of shooting a basketball is all in a player's head. So as a coach, you might not want to be questioning a kid's confidence when the kid himself might not even see it as an issue.

In other words, Faust might simply have chalked up his poor shooting against the Illini as one of those nights. Same thing with his 1-for-5 from the floor and 3 points in the Terps 78-71 win over Notre Dame Sunday in the BB&T Classic in Washington.

No need to plant a seed in his head that he's lacking confidence this early in the season.

All evidence indicates the kid will be back. He's too good a player to stay in a shooting slump for long. He was a terrific scorer at City and he's only played in seven games on the collegiate level.

Give him time. He'll find his stroke again. No need to put any more pressure on him than what he's already feeling.

US Presswire photo of Nick Faust / Dec. 4, 2011

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:52 PM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Finally, Randy Edsall and Kevin Anderson seem to be in same time zone as Maryland fans -- real time.

Edsall, backpedaling his way out of a 2-10 season faster than any of his cornerbacks did the past four months, admitted to a Washington Post columnist Thursday something he had not said since taking over for Ralph Friedgen last January: that he made some mistakes along the way.

Anderson, trying to retain the smallest shred of a tattered fan base that had not yet abandoned the Terps since their opening-game win over Miami on Labor Day night, told my Baltimore Sun colleague Jeff Barker Friday that a "top to bottom" appraisal of the football program will be done, starting with a face-to-face meeting with Edsall Saturday night.

With the expectation that changes will be made on the coaching staff, here's the first move Edsall should make: offer longtime Penn State assistant Larry Johnson the position as defensive coordinator. And here is the first move Anderson should make: give Johnson the title of associate head coach.

It would help solve two issues: it would give the Terps the type of respected defensive presence on the sideline, or in the coaching box, that they lacked when Don Brown left last spring for Connecticut, Randy Shannon didn't come up from Miami (after being fired himself as the Hurricanes coach) and Todd Bradford, who had been hired as linebackers coach, was promoted to defensive coordinator. If anyone should be the scapegoat for this season's collapse -- culminating with the Terps giving up 35 points in the fourth quarter of their 56-41 season-ending loss last Saturday at N.C. State -- it is Bradford.

More importantly, hiring Johnson would be a significant boost for recruiting, especially in Maryland.

That should only be the start of the overhaul of Edsall's staff.

Based on early projections, this could be Maryland's lowest-rated recruiting class in recent memory. The next move is something Edsall should have done when he was hired last winter. He needs to hire a recruiting coordinator to help lock down the state's top prospects, as well as many of those coming out of Washington. The next offer should go to former Dunbar (D.C.) coach Craig Jefferies, who was hired by Mike Locksley at New Mexco right before Edsall came to Maryland. Locksley was fired early in the 2011 season and Edsall would be wise to bring Jefferies back from Albuquerque as quickly as possible.

And here's one more suggestion: I don't know what Gary Crowton's contract situation is, but I assume he received a multiyear deal when he left -- or was pushed out of -- LSU. Given Maryland's economic woes when it comes to the athletic program, paying off yet another coach would not be feasible. Bring Crowton back, but have him change the offense to suit Danny O'Brien, something that should have been done last spring before ignorance and arrogance got in the way. Unlike defensive end David Mackall and tailback D.J. Adams -- both of whom announced this week that they are leaving Maryland -- the sophomore quarterback seems willing to wait before making a decision about his future. Help make it for him.

These moves are not going to turn the Terps into a 10-2 team, or even an 8-4 team. It might not even help the Terps get to 6-6. But they would certainly change the conversation coming out of College Park these days, and perhaps give fans a reason to start paying attention -- and help pay the bills -- if Maryland slowly begins to move back in the direction Edsall, but very few others, believes they are going. Don't worry about the fact that Johnson is coming from a program that has gone from being revered to reviled.

Just as Anderson did last season after firing Friedgen, Anderson and Edsall have to move quickly.

They are now living in real time, and the clock is ticking.

Posted by Don Markus at 1:11 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Listening to Randy Edsall dissect his team’s latest defeat last Saturday night, watching his body language as he sat at a table inside a room at BB&T Stadium after Maryland’s 31-10 loss to Wake Forest, I couldn’t help but think of the line about the old, crusty ballplayer who warmed up to his teammates and the media right before he retired.

“He learned to say hello when it was time to say goodbye,” someone wrote.

Edsall is not going anywhere after the Terps finish their dismal season Saturday at North Carolina State, likely with another loss and a 2-10 record that would equal the most defeats in a season in school history. But like the old ballplayer, I wonder if it’s too late for Edsall to repair the damage from the past few months.

With the expected departure of several of the most talented players from this year’s team – including defensive end David Mackall, tailback D.J. Adams and possibly quarterback Danny O’Brien – and the prospect of a mediocre (if that) recruiting class, the Terps are going to be ACC bottom-feeders again next season and probably for a while.

Edsall has talked about how what he did at Connecticut will help him in College Park. Edsall continued the building process in Storrs begun by Skip Holtz; at Maryland he now has to rebuild a program that he tore apart in less than one season.

He has always sounded as if he was rebuilding a mess left by his predecessor. But Ralph Friedgen revived the Terps from a dismal 2-10 season in 2009 to a 9-4 season last year that culminated with the Fridge being named ACC Coach of the Year and Maryland being ranked No. 23 in the final poll.

Now Edsall is faced with rebuilding a team that has few impact players left on its roster and a fan base that has eroded rapidly. So what can Edsall do to change his image that has now been cast as a rigid, self-righteous control freak who only begrudgingly took responsibility for the way things imploded this season? What can Edsall do to have any chance for future success?

Start by apologizing to Friedgen’s supporters, if not to The Fridge himself, for saying that the players he inherited had no accountability before he arrived. And apologize for criticizing the rest of the fans who didn’t show up in an October snow-shower to see Maryland play Boston College. Start taking accountability yourself for your player’s actions, and your team’s performance.

Admitting your errors go a long way to being given a second chance. Being humble doesn’t hurt either. Edsall should look to see how his counterpart in the basketball program – first-year coach Mark Turgeon – is being treated because of the way he has treated others, including Gary Williams. Turgeon is tough on his players, but it’s the kind of discipline that doesn’t come off as heavy-handed and driven by ego.

More importantly, Edsall should also bring in a group of the team’s veterans, perhaps even a few of the players with whom he had problems, and ask them for input on how to change the us-against-him mentality that has pervaded the Gossett Team House, or Gossett Team Penitentiary, as some players refer to it on Twitter. In your my-way-or-the-highway world, the highway appears to be approaching gridlock.

Maybe even change some of the rules, understanding that, as the father of two college-age kids, these are still college kids you’re coaching. Start with putting their names back on the back of their uniforms. Fans are also not happy with the fact that the Terps have become an endangered species on the new uniforms, and the players aren’t buying into it either.

Not to say that Edsall isn’t trying. It is obvious that someone has reached Edsall about his relationship with the media. After the Wake Forest game, and during his regular Tuesday session before the N.C. State game, he was honest, engaging, even emotional rather than secretive, standoffish and robotic. He also seemed worthy of a little sympathy.

I know of many coaches over the past 30 years who were cut some slack by the people who covered them because they were accessible, and didn’t just give the kind of coachspeak answers that became the norm this season. It would have been nice to hear from the two coordinators, Gary Crowton and Todd Bradford, to get their take on what went wrong, rather for them to be off-limits since August.

