Terps Laying Solid Foundation for Future

Let's be honest with ourselves for a second. As much as I've tried to stay optimistic on the matter, Maryland is not going to land Lance Stephenson. If Stephenson wanted to come to Maryland, he would be here already. So, it's time to chalk that one up to a good attempt and move on. 

Move on Maryland certainly has, as they have already landed a recruit for 2010 who is already much more highly rated than either of the members of their 2009 class. His name is Terrence Ross (pictured, left), and, according to ESPN, he's the number 41 player in the class of '10. At 6'6 and 180 pounds, he's ideally a shooting guard, but could certainly play small forward, especially in Gary's lineup. Most importantly, he's a pure shooter, one of the best in the nation as a high schooler. Originally from Oregon, he transferred to nearby Montrose Christian for academics. Dubbed as the best 2-guard prospect in the west before he came east, Ross was also actively pursued by Washington, Arizona State, Cal and Oregon State.

Maryland has also received a commitment from the number 30 point guard in the country for 2010 in Terrell Stoglin. Stoglin is still in "project" status, and will have to work on his jump shot, because at 6'0, he's not going to find it easy to get to the rim in the ACC. Still, though, he averaged 27.0 ppg and 7.5 apg as a junior this season and was recruited by PAC 10 powerhouses USC and UCLA.

The only questions that remain for the upcoming season lay with Greivis Vasquez, who still doesn't know whether he's coming back to school for his senior season, and 6'9 power forward DeShawn Painter, who was granted a release from his letter of intent to Florida last week, and has scheduled a visit to Maryland. Any update on either of those will instantly be put here. 

(Photo Credit: montrosebasketball.com)

Xavier Henry is Attending Kansas

In the completely expected news department, top recruit Xavier Henry held a press conference today announcing his decision to attend the University of Kansas in the fall. Kansas was already supposed to be the best team in the nation, and adding Henry will only make them better. How this pertains to Maryland is through Lance Stephenson, who is expected to completely remove Kansas from his recruiting radar. 

Although Kentucky still has a puncher's chance, it's safe to say that Stephenson's decision has come down to either St. John's or Maryland, and it could very well be a 50-50 chance for both schools. It is unknown how much emphasis Stephenson is giving to Greivis Vasquez and his ongoing draft saga. It could go either way there: perhaps Stephenson wants Vasquez to go pro so he could be the lone star at Maryland next season, or perhaps Stephenson wants an elite point guard to get the ball to him. Either way, time is running out for Vasquez and Stephenson to make their final decisions, and I will be the first to let you know when it happens. 

Lance Stephenson to Delay Announcement

Tonight is the McDonald's All-American game, which shows off the best high school talent in the country. One player that will be participating is 6'5 shooting guard Lance Stephenson (read about him here) of Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, NY. Tonight is also the night when Stephenson was supposed to announce which college he will attend next year. He has decided to postpone that, however. Although neither Memphis nor Kentucky seemed to be a likely suitor, ESPN reports that Calipari's uncertain future with the Tigers could play a role. 

Right now, Stephenson has made it known that there are still three schools in the running - national powerhouse Kansas, local St. John's out of the Big East, and the somewhere in between University of Maryland. 

In early February, especially after his visit to campus to watch the Terps take down the Miami Hurricanes at home, Maryland was considered by many to be the favorite to land Stephenson. He was supposed to be the recruit that would "save Gary Williams' job," back when it seemed that Gary Williams' job needed saving. Players have openly talked about him; Greivis Vasquez got press (surprise) when he announced that if Stephenson came to Maryland, then Vasquez would be back for his senior season.

Since then, though, it appears that Kansas has overtaken Maryland as Stephenson's college of choice. As warm of a reception as Stephenson got at Maryland, he got a better one at Kansas. Stephenson has also said that the primary factor in his choice of school was his desire to win a national championship. Undoubtedly, Kansas is closer to that goal then Maryland at this point. St. John's is basically out of the running.

Right now, between message boards all over and small hints from Stephenson himself, I would put the percentages at: Kansas, 75%; Maryland, 20%; St. Johns, 5%. So no, I don't think that when Stephenson announces his choice, Maryland fans will be celebrating. I do stil think there's a shot, though. His mother has gone public and said that her choice for her son was Maryland. He fits into Gary Williams' style of play perfectly. He would be "that guy" at Maryland, whereas he would be just another great player at Kansas. He would be closer to home at Maryland. His high school teammate, James Padgett, has already committed to Maryland and wants Stephenson to join him. 