Many people who I’ve talked to this season who have known Edsall in the past say that he’s a nice guy and a good coach. You wouldn’t know it by how he operated during his first season in College Park, but it’s not too late to try and turn this around. It’s going to be challenging, because not many will be showing up for games until the team starts winning again and not made blue-chip players are going to be buying into your approach either.

Unless you’re walking away from a contract that will pay you $2 million a year over the next five years, you’re stuck with the players, fans and media that you alienated. Doing it your way – or at least the way you did it this season – won’t work. Even your mentor, Tom Coughlin, changed when it looked like he was going to get fired by the New York Giants. All his team did was win the Super Bowl.

One more thing: think about some of the comments you make before you make them. You said last week that reading comments by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft reinforced what you are trying to do in College Park. His franchise has won three Super Bowls. Your team will probably not even win three games.

Posted by Don Markus at 1:58 PM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

The University of Maryland finally came to its senses when it comes to naming the Comcast Center court after former coach Gary Williams, the man who did so much to reverse the fortunes of the Terps basketball program after the death of Len Bias and the ensuing scandal.

For some bizarre reason which no one has adequately explained, the naming ceremony was originally scheduled for Dec. 9, on a day when the men's basketball team wasn't even scheduled to play. This just about guaranteed it would be a ho-hum dedication, with a lot of serious-looking guys in suits saying nice things about Williams and half the audience falling asleep.

But a few minutes ago, the school announced the ceremony will now take place on the night of Jan. 25, allowing it to be part of the national TV broadcast of the Maryland-Duke game at 9 p.m.

This, of course, means there will be plenty of students and fans on hand -- and plenty of energy in the building -- when the court is officially named after the fiery Williams, who guided the Terps to a 461-252 record, two Final Four appearances, 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and a national championship (2002) in 22 seasons at College Park.

It would have been a travesty to have the naming of the court held any other way.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 11:25 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Everyone else in the world -- including LeBron James, Jay Bilas and possibly President Barack Obama -- has weighed in on the new uniforms Maryland unveiled for its thrilling 32-24 win over Miami Monday night. So why shouldn't I? After all, who knows more about fashion than a fat guy who wears T-shirts, shorts and Docksiders six months of the year?

As I said on 105.7 The Fan's "Norris and Davis Show" this morning, the Terps' new look is hideously spectacular. And I mean that in a good way -- sort of.

First-year coach Randy Edsall is pulling out all the stops trying to energize the Maryland football program and its lethargic fan base. He's trying to draw attention to the Terps any way he can. And when Maryland came out in their garish new unis before the start of their season-opener at Byrd Stadium and 53,000 fans gasped and cheered, it was mission accomplished on the attention-scoring front.

How to describe the new look? It's as if Salvador Dali -- yes, the Spanish surrealist painter, you knew that -- got together with the Under Armour uniform designers and they all smoked something -- not Marlboro Lights, I'm trying to be delicate here -- and decided: "Random patterns from the Maryland state flag in a sequential pattern -- or not! Can you see it?! Yes! Perfect!"

So there they were in front of a national TV audience, with their half red-and-white, half checkerboard yellow-and-black helmets and jerseys, right down to the optional arm sleeves and gloves.

What a look. It was bold. It was different. It was unlike any football uniform you've ever seen -- at least in this galaxy. LeBron didn't like the look? Neither did Bilas? Who cares? It created a huge buzz for aprogram that desperately needed it.

Good for the Terps. Good for Randy Edsall.

It was a great start to the season.

Getty photo by Rob Carr of Michael Tart and Nick Ferrara / Sept. 6, 2011

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:00 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

The Maryland football team showed off its new Under Armour uniforms in a glitzy ceremony Monday night that was a curious combination of a fashion show, rock concert and pep rally.

But it had the desired effect: it fired up the masses who attended. (You can read Sun reporter Jeff Barker's account of the evening here.) You only hope this wasn't the high point of the season for the Terps, their fans and new coach, Randy Edsall. To say Maryland is rebuilding this year would be an understatement. Most college football experts pick the Terps to finish at the bottom of the ACC's Atlantic Division standings. 

I give Edsall credit: he's trying everything humanly possible to psyche up the fan base, which has been in something of a torpor the past few years. Edsall said he even wants the fans to weigh in on the new unis -- maybe by voting on their favorite color combinations. (Good luck dragging the students away from their keg parties to do that, Coach.)

The uniforms themselves look spiffy. And with four jersey colors, four pants colors and two helmet colors, the Terps will have 32 color combinations to choose from. Forget deciding on the coin flip and whether they want to kick off or receive. Deciding on which color-combo uni to wear will be exhausting enough.

Me, I like the black jersey-black pants, black helmet look with the red and yellow (gold) lettering. At least it'll make the Terps look menacing, even if they're getting pushed all over the field. (The red belt seems a bit much. But who am I to judge? I still think a polo shirt and khaki pants are the height of fashion.)

I'm also fine with Edsall's decision not to have names on the back of the unis this season. He wants to make this rebuilding season all about the "team" and not about individual players, who will have to earn their recognition with their play on the field. Makes sense to me.

Anyway, as Barker reports, the new uniforms are drawing raves from the Maryland players.

Wide receiver Ronnie Tyler was quoted as saying: "You look good, you play good."

We'll see about that.

The Terps open with Miami on Sept. 5 in College Park. So far, no word on what colors they'll be wearing. With 32 different combinations, that could take a while.

Baltimore Sun photo of Cameron Chism by Gene Sweeney Jr. / Aug. 22, 2011

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:45 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Like most Maryland fans, I went to bed late Saturday night thinking Arizona's Sean Miller was to going to succeed Gary Williams as the Terps' coach and woke up to the stunning news that he decided to stay in Tucson.

So who's next on Kevin Anderson's wish list?

Amid reports that Notre Dame's Mike Brey and Butler's Brad Stevens have rejected Anderson's offer to talk about the job, you get the feeling of what happened back in December when Anderson fired Ralph Friedgen. There was a lot of excitement among the fans about the possibility of Mike Leach coming to College Park, and it was a tremendous letdown for many of them when Randy Edsall was introduced as the school's next football coach.

After Miller changed his mind, I never thought Brey would come. If you are Brey, despite your roots in the area and your ties to the Atlantic Coast Conference as Mike Krzyzewski's longtime assistant at Duke, are you going to want to be viewed as a second choice? (Or even a third choice if Pitt's Jamie Dixon was also approached, as has been reported.) 

And if you're Anderson, would you want to have another press conference where the coach you introduce is not the one the fan base was all fired up about (think Edsall and Leach) but whose "dream job" was coaching at Maryland? Had Miller not been rumored to be on his way to Comcast Center, Brey's hiring would have played well.

As for Stevens, unless there were plans to move the Maryland campus about 600 miles west to Indianapolis -- and I know of a moving company that used to make that sort of trip for an entire football team -- I doubted Butler's boy-wonder coach was going anywhere soon, given that the Bulldogs showed their first run to the NCAA title game wasn't a fluke by doing it again. Stevens' success is rooted in the Hoosier State, and his down-home style would not have played as well with recruits along the Baltimore-Washington beltways.

There's also been mention of Texas A&M's Mark Turgeon. He's well-respected in the coaching community for what he's done at Wichita State and the Aggies, but does anyone outside of the Big 12 know him? Put it this way: Edsall would be considered a much more high-profile hire in these parts than Turgeon.

So where does that leave Anderson?

Continue reading "Where do Terps turn next in hoops coaching search?" »

Posted by Don Markus at 3:54 PM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (40)
        

After it seemed, late last night, that Maryland was moving to hire Arizona coach Sean Miller as quickly as possible, Saturday has dawned calm and relatively quiet.

Our beat writer, Jeff Barker, is reporting that, according to Maryland sources, Miller is a candidate but athletic director Kevin Anderson is also waiting to hear back from another person he contacted about the job.

Meanwhile, Don Markus reports that sources close to Miller and coaches in the area believe Miller has interest, and would be a strong recruiter in the area.

There's a recruiting guru type fella who seems pretty tied in to West Coast happenings reporting, via Twitter, that Miller and Maryland will meet in Vegas today. Miller's there to take part in a coaching clinic. Kevin Anderson is there because he really loves that fake little Eiffel Tower. And also to hire a coach.

Much of the conversation regarding why Miller would leave a good job where he has recruited well centers on two things: his East coast and ACC ties (born in Western Pennsylvania, was an assistant at N.C. State) and the fertile recruiting ground that literally surrounds College Park. It's always nice to be able to recruit DeMatha and Baltimore Nike Elite without having to get on a plane.

According to the Tucson Citizen, Miller's wife's allergies could play a role in the decision. 

In Minneapolis, speculation surrounding Tubby Smith, who has seemed on the verge of bolting since leaving Kentucky (before they could run him out) for a middle-of-the-pack (at best) Big Ten job, continues to mount. The Star-Tribune reports that Smith hasn't done anything to quash the speculation, and that, as a Maryland native, he's long considered taking over the Terps to be a dream job.

Where have we heard that before?

For what's it worth, both crazy guy Dick Vitale and CBS angry columnist Gregg Doyel have taken to Twitter to endorse Smith's candidacy.

More to come, surely.

Posted by Chris Korman at 10:45 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

I never experienced it myself, but someone I love did. This was the detail, you see, that my wife Jen used years ago as she tried to help me understand what it was like to be a college student at the University of Maryland in the late 1990s. Maryland basketball was a tough ticket in those days, much tougher than it is now, and instead of holding a lottery (the way that so many schools do) the athletic department rewarded student tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you were passionate enough, you showed up at Cole the day before distribution began, and you camped out in line. Your back and neck paid the price, my wife explained, but to be down in front when Gary Williams threw a fist pump in the direction of the student section -- and to answer with a thunderous roar -- was a quintessential College Park experience. 

That passion has ebbed and flowed in recent years, but with Williams surprisingly calling it a career this week, it's important to understand and reflect on what exactly he built in College Park, and how his unique blend of defiance and hard work changed what it meant to be a Maryland basketball fan.

Continue reading "Gary Williams and the voyage of life" »

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 11:10 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

The day that Debbie Yow announced she was leaving Maryland for North Carolina State, I called Gary Williams to ask him what her legacy would be in College Park.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Williams offered a short and not-so-sweet statement about his longtime boss and adversary. "I have nothing to say specifically other than I'll let other people judge the 15 or 16 years Debbie Yow was at the University of Maryland," Williams said.

It was essentially a no-comment, but it was a snapshot of a relationship that had never been particularly close and deteriorated badly in recent years, especially after Yow allegedly tried -- unsuccessfully -- to put together a group of boosters to buy Williams out. What happened Tuesday night in Raleigh, N..C., when Yow accused Williams of sabotaging N.C. State's search process for a new basketball coach, didn't surprise anyone who has closely followed this dysfunctional Yow-Williams dynamic. That she did it during the introductory news conference for Mark Gottfried -- after a reporter asked Gottfried if he was aware of Yow's reputation of being difficult to work for -- was also typical of Yow.

That Williams offered a response to The Sun denying he had any interaction with candidates involved in the search was also not unexpected. Each always had to get in the last word. Each always had to make the other one squirm.

Continue reading "Yow's spat with Williams years in the making" »

Posted by Don Markus at 2:22 PM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (33)
        

You can fry an egg on Gary Williams' forehead this morning. The Maryland coach is still steaming -- and his team is still reeling -- from the news that the Terps have been snubbed by the humble 32-team NIT.

This was a total shocker. It's the first time Maryland hasn't played in the post-season since the 1992-1993 season. And it's definitely the low point for the program Williams brought back to respectability all those years ago after the cocaine-induced death of Len Bias had left it in shambles.

Being snubbed by the NIT, the tournament for also-rans, is mind-blowing for Williams and his Terps. While a few college hoops pundits thought 19-14 Maryland was on the bubble to make even the NIT, most everyone else thought it was a slam-dunk.

Everyone knows what a bid to the NIT means. It means your team isn't good enough for the NCAA Tournament. It means you're eating at Hardees instead of Ruth's Chris, drinking Deer Park instead of Perrier, driving a Chevy Aveo instead of a Mercedes.

But it's still basketball, as several Terps had pointed out after the team's 87-71 loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament.

The Terps didn't want their season to end on the sour note of another loss to Duke. And the younger players wanted the seniors -- Cliff Tucker, Adrian Bowie and Dino Gregory -- to go out on a positive note.

Winning the NIT championship would have accomplished that, although with the way the Terps had been playing of late, there was certainly no reason to think they would be the last team standing.

You can bet the Terps will use this snub as motivation for next season. In that regard, it might actually turn out to be a positive development for a program that some feel has grown increasingly complacent in terms of recruiting and signing the best players available.

"We worked very hard to get to where we were with 19 wins this season," Williams said in a prepared statement Sunday night. "We're looking forward to the start of next season."

 Even during his most successful seasons, when he railed about the lack of respect Maryland received nationwide from the basketball literati, Gary Williams seemed to coach with a chip on his shoulder.

 But now the chip is the size of a giant redwood.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:27 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (42)
        

It takes a big man to admit when he's screwed up. But Maryland's senior swingman Cliff Tucker did exactly that Wednesday when he copped to brooding about his lack of playing time this season.

"I'm not going to lie," Tucker told reporters in Greensboro, N.C., where the Terps were getting ready for their first-round game against N.C. State in the ACC Tournament. "I kind of got back to my old pouting, and that hurt my game.

"When I come out of a game, I can't get upset," he said. "I can't play if I'm thinking 'Is the coach going to take me out?' or 'Am I going to start?'"

When's the last time you heard that kind of candor from a college basketball player?

 I give the kid credit. Especially with his remarks coming before a big, important tournament in which the Terps are trying desperately to salvage some measure of pride before they're relegated to the post-season hell that is the NIT.

Tucker has been just plain ineffective in the last three Maryland losses, averaging five points and 17 minutes. And the truth is that, despite occasional flashes of solid play, he's struggled with his shooting and defense throughout much of the season.

"I'm just trying to get back to my old self," Tucker said. "I've been struggling the last month or so. This could be my break-out tournament."

The Terps could really use a break-out performance from him tonight. And it would be nice to see Tucker, who's a good kid, end his Maryland career on a roll. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:00 PM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

It was hard to watch Maryland at times during its 87-76 loss to no. 19 North Carolina Sunday night in Chapel Hill.

Not only were the Terps totally out-rebounded by the much taller Tar Heels front line, but they seemed sluggish at times, too, and out of sync offensively.

Jordan Williams pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds and finished with 16 points, but looked slow and awkward down low. He said he had been up all night with a stomach problem, and it showed.

Freshman guard Terrell Stoglin's career-high 28 points kept the Terps in the game -- the kid is absolutely fearless running the court and going to the hole, even though he still makes bad decisions from time to time in terms of forcing shots and passes.

But what's hampered the Terps all year is the inconsistent play they're getting from seniors Cliff Tucker and Adrian Bowie and junior Sean Mosley, three guys who were being counted on heavily this season.