If Stephenson does become a Terp for next season, it will immediately make Maryland a top 25 team. A potential starting lineup of Greivis Vasquez, Lance Stephenson, Sean Mosley, Landon Milbourne, and Jordan Williams would be fast, strong, and very solid defensively. Stephenson and Vasquez could both average around 20 ppg for the season. It would be Maryland's highest rated recruit of the past ten years, with the possible exception of bust Mike Jones.

That being said, if Kansas is the choice, Maryland fans should not despair. It was a good sign that Maryland even got this far in the recruiting process, and shows that Gary still has pull when he really feels like it. This is not to mention Stephenson's alleged attitude problems, and the fact he is certainly a "one and done" player, and Williams likes recruiting four year players. This would also open up the team to recruit Baltimore product Terrell Vinson, a 6'7 foward who is a St. Frances product, the same high school Sean Mosley attended. Vinson still apparently has around 10 suitors, and Maryland is one of them. Without Stephenson, they will have the roster spot. 

I'll be following it, and you guys will know first thing where Stephenson ends up. If it happens, it will be great for the school. Don't get your hopes up too high, though. 

(Photo Credit: lance-stephenson.com ... yes, he has his own website)

All Signs Point to the Terps Dancing

After tonight's 75-64 win for the Maryland Terrapins over #9 Wake Forest, it looks like under-sized, under-talented, under-recruited, under-coached, under-performing Maryland Terrapins will be headed to the big dance.

The wins puts Maryland at 20-12 overall as the team finally reaches that elusive twentieth win - a mark that I feel the selection committee cannot ignore. 20 wins overall, three of which came against top ten teams? Sounds like an at-large to me.

In Maryland does indeed make it, Gary Williams will have proved to both Maryland fans and the nation that he does NOT need top talent to succeed. He does NOT need to use third-party recruiters and utilize some shady recruiting methods many teams use. He simply needs players who work for him. Tonight, that was especially on display as Sean Mosley not only made a layup for the first time in weeks, but hit crucial shots down the stretch, and Dino Gregory came up with some huge rebounds and buckets early on in the game.

Tony and I figured this team was done after their lost to UVA. "How would they get up for NC State after not showing up against the Cavs?" We said. "Even if they beat the Wolfpack, how can they beat a good Wake Forest team?"

Well, Gary, Greivis, Sean, Eric, everyone just proved us wrong. And I'm loving every second of it.

(Photo credit: ESPN)

Vasquez Lashes Out at Student Section

The Terps - despite their complete inability to knock down a jump shot for the majority of the game - played good enough defense and hit some clutch free throws to start the ACC season off on the right foot, beating Georgia Tech 68-61 at the Comcast Center. At the game, it was very evident that guard Greivis Vasquez, who struggled for much of the game, was visibly upset with a part of the student section. He came on in the last 10 minutes of the game, and every time he made an assist or knocked down a shot, he would look toward one section of the crowd, and the big screen at the arena caught a visible "shut the f--- up" come from his mouth. Courtesy of the Baltimore Sun, here's what Vasquez (pictured, right) had to say after the game. 

"I don't know if they were booing me or booing the other team. It doesn't bother me. My mind is strong. We're 12 and 3. We were 9 and 5 last year about this time. What the hell are they thinking? If they don't want to believe in us, get the hell out. We don't need them here. We need the people who are going to support us and be with us. I want to say thank you to the people who were supporting us and believing in us. If you don't want to support us, get out."

Strong words, particularly to your own student section. You know what, though? Vasquez is absolutely right, and here's why. 

I am by no means saying that, as a fan, you shouldn't be allowed to criticize your team. I did it just the other day, writing that post about Gary Williams. When I'm at a game, though, do I boo Gary Williams as he does his traditional locker room-to-court march? No, because I'm not moronic. There's a thing in sports that is a proven factor, and it's called home field advantage. By booing your own team, you take away all home field advantage, and even reverse it so that the other team has the edge psychologically. What makes you think that by booing Greivis, he is going to play better?