Mosely, one of the hardest workers on the team and a great kid, seems to have totally lost his confidence on offense. He passes up easy outside shots and seems uncertain how to finish when he attacks the basket.

Tucker and Bowie also disappear offensively for long stretches at a time, putting even more pressure on Williams and Stoglin to score.

A pleasant surprise of late has been the play of senior Dino Gregory, who scored only four points against Carolina but had been much more of a force down low in Maryland's previous games.

The Terps battled until the end against Carolina, but they would have had to play a perfect game to beat the much taller Tar Heels.

Now their long-shot bid to make the NCAA Tourrnament comes down to this: two more regular seasons games (against Miami and Virginia) and the ACC Tournament.

They pretty much have to run the table the rest of the way. And the way this team is playing now, that doesn't seem likely at all.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 11:19 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

If you watched it Sunday night, you know Maryland's 74-63 win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta was one of the more remarkable games you'll ever see -- especially in this era.

In essence, what happened was this: the Terps stopped shooting from outside.

They didn't hit a shot from outside 10 feet the entire night. And for the first time in 407 games dating back to 1999, they didn't hit a three-pointer.

Sure, it worked against the under-sized and out-manned Yellow Jackets. And with sophomore big man Jordan Williams having his way inside (21 points, 15 rebounds) and their transition game working so well, there wasn't a pressing need for the Terps to be jacking shots from the outside.

But that strategy probably won't work Wednesday night when Maryland faces third-ranked (at least as of this writing) Duke.

The Blue Devils figure to show up at Comcast Center more than a little ticked off, having been waxed by St. John's, 93-78, at Madison Square Garden yesterday in a game that wasn't even that close.

And the Blue Devils have more than enough height to control the boards and neutralize Maryland's transition game while also sagging on Williams and banging him around in the paint.

Sure, Duke isn't the fearsome power it used to be before All-Galaxy freshman point guard Kyrie Irving was sidelined with a foot injury.

But with a front line that can throw 6-foot-11, 235-pound Ryan Kelly, 6-foot-8, 230-pound Kyle Singler and those dock-worker Plumlee brothers, Mason and Miles (both 6-foot-10 and 240-some pounds) at opponents, the Blue Devils won't be beaten inside very often.

Hence, the need for the Terps to hit from the outside, particularly three-pointers.

If they don't, it'll probably be a long night for Maryland fans. And Gary Williams will be sweating through another suit.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 1:08 PM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

If you watched the first half of Maryland's 74-55 win over Wake Forest last night, you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching possibly the worst game in the history of college basketball.

The Deamon Deacons are a terrible team. They ended up with 18 turnovers, 11 in the first half. In the first 15 minutes of the game, they took so many horrible shots and looked so awkward and out of sync driving to the basket that it was embarrassing.

Maryland played down to Wake's level during that stretch, but that was mainly because the Terps had trouble getting their sophomore big man, Jordan Williams, any touches down low. (He was 1-for-5 from the field in the first half and finished with 13 points.)

As the TV announcers, Raycom Sports' Mike Hogewood and Mike Gminski, kept pointing out, it was quiet in Joel Coliseum. And no wonder. Tie-Dyed Nation was probably mortified at the utter ineptness it was seeing.

Things improved only slightly for the Deacs in the second half. But the Terps, who still seemed fatigued from their emotional 71-64 loss to Duke Sunday, got on a 15-0 run midway through the period and were never threatened after that.

Cliff Tucker had a sensational game for Maryland, 21 points off the bench, and it'll be a shame if Gary Williams doesn't start the senior swingman when the Terps play Villanova Saturday.

Williams loves the lift Tucker gives his team off the bench. But Tucker has made no secret of his desire to start and it would be hard to keep him in a reserve role after his performance against Wake.

As bad as the basketball was, the commercials were worse.

How many times can you watch that stupid "Sink One, Score a Million" promotion for Pepsi products at Food Lion before you go out of your mind?

They must have run that commercial 20 times last night: the bouncing basketball hitting the house, the look of concern on the faces of the family members, the dopey neighbor trying long-distance trick shots that end up in the bushes, etc.

It made for a long, long evening.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:59 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Let's get this out of the way first: Duke played about as badly as you'll ever see it play in its 71-64 win over Maryland Sunday night in Durham.

That's no knock on the Terps, who turned in a gutty effort, led by sensational sophomore Jordan Williams' 23 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots.

But I can't remember the last time I saw the Blue Devils shoot so poorly and look so disorganized on offense -- and so tentative on defense. Can't remember the last time Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had to call a time-out to settle down his team, either.

And when was the last time you saw Coach K lacing into his players like that during a T.O., gesturing fiercely, with spittle flying from his mouth? Why, I thought I even saw a thin sheen of perspiration on his forehead! Like he was actually, um, worried there for a moment.

No question Duke was reeling at several key points in the game, especially when the Terps started the second half on a 7-0 run and opened a 38-32 lead. And Maryland, to its credit, took full advantage of the confusion, getting big shots from Williams and Cliff Tucker (14 points), hanging tough and giving itself a chance to win.

No, Maryland didn't win. And maybe there are no moral victories in the ACC or any other top conference. But this Duke team is loaded. I've been calling them the Boston Celtics of college basketball since the beginning of the season.

Yes, the Blue Devils were at less than their best last night. But Maryland went into the most intimidating arena in the land, Cameron Indoor Stadium, and refused to be intimidated, staying with a great Duke team for nearly 40 minutes.

 You have to give the Terps props for that.  

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:55 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Maryland head coach Gary Williams said all the right things about freshman guard Terrell Stoglin's play in the Terps bitter 79-75 loss to the Boston College in their ACC opener.

Stoglin missed a critical three-point attempt from the top of the key with 17 seconds remaining. And Williams backed his freshman, saying he had no problem with Stoglin taking the shot.

"Terrell tries to win -- just like when Greivis (Vasquez) was a freshman," Williams said. "He's trying to win the game."

Fine. And I'm sure Williams was happy to see that Stoglin didn't shy away from taking that critical shot. So many players -- not just freshmen -- want no part of the ball in the waning seconds of a tight game and actually run away from shots like that.

But there's also no question that the talented Stoglin forced a number of shots in the second half -- he was only 6-for-17 from the field -- and that he'll have to play smarter, and under more control, the rest of the way.

That being said, Stoglin, who ended up with 14 points, looks like he could become a big-time player for the Terps. He's lightning-quick, has a killer cross-over dribble, sees the whole court and is fearless in his drives to the basket.

I don't see Gary Williams being able to keep the kid out of the starting lineup for much longer.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:47 PM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Maryland coach Gary Williams and his staff probably savored the Terps' 89-59 blowout of Maine Sunday for all of, oh, 15 minutes. And today they're probably engrossed in film study and practice as the Terps get ready for Thursday's big game against No. 5 Pittsburgh at New York's Madison Square Garden. 

But Williams took pains to point out that beating Maine was not exactly like beating some poor juco team.

This wasn't a bunch of donkeys facing the Terps.

"They had some physical players inside," Williams said, referring to 6-foot-9 center Mike Allison, and 6-7 forwards Troy Barnies and Murphy Burnatowski. "This wasn't a skinny team inside by any stretch of the imagination."

OK, the Black Bears play in the America East Conference, not exactly a hoops powerhouse.

But they were a very experienced team, with 11 returning players, including four starters, on the court yesterday.

And this was a team that finished 19-11 last year and knocked off Boston College.