One more thing about Vasquez. He is easily one of the most frustrating people to root for in sport history. He is cocky, he throws up bad shots, he plays out of control, and he plays without thinking a lot of the time. Here's another thing about Vasquez. He is by far Maryland's best player, and without him they probably would not score 60 points a game. He is the only player on offense that defenses need to account for. It was good to see Hayes step up against GT, but really, just guard him on the three point line. It was apparent in the first half what happens when he drives. Put a quick guy on Bowie, eliminate his drives, and you're golden. Milbourne can't score in the post as a power forward, and the Dave Neal dream was shot down rather easily once we got into conference play. Vasquez, though, will post up smaller players, drive by larger players, and can kick the ball out for an open three better than any Terp I've seen since Steve Blake. 

So, say what you want about Vasquez on your own time (even though I feel like if you think the team doesn't need him, you have problems), and I'll say my things about Gary on my own time. If you're at the game, though, use common sense. Root for your team. 

Props Go To ...

I realize I haven't updated this since Monday, which is inexcusably large amount of time. I had a really busy week. So, to summarize what I haven't talked about all week, instead of giving news, I'm giving props.

Props go to the Maryland women's field hockey team, who got to the NCAA Final Four on Friday. Sophomore Katie O'Donnell put in the game-winning goal in the second overtime period. Maryland will play on Sunday against Wake Forest, who beat Syracuse in OT to get to the finals themselves.

Props go to Obi Egekeze. He missed his first five field goals of the season and everyone was calling for his head. Since then, he has made 12 of 14, including two game-winners. 

Props go to the entire Maryland guy's soccer team, who won the ACC championship. The NCAA tournament will start next week, and the Terps will be one of the favorites to win.

Props go to Dave Neal. Yea, Dave Neal. Without Dave Neal, Maryland doesn't win the game against a feisty Vermont team. Neal hit two huge 3-pointers in the last couple minutes of regulation. He also played the entire overtime as Maryland's center and did a nice job on the boards.

Props to go Greivis Vasquez. As a friend of mine pointed out, the coaching staff must absolutely hate this guy. He does a number of astonishingly bone-headed and arrogant plays. He takes shots he shouldn't. However, if you don't know that Vasquez is twice as good as anyone else Maryland puts on the floor, you don't know basketball. He's not the best three point shooter on the team, but I guarantee you he is the only one who wanted to shoot that final shot. He is the leader of their team, and he already saved their season. 

Props go to Vermont. They're not a big-time program, but Vermont played incredible against Maryland. This is their second overtime loss; they're two plays from being 3-0 with quality wins against George Mason and Maryland, along with a 30-point defeat of Yale. They have some really quality players, including Marqus Blakely and Mike Tromboli, who had 23 and 17 points, respectively. Blakely blew by Landon Milbourne the entire game, and Tromboli was throwing in threes from all over the court. 

Props go to UMD fans. I've been disappointed all year by the fact there have been student section tickets remaining on game day for the home football games. No more. I wanted to get a guest ticket yesterday, and they were sold out. I'm disappointed it's only happened the one time this year, but Byrd should be rocking tonight. 

Ok, time to watch the Wake-BC game and then you-know-what tonight ... GO TERPS

(Photo Credits: AP)

Good Start to the Weekend

Maryland kicked off the weekend with a 1-0 men's soccer victory against Boston College in the ACC tournament. The Terps dominated the entire game, but the only goal scored was an own goal from the BC defense after a Chris Brown save. 

The basketball team followed up by cruising easily past an overmatched Bucknell. Maryland's stellar guard play forced the Bison into 20 turnovers, many of them occurring as Bucknell treid to get past Maryland's press. Greivis Vasquez (13 pts, 6 rebs, 6 assists with only 1 turnover), Landon Milbourne (a team-high 16 pts) and Cliff Tucker (14 pts and 5 rebs in only 19 mins) all led the way for the Terps. 

Will the football team complete the weekend, winning against No. 17 UNC? We'll find out in a few hours. UNC is better than them, but Maryland is 5-0 at home this season, and 5-0 against ranked teams in their past five games. I like our chances. 

(Photo Credit: AP)

Exhibition Win for Terps

It may have only been an exhibition game, but the Maryland Terrapins looked pretty good on Saturday, beating the Northwood Seahawks 104-60.

The team was missing star guard Greivis Vasquez due to suspension (I'm told it was due to an off-the-court violation, i.e. he skipped a class or similar), but didn't miss a beat on offense. Junior Landon Milbourne and sophomores Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker picked up the slack.