But now the Terps are totally focused on Pitt, a deep, talented team that crushed North Florida, 95-49 Saturday night. Brad Wanamaker had 17 points as Pitt ran its record to 3-0.

"They're good," Williams said of the Panthers. "There's a reason why they're picked first in the Big East. . . . They have inside players that are good and guards that are experienced. And they have some depth, and that usually means a good team."

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 2:05 PM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

So Maryland was picked to finish no higher than sixth in the 2010-2011 ACC men's basketball pre-season rankings? That's music to Gary Williams' ears.

In fact, don't be surprised if the Terps' long-time coach has the rankings taped to a bulletin board in the team's locker room at Comcast Center -- with yellow Magic Marker highlighting that no. 6 team. And he probably carries around a crumpled-up copy in his wallet, too.

For years, Williams has quietly fumed about the lack of respect he says the rest of the league accords his teams. You can bet he'll use this latest poll for motivation, both for himself and his players, especially with the Terps coming off a 2009-2010 season in which they tied for the ACC title with Duke. 

At last week's Media Day, Williams acknowledged that Duke would probably be the pre-season pick to win the ACC again.

But he also talked up his team, big-time, giving you the impression that with two returning starters (Sean Mosley and Jordan Williams) and three returning seniors (Cliff Tucker, Adrian Bowie and Dino Gregory), the Terps would be able to hold their own with any team in the league.

More than once, Williams stressed that this year's edition of the Terps will be more athletic than last year's. And he said it'll be a better defensive team, too, as he envisions it exerting way more full-court pressure on opponents than the Greivis Vasquez-led team of a year ago.

Picked to finish sixth? Oh, that won't sit well with Gary.

That'll drive him nuts -- and it'll fuel his competitive fire all the way to March Madness.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:42 PM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Could one of Maryland's all-time great guards, Greivis Vasquez, be headed to the City That Never Sleeps? Apparently the answer is yes.

According to the New York Daily News, the New York Knicks are exploring the idea of trading into the first round of Thursday's NBA draft to select one of three players, including the excitable, over-achieving Vasquez.

For a guy who won the Bob Cousy award last season as the nation's top guard, but who admits to not being very quick and "barely able to dunk" at 6-feet-6, that's getting a whole lot of respect.

But according to the News, the Knicks have narrowed their first pick to Vasquez, Iowa State power forward Craig Backins and New Mexico small forward Darington Hobson.

The Knicks own picks 38 and 39 in the second round, but don't expect any of their top three choices to still be available at that point, according to the News.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:55 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

As I wrote in today's column, which you can read here, the Maryland-Michigan State finish yesterday was one for the ages.

Some final thoughts on Maryland's 85-83 loss to the Spartans, which ended a terrific 24-9 season:

* CBS did an excellant job of capturing the essence of the game in the final frantic seconds. From the shots of Korie Lucious's buzzer-beater at the top of the key -- in slow-mo, he seemed to hang in the air forever, like the moon -- to the shots of the Spartan reserves exploding off the bench to mob Lucious, to the shot of Maryland's Jordan Williams slumped on the court, looking stricken, every image worked perfectly to explain the drama of those moments.

* Two things in particular killed Maryland: the Terps were outrebounded 42-24. At times, it seemed like the sublime freshman, Jordan Williams, was the only Terp capable of boxing anyone out and crashing the boards.

The other thing that killed the Terps was the Spartans' deadly shooting. "Their shooting surprised us in the first half," Gary Williams admitted. Actually, I think the Terps were shocked by how well Michigan State shot the ball, particularly from beyond the 3-point line, where they were 10-for-18 (.556.)

*You never know how you're going to get injured in sports; sometimes it occurs in the most innocuous-seeming ways.

 Take the Spartans star point guard, Kalin Lucas, in yesterday's game. He made a great move at the top of the key near the end of the first half, drove hard to his right and then soared and hit a floater.

 He landed on his feet just fine. But then, as he pushed off to head downcourt, he apparently suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury.

 Now it looks like he's done for the rest of the tournament. With injuries, you just never know. 

 Wonderful game, wonderful season for the Terps. Too bad it had to end so soon.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:53 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It was one of the great scenes in college basketball: jubilant students rushing the court, ecstatic players being hoisted on shoulders, a giddy, emotional coach searching for the right words to describe his feelings in a courtside interview while the joyous mayhem raged all around him.

This was Comcast Center last night after Maryland's thrilling 79-72 win over Duke, a win that tied them for first place in the ACC, a win on Senior Night, the last time the three luminous seniors, Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne, would play there.

Post-game scenes I'll remember: Vasquez, weaving through fans and climbing over chairs to get to a post-game with a comely TV sideline reporter. Juan Dixon, the Terps' all-time scoring leader, beaming and accepting congratulations outside the media room as if he had just played in the game himself.

Vasquez, the Venezuelan native, bounding into the post-game interview and mischievously declaring he would only answer questions in Spanish, then shaking his head and declaring over and over (in English) "This was a dream come true . . . it means the world to me."

And coach Gary Williams, defiant to the end, talking about his three seniors and saying: "Those three guys are special because they all came through some things. They all heard last year that they weren't good enough."

It was a wonderful night in College Park -- the best they've had there in a long time. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:00 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

The new AP Top 25 basketball rankings are out. And if you're wondering if Maryland made the list after the great run the Terps have put together recently, the answer is no.

 No, check that. The Terps actually did make the list. Only their mention came under the heading "Others receiving votes," where it was noted they received a paltry 57. Which was 55 votes more than Wake Forest, Murray State and Cornell received and 56 more than Clemson tallied, if you're looking for a silver lining here.

 A lot of this, of course, has to do with Maryland's RPI ranking, which is only 36. (RPI measures  strength of schedule and how a team does against that schedule.)

And a lot of it has to do with the perception that the ACC is watered-down league these days.

But Terps fans will look at the teams the AP rates 22-25 -- Texas A&M, Richmond, Baylor and Northern Iowa -- and be convinced Maryland got hosed again. And I'd agree with them.

Gary Williams has railed for years that the Terps get no respect in the national rankings. This latest poll will have him doing another slow burn.

If the Terps beat Clemson Wednesday at Comcast Center and Virginia Tech Saturday in Blacksburg and STILL don't crack the Top 25, look for the top of his head to explode.

That should be some sight, too. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 2:57 PM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

On a night when they were struggling on the road, during a stretch marked by poor shot selection, turnovers and tired legs, Maryland finally found someone besides Greivis Vasquez who could put the ball in the basket.

Jordan Williams, the highly-touted freshman, stepped up big-time in Maryland's 67-58 win over North Carolina State in Raleigh Wednesday night.

With Landon Milbourne (8 points) and Eric Hayes (zero points) again disappearing in a hostile arena -- more on that in a moment -- Williams was a giant presence in the paint for the Terps.

He scored a career-high 19 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. And he banged with the Wolfpack's big man Tracy Smith all night, limiting him to 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting.

"Jordan Williams is just getting started," coach Gary Williams said after the game. "He's going to be good."

From a coach who's often reluctant to talk up his freshman, lest they get big-headed, that's practically a rock-star endorsement.

Now a quick memo to the yahoo Wolfpack fans at RBC Center who took to chanting "U-S-A! U-S-A!" at Vasquez, the Venezuela native: that was a classy move, people.

Somewhere on campus, there must have been a "yokels-only" keg party before the game. Hope you guys had fun.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:20 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

I watched my first online college basketball game last night -- Maryland's 85-66 rout of Virginia -- which was streamed live on ESPN360.