Those three players contributing comes as no surprise. If the Terps want to compete with some of the best teams in the ACC, Milbourne will have to be the leader he says he's becoming and Bowie and Tucker have to score points on a regular basis.

What was surprising was freshman Jin Soo Kim. Kim, who was ruled eligible by NCAA Clearinghouse just last Monday, struggled in the first half, going 0-5 and 0-3 from three-point range. But in the 2nd half, Kim was lights-out, going 6-9 with 18 points (he finished with 20 total). He made several drives to the basket and was playing with confidence. He even used a nice head-fake to drive the lane, score, and get fouled for an extra shot. Comcast Center was as loud as it could possibly be for an exhibition game when Kim scored the shot I just mentioned.

Kim may very well be the x-factor for the Terps this season. If he can come off the bench and score 8-12 points a game, then they should be able to run with a lot of teams in the ACC. And for his height (6'8") and weight (a skinny 195), he plays pretty physical. He isn't afraid to get his nose dirty around the basket. With a small front court (the Terps' starting center, Braxton Dupree, is 6'8"), Kim could be a key player down the road.

But enough about the Korean sensation. It's just one exhibition game and no one has seen him play in a game that counts against a good team. He's still raw and unproven. But, Terps fans should be excited about his potential. It showed on Saturday.

My other thoughts about Saturday's exhibition win:

• Eric Hayes looks much more comfortable as the starting point guard. He ran the offense extremely well and made good passes. He even drained a couple of threes and was confident in himself. After the game, he said the win was important for not only the team, but the fans. Good to see him acknowledge the fans and his desire to make them happy, considering how much scrutiny he faces.
• Landon Milbourne is going to be one of the best Terps this season. On Saturday he was all over the court and made plays on both the offensive and defensive ends. He told me after the game that he's been working on being a leader and that he made some speeches before the game. Milbourne is one of the team's tri-captains (along with Dave Neal and Greivis Vasquez) and it definitely showed Saturday. He set the tone early on and the team never let up, even when he was on the bench.
• Braxton Dupree needs to make his presence felt. He was generally invisible on Saturday and didn't get involved with the offense until late in the game. We'll see if that was result of Northwood's height (3 players 7 feet tall or above - one was 7'5") or Dupree not being aggressive. On the defensive end, he held his own, which might be all they need from him.

Maryland Basketball: Better Than You Think

A week from now is the commencement of the Maryland basketball season as they host Northwood on the afternoon of Nov. 8. The Terps are coming off a disappointing season - again - as they were again chosen to play in the NIT instead of the NCAA tournament. Early season losses to Ohio and American (they play American again, by the way) really hurt the Terps at the end of the year, as did losing both games to fellow bubble team VT. Perhaps most important of all was the collapse at home to Clemson - blowing a 20+ point lead with less than 10 minutes left in the game.

It wasn't all bad, though, and that should be duly noted. The Terps beat UNC at UNC. Despite all of the above, the Terps were perhaps a win away from the NCAA tournament. Positive notes from last year include the elevation of play from Greivis Vasquez, who, as a sophomore, was Second Team All-ACC and had numbers to be on the first team. Landon Milbourne took a big step forward last year, too. As a freshman, he only averaged 1.0 ppg and 0.8 rpg, but last year upped his totals to 8.2 ppg and 3.5 rpg. Of course, when you think of Landon Milboune, you tend to think of this. 

However, because of last year's finish, coupled with the loss of starting power forward James Gist and center Bambale Osby, the Terps are officially projected to be 7th in the ACC (see where all the conference teams stack up here), and lower in other publications. In ESPN's Dick Vitale's preseason top 40, the Terps do not make an appearance. 

Questions abound about the program. Sportline.com's college basketball writer Gary Parrish has Gary Williams on his list of top 10 coaches to be fired. Many people are beginning to grow tired of upper-echelon recruits from Maryland leaving to go to other schools (Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, and Ty Lawson are only a few examples). Many people are beginning to grow tired of the NIT appearances (3 of the past 4 years) after the team's 2002 national championship. Many people are beginning to grow tired of the top recruits that Maryland gets (Mike Jones, for example) not panning out. Many are considering this to be a make or break year for the longtime coach.  

However, after extensive thought and watching the team's intrasquad scrimmage, I've decided that Maryland turns it around this year. Here's why. 