Let's start with this: the picture-quality is not great. It's not as grainy as the NASA video of man's first walk on the moon. But it's not exactly a high-def experience, either.

More like something in-between, a tad on the blurry side, like what it must be to watch a game when you're having a migraine or just finished huffing paint.

(Unfortunately, the picture-quality was good enough that we could see Greivis Vasquez's new 'do, some kind of upswept-in-the-middle thing that made him look like, I don't know, Rooster Head or something.)

The game announcers were also a little shaky, especially analyst Dwight Freeman, who was introduced as the former coach of Norfolk State.

At one point, referring to the voluble Vasquez, Freeman noted that "these European players" always play with a lot of enthusiasm.

Play-by-play guy Quint Kessenich quickly pointed out that Vasquez hails from Caracas, Venezuela.

"That's not in Europe," Kessenich pointed out helpfully. Then he took another playful jab at his partner by noting he probably wasn't very good in geography when he was in school.

The other thing is, you can't really get as comfortable as you'd like watching a game on your computer -- unless you're watching on a laptop and can sprawl on a couch somewhere. I was watching it on my home PC, which meant spending two hours at a desk and in an office chair.

Maybe I should have swilled a few beers to get through the whole thing. But it was Monday night, a little early in the week for that sort of thing.

But all in all, it wasn't a terrible experience. And it was better than not watching the game at all. (It wasn't broadcast on TV since it was a make-up of the game snowed-out last week.)

And Maryland certainly looked impressive, getting it's transition game going and drubbing the Cavaliers behind the 30-point effort of Vasquez.

Vasquez -- isn't he the European guy? I heard that somewhere...

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:28 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

With Maryland set to play ACC foe Virginia tonight, coach Gary Williams doesn't want the Terps to look back at that awful 77-56 beating they took from Duke on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

This is understandable -- when you climb out of a smoldering train wreck, your first thought is never: Hey, let's go back and look at that again!

But here's one thing the Terps had better remember from their Saturday beatdown: when Greivis Vasquez is having a tough game, somebody else better step up.

Vasquez was hounded unmercifully by the Duke defense -- the Devils came out farther on the perimeter to check him and did a lot of switching that kept him constantly smothered.

The result was this: the Terps scoring leader had just two points in the first half, the Maryland offense bogged down and Duke established its momentum, rolling to a 40-24 lead at the intermission.

No one else stepped up for the Terps. Sure, Cliff Tucker had a nice game (12 points). But Maryland needed about four more Cliff Tuckers to get back in this one.

The two other seniors in the starting lineup were ineffectual.

Landon Milbourne (2 points) couldn't find his shot all afternoon. Eric Hayes (8 points) couldn't spot up for threes with the Duke guards coming so far out on defense. And Jordan Williams, the highly-touted freshman who has played so well of late, was overwhelmed by all the big bodies the Blue Devils kept sending inside.

As Vasquez goes, so go the Terps -- that's a truism. But somebody else has to step up when he's having an off-day.

There's too much talent and senior leadership on this team for that not to happen. And when it doesn't happen, the game can get away from the Terps in a hurry.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 10:03 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Greivis Vasquez is playing the best ball of his career -- there's no doubt about that.

Maryland's mercurial senior guard was just named ACC Player of the Week for the second time this year (and sixth of his career) after a 23-point, 7-rebound, 7-assist performance in the Terps 71-67 win over Florida State and 26 points and 11 assists in Sunday's 92-71 victory over North Carolina.

 The guy has never looked more confident setting up for a 3-pointer or driving the lane and kicking the ball out to a teammate for an open look. And the big reason for this? The Terps are running again and Vasquez is getting the ball in the open court, where he excels, as opposed to running a set offense, where he sometimes tries to force things.

 Vasquez and the Terps have also been helped in the transition game with the stellar play of freshman Jordan Williams, the 6-10, 260-pound freshman from Torrington, Conn.

Williams runs the floor really well for a big man -- better than the Terps imagined he could -- and has become a favorite target for Vasquez on the fast-break.

And when Vasquez gets a little out-of-control, as he's prone to do now and then, Williams either yanks the guy out of the game for a few minutes or has Vasquez's fellow seniors Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne talk to him and calm him down.

All of it has combined to make Vasquez a dynamic player this season, one of the very best in the ACC.

The guy was always fun to watch. These past two games, he's been a joy.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 8:28 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

There are lots of things to admire about Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams.

 One is the obvious passion he brings to the job. The guy lives and breathes to coach hoops. Another is his unwavering devotion to his players -- he never, ever throws them under the bus after a bad game and goes after anyone in the media who does.

A third is the emphasis he places on teaching during games -- when the Terps do something wrong on the court and you see Williams yelling at the poor guys on the bench, he's actually explaining (not in a gentle way) what went wrong and how to avoid it.

But for all his strengths as a coach and all the things he's accomplished, you wonder why he so often seems so joyless doing his job.  Even after the Terps emotional 92-71 demolition of North Carolina Sunday at Comcast Center, Williams couldn't -- or wouldn't -- crack a smile.

From his demeanor after a win, you sense Williams is feeling a lot of things: relief, exhaustion, vindication, pride.

But hardly ever joy. Not on the sidelines, not in his post-game courtside interview with Terps broadcaster Johnny Holliday, not in his remarks to the media later.

It can be puzzling to witness. And a little sad, too. After all the years in coaching and all the wins and even a national championship, you'd think he'd loosen up a little -- especially after a great victory like the Terps enjoyed Sunday.

But he hasn't. And maybe he never will.

 Maybe that's just asking too much. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 1:31 PM in Terps, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

If you subscribe to the theory that as Greivis Vasquez goes, so go the Terps, your case was made for you in Maryland's ugly 62-53 loss to Clemson on Sunday.

The Terps' mercurial senior guard, who picked up two quick fouls, played as if he were in a fog one minute and too amped up the next, finishing with 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting.

His uninspired play seemed to set the tone for the rest of the Terps. No one seemed able to score in the first half. In fact, senior forward Landon Milbourne didn't score until midway through the second half after missing his first six shots.

Yes, the shooting was weak, 34.6 percent. But more than anything, it was the 26 turnovers that undid Maryland.

So much for the Terps cracking the Top 25 standings, which they probably would have done with a win.

As he usually does in these cases, Terps coach Gary Williams downplayed the significance of the loss, which dropped the Terps to 14-6 and 4-2 in the ACC. We're still focused, he said, we did some good things, there are plenty of ACC games left and blah, blah, blah.

But getting a big conference road win would have given the Terps a tremendous boost of confidence. That's how you measure toughness in the ACC.

Now they'll try again with a road game against Florida State on Thursday night. There's no time for the Terps to mope -- there never is in the ACC.

Vasquez and Milbourne know that better than anyone.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:39 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Here's why you want to pay particular attention to Maryland Terps basketball this season: the ACC is about as stable as Afghanistan is right now.

Look what happened last night. N.C. State upsets No. 7 Duke in Raleigh. Tracy Smith scores 23, Dennis Horner scores 20, red-clad fans mob the floor and practically carry coach Sidney Lowe off for a coronation.

It was a wonderful moment for college hoops as the Wolfpack climb to 13-6 (2-3 in the ACC) and the Blue Devils fall to 15-3 (3-2).

Down the road in Chapel Hill, more instability: Wake Forest beats North Carolina, 82-69. Sure, the defending national champion Tar Heels aren't what they used to be. This was their third loss in a row and their first three-game losing streak under Roy Williams. And Wake is pretty good, 13-4 (3-2).

But, still. Tar Heels fans aren't used to this. Carolina's record falls to 12-7 (1-3). Three losses in a row -- that's post-traumatic stress for Carolina fans.

Which brings us to the Terps, who play N.C. State on Saturday in a big game at the Comcast Center. If you can't get there, you might want to tune in.

It's January in the ACC, it's wide open, and crazy things are happening.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 9:20 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Greivis Vasquez: you love him or you hate him. You either admire his helter-skelter game and celebratory antics or you think he's a loose cannon on the court and a head-case who focuses too much on the crowd.

Me, I love watching the big Maryland senior guard play.

In the Terps methodical 77-68 win over Florida State in their ACC season opener Sunday, Vasquez was back to being his whirling-dervish self, scoring 22 points (17 in the second half) and setting the we-won't-back-down tone for his team.

Unfortunately, he also broke out one of the ugliest celebratory dances ever seen in the history of NCAA sports, a shoulder-rolling, hip-swaying shimmy move that should be banned from the Comcast Center and anywhere else decent, God-fearing citizens congregate to watch sports.

 Announcer Dan Bonner got one look at the shimmy and promptly wondered aloud if Vasquez would "hurt himself."

 I don't know about that. But it sure hurt me.

Loved the game, hated the dance. he ought to lose that one in a hurry.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 11:53 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Ugly, ugly, ugly game for Maryland's men's basketball team last night at the Comcast Center. (How many uglys was that? I think it sets a new personal record.)  William & Mary beat the Terps  decisively in an 83-77 win that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicated.

For the first time in recent memory, I was praying for the cable to go out.

This is what happens in today's college game when you can't make 3-pointers. Maryland was just 4-for-25 shooting threes and it killed them. So did the Tribe's offense, which has been likened to the patient, weave-and-backdoor-cuts Princeton offense of old. Except W&M has much better athletes than Pete Carril ever had at Princeton.

Sure, no question the Tribe is a legitimate mid-major power. The Colonial Athletic Conference team knocked off Richmond 78-71 in mid-November and followed that up with a 78-68 victory over Wake Forest -- at Wake -- nine days later.

But Maryland could get nothing going. The Terps defense was awful and the offense was totally out of sync -- with senior guard Greivis Vasquez still forcing things. And the Terps were out-hustled all over the court by the Tribe.

On the sidelines, Gary Williams looked like he was about to have an aneurysm at any moment. He had his usual just-out-of-the-sauna look for the post-game press conference, but appeared  more subdued and beaten-down than normal.

This team is going to test him. The Terps better find someone who can shoot threes or it'll be a long, long season.

And Gary's head might explode.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:29 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

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.

Continue reading "Vasquez finally plays like Vasquez" »

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:58 AM in Terps, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

In the late 1990s, when Ralph Friedgen was an assistant coach at Georgia Tech, he used to dream about one day becoming the head football coach at the University of Maryland for a number of reasons. The school, Friedgen's alma mater, was in his opinion, a sleeping giant. From what he'd been told, there were more University of Maryland graduates just in the Mid-Atlantic region than there were Georgia Tech graduates in the entire United States. It was a huge untapped fan base, he thought, and the potential for fund-raising was enormous.

All they needed was a little success to start believing in the football program. From 1985 to 2000, Maryland went to one bowl game, and posted only two winning seasons.

When he finally got the job, Friedgen gave that same fan base a small taste of success. He won 10 game in each of his first three seasons, and was named the Coach of the Year by four different organizations in 2001. I covered some of those early teams, and it's kind of humorous now to read some of my old clips, and see quotes from players boasting that they wanted the program to compete not just for ACC Championships but a National Championship.

But that success was harder to sustain than anyone thought it would be, and this year injuries, inexperience and poor execution led to a frustrating 2-10 record. It's the kind of season that often leads to a coach getting fired.

The past few days, athletic director Debbie Yow was reportedly evaluating the program, and possibly mulling whether or not to bring Friedgen back. Perhaps it's naive of me, but I never seriously believed for a second that Friedgen would be gone. Most people don't really think about the hard economic realities of college athletics at a public university, especially one with a fanbase that's always had sort of lukewarm feelings about its football program. They simply react with emotion.

Fire the coach! they squeal. He's a bum! We can do so much better.

The truth is, Maryland can't do any better. At least right now.

Continue reading "Keeping Friedgen was the right decision, and there are millions of reasons why" »

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 1:06 PM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Every Monday we share with you a photograph that catches our eye. We provide a couple of possible captions, and you can try your hand at one or two of your own. Check out previous editions of Caption This by clicking here. And for more fun with photos, check out the Sun's Caption Call blog.

-- The Baltimore Ravens' scouts winced when they viewed film of Cedric Peerman. Full of mercy, they selected him in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. As a signing bonus, Ozzie Newsome offered Peerman a dozen bags of ice.

-- Former Virginia tailback Cedric Peerman was originally projected as a first-round pick. But at the NFL Combine, team GMs and scouts began to question his toughness when they spoke to him and discovered he talks a lot like Michael Jackson.

-- "I don't know why anyone's looking at me funny. You hear about the Ravens' second-round pick? That dude is missing more organs than I am."

-- In accordance with the NFL's new rookie orientation plan, all incoming rookies are given a temporary vasectomy before their first professional game.

-- New Maryland slogan: Fear the Snapping Turtle!

-- Asked about making the leap to the NFL, Cedric Peerman told reporters he was fairly certain the tough AFC North wouldn't be near as painful as the frisky ACC.

Posted by Rick Maese at 2:00 PM in Caption This, Ravens, Terps | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

My gut says that you haven't seen the last of Greivis Vasquez in a Maryland uniform.

Maryland sent out a release today confirming what Vasquez told us all last month: He's going to test the NBA draft waters. He won't be getting an agent, though, so if he doesn't like what he hears -- rather, if NBA scouts don't like what they see -- Vasquez can return to the Terps for a senior year.

Just as it's wise for Vasquez to familiarize himself with the process and see where he stands, the educated guess is it'll be just as wise for Vasquez to return to the Terps.

As it stands right now, Vasquez looks like a second-round pick. Some mocks say he could be a late first-rounder, but everything I hear suggests that might be optimistic. For Vasquez to leave school -- for him to eventually sign with an agent -- he needs to hear better than "maybe a late first-rounder." In the NBA, first-rounders get a two-year guaranteed contract; second-rounders get nothing. Their rights are owned by a team, but that team doesn't have to sign the second-round pick or give him a thing, if they don't feel like it.

Vasquez is somewhat of a wild card. As teams check him out, they'll find that he has an OK outside shot but doesn't shoot for a great percentage. He can be exciting and can create plays, but his passing is suspect and his decision-making ability spotty. He can be a good ball-handler -- someone who can grow into a 1 or a 2 -- but he doesn't always take care of the ball and can be turnover prone. Plus, he allows his emotions get the better of him at key moments. In games, he's especially inconsistent. Vasquez is at his best when the offense revolves around him, and he's not good enough at this point to be that person at the next level. To be effective in 2009-10, he'd have prove that he can defend quicker and more athletic guards and limit his turnovers, neither of which he's shown in three years at Maryland.

His best bet is returning to school, gaining a bit of muscle and size and playing with a bit more discipline as a senior. While his versatility is generally good, he also has to make it clear to NBA teams how exactly he'd contribute.

Continue reading "Smart bet: Vasquez returns for senior year" »

Posted by Rick Maese at 11:16 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

I’m sitting at Gate A26 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, about to board a Southwest flight to Baltimore. I'm in the B group, which would normally bother me more than it does this morning.