Backcourt: One of the best in the ACC

- Eric Hayes has played the best out of every member of the team this offseason. He could always shoot, but some questioned his ability to get open and his ball control, especially during big games. The big games part we won't know about until it happens, but I can tell you that this will be a Eric Hayes we haven't seen before. He has perfected the one-hand floater and can still bomb from deep. In addition, he can take defender off the dribble, something he hasn't been able to do before. I saw him do it multiple times against Adrian Bowie, one of the Terps' fastest players and bester defenders. 

- If Hayes can successfully run the point like he has done during practice, Greivis Vasquez will be allowed to play his more natural position: shooting guard. This will take the ball out of his hands less, meaning less turnovers. However, this will also mean that his assists (he was tops in the ACC last year) might also decrease. Nonetheless, this is the better position for Vasquez because of how well he slashes to the basket. He is not a terrific shooter, but when he gets hot, he can knock 'em down. 

- The bench is what makes this backcourt so great, though. Besides Hayes, the best player in the scrimmages has been Cliff Tucker. He has not been solid defensively, which irks - to say the least - Gary Williams. He has shown quickness and athleticism I didn't know he had, though, and has been knocking down his jumpers from everywhere.

- Adrian Bowie is still afraid to shoot the ball, and doesn't run the offense that well. However, his quickness allows him to be lethal in transition, and one of the Terps' better defenders.

- Sean Mosley is the real question mark. He hasn't done too much in the scrimmages, but will certainly get better throughout the season. Right now, he is one thing that the Terps really lack: a solid, reliable player. He won't have many turnovers, he'll stick to his guy defensively, and he'll knock down a jumper. He needs to get more involved in the offense.

Frontcourt: They won't score, but you may have a tough time scoring against them.

- Of course, this group took a huge hit with the losses of Osby, Gist, and top recruit/transfer Gus Gilchrist. Those losses hurt less than you think, though, when you look closely at the numbers. 

- Jerome Burney this year will play the role of Bambale Osby. Osby had 11.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg, as well as 69 blocks. Jerome Burney will match those numbers. He has looked like a monster on the defensive end, blocking 6 shots in the latest scrimmage. His height (6'9) and athleticism will allow him to be near double digit rebounds every game. 

- Landon Milbourne and Braxton Dupree will play the role of James Gist. Gist put up big stats last year: 16 ppg, 8 rpg, 77 blocks. Gist, and this went largely unnoticed, largely disappeared when it mattered, though. Consider his 8 points against Ohio. Consider his 3 points and 4 rebounds against American. I will give him credit for his strong performances against UNC and the first time against Duke, but where was he at the end of the year? 7 points vs. VT, 10 points at Miami, a 31 point explosion against Wake, and then shooting less than 50% for 15 against Clemson. 

Meanwhile, Milbourne has impressed me. He's 6'7, but plays taller because of how tall he can jump. He can also knock down the outside jumper much better than Gist. If they put Milbourne as a power forward, he will also be much quicker than those he's matched up against and should be able to drive past them from the perimeter. 

He'll hold his own defensively, but that is where Braxton Dupree steps in. Nobody will make bigger strides this season than Braxton. He was making progress towards the end of the first semester last year, but then dropped off after showing up well overweight after Christmas. He's in shape, now, however, and Gary Williams has made sure of it. In the previous scrimmage, the team played four 10-minute segments of the black team having 7 players and the red team having 5. Gary kept switching the teams so some players could get rest. The only player who he kept on the red team all four times? Braxton Dupree. He'll be a force defensively, and if he develops some moves offensively, it will just be a bonus.

- Newcomer Steve Goins has size, but is unpolished and probably won't get much playing time.

- Dave Neal will be Dave Neal. Don't make fun; he will play a key role on this team. 

Intangibles: All of them

- Gary Williams is feeling the heat.

- This isn't the first, and won't be the last, time that Gary will overachieve with his talent.

- This is an embarrassed team. They came to play for Maryland, not Florida State. They know they need to be better. 

- Comcast Center will rock it this year. Everyone knows how important of a season this is. 

Bottom Line: You heard it here first, the Terps get back in the dance. 

- There is little lost from last year's team that won't be adequately replaced this year.

- A very young team last year is a whole year more experienced.

- Vasquez won't have to play point, and will be the leader that Gist should have been. 

- Projected starting lineup: 

PG: Hayes, backed up by Bowie

SG: Vasquez: backed up by Mosley