It's early still, but I can’t seem to shake what I saw last night. There’s a reason March is such a special month on the sports calendar. I'm not sure I’ll ever get over the array of emotions that you see at an NCAA tournament game. And to be honest with you, I don’t really want to.

There were tears in both locker rooms last night, after No. 3 seed Louisville ended the season of the top-seeded Terps. For me, it’s what truly separates professional sports from college (aside from the money, of course).

At the pro level, even though bonuses, endorsement deals and millions of dollars might be on the line, you don’t see the same level of unabashed joy. Similarly, you don’t see near the same level of disappointment and sorrow either. On both ends, the emotional outburst is so raw, so true and sincere, that even as a spectator, it crawls under the skin. It finds its way into your bloodstream. One second you can taste the joy at midcourt, but then just seconds later feel your heart grow heavy in the losing locker room.

Continue reading "Tournament tears: Why March is so special" »

Posted by Rick Maese at 8:35 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Well, the word is out. If the other 15 teams still playing in this NCAA Tournament are sweet, you can bet the Maryland women's basketball team will be licking its chops. Around College Park, trash-talking is out; baby-eating is in.

I spotted at least a half-dozen signs in the crowd last night -- an easy Terps' win -- that innocently-noted, "Terps eat kids!" You'd think such heresy would've been uttered by Utah fans. But no, "Eat kids!" is a motto adopted by Maryland players. "Go team!" is sooo last year. D.C. Sports Bog was all over this yesterday.

The cheerleaders need to come up with whole new routines for this bunch:

Dahmer defense

Offense Hannibal

Let's go Terps!

We're all cannibals!

It got me thinking, if cannibalism is an acceptable rally cry, what other brutally honest yet obscenely graphic mottos and slogans should area teams use to inspire?

Ravens: Spit on homeless!

Redskins: Price-gouge fans!

Orioles: Park illegally in handicap spots!

Nationals: Blindfold Daniel Cabrera!

Wizards: Maim small forest animals!

Capitals: Burn American flags!

Maryland men's basketball: Unleash the pent-up fury and venom that is locked and hidden in Gary Williams' heart and laugh as the world scurries for safety apparently unaware that no matter where they hide Gary will find them! Oh yes, Gary will find them!

Maryland football: Date ugly girls!

Photos: AP; Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun

Posted by Rick Maese at 11:31 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The voice on the other end of the phone is passionate, and he’s becoming more passionate by the second. His words grow louder and they fly out faster.

“I grew up in the streets,” he says. “I’ve seen pimps in action. I look at the NCAA and I say, ’Wow, these guys would make excellent street pimps.' What they say -- and I mean this in all seriousness - is what a street pimp would say to an athlete.”

This isn’t some radio shock jock speaking. Dr. Boyce Watkins is an assistant professor of finance at Syracuse University. He’s in town tonight, delivering a lecture at Loyola College titled, “The Business of College Sports: Is the NCAA Playing Fairly?”

I ask him to explain tonight’s message a bit.

“The model under which the NCAA currently operates was designed without excessive commercialization in mind,” Watkins explains. “Since that time, you see where this amateur sports organization has become effectively a professional sports league that refuses to pay its employees.”

Ahhh, one of those you’re thinking. Kick sports off campus! Tear down the arenas! Set flames to the football field!

But Watkins insists he isn’t against college sports. In fact, he loves them. So I feel a bit better. See, March always brings about conflicted emotions. I love filling out the brackets and love following the tournaments -- even though there’s an undercurrent of hypocrisy, unfairness and disparity that fuels the whole show.

I admit: For me, there’s a sense of guilt.

Continue reading "NCAA's farce of a workforce" »

Posted by Rick Maese at 2:30 PM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Continue reading "Q&A with Maryland basketball beat writer Jeff Barker" »

Posted by Rick Maese at 11:30 AM in Terps, Today's Special | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I was sitting courtside at the Comcast Center Monday, watching the Maryland women practice (the top-seeded Terps play No. 9 Utah tonight in College Park). As they began, I was one of only a couple of reporters watching – a stark contrast from what I’d seen in Kansas City, Mo., last week covering the men’s team.

I’ll answer the headline’s question in a bit, but first let me note that women's practices are great for eavesdropping. Here’s a sampling of what I heard:

-- “It’s like Bob Knight said, ‘Bury me upside down so my critics can kiss my ass.’ "

-- “I just shaved my armpits… plus I used cocoa butter so it’s real smooth.”

-- “Yo, D, I’m gonna get you some Depends, those old people diapers.”

-- Maryland player 1: “Look how congested it is.”

   Maryland player 2: “That’s a good word. That’s an SAT word.”

   Maryland coach: “Do you know how to spell it?”

   Maryland player 2: “Oh, Coach B trying to get you!”

   Maryland player 1: “This is practice time. We’re away from academics right now.”

Every March what separates the men's and women's tournaments is unmistakable. It's the parity. Or at least it was.

Continue reading "Why isn't the women's tourney as exciting as men's?" »

Posted by Rick Maese at 9:42 AM in Terps | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Special to The Baltimore Sun: Contact Ricig at michaelricigliano@gmail.com

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 10:00 AM in Mike Ricigliano's View, Ravens, Terps | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Each week here at the Toy Department, two Baltimore Sun staffers will engage in a segment we like to call The Conversation, where they'll swap emails with one another and debate something that is in the news. This week, Childs Walker and Kevin Van Valkenburg debate the state of Maryland basketball, and what the Terps will do going forward.

Hey Kevin:

As I watched Memphis take Maryland to the woodshed this afternoon, I couldn't help but think the beatdown was a perfect representation of where the Terps stand.

They turned into a fun team this year, they really did. They played hard. They rallied around Gary Williams when his critics took out the long knives. Greivis Vasquez produced memorable performances and even more memorable quotes. Dave Neal found a way to keep scoring with his self-described YMCA game.

But when they ran into an elite team playing at the top of its game, they not only lost; they couldn't compete.

The game was Maryland's worst nightmare really. We knew the Terps were overmatched body for body, but we couldn't have expected Memphis to shoot 70 percent and make 8 of 11 threes in the first half. The Tigers were so efficient that they didn't even need to pound the offensive glass to outclass Maryland. The Terps, meanwhile, struggled to score for long stretches ... just as they have all season.

It's hard to see any of this changing until Williams stocks his team with a few blue-chip recruits. Given the same set of players, he might well be a better coach than Memphis' John Calipari. But when was the last time Williams had a group as talented as this Memphis team? Probably 2002.

The short-term prognosis for Maryland is fine. Gary will be back as will most of this year's team. Maryland will add two desperately needed inside players in Jordan Williams and James Padgett. If one of them (probably Williams) helps immediately, if Sean Mosley matures, if Landon Milbourne improves a bit more, if Eric Hayes shoots with a little more confidence, if Vasquez eschews the NBA, they could finish in the top half of the ACC next year.

We know Gary will maximize what he has and whip his crew to a few upsets. But it's equally obvious that without a better grade of talent, Maryland won't make deep runs into the NCAA tournament. They'll run into teams like Memphis in the second or third round and they'll be hopelessly outclassed.

So my questions to you are: Do you see any of this changing? Do you think there's anything philosophically wrong with the state of Maryland's program (or is Gary really kind of a noble figure)? Should Greivis come back?

Fear the Turtle, I suppose.

Childs

Continue reading "The Conversation: The state of Maryland basketball" »

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 9:00 AM in Terps, The Conversation | Permalink | Comments (22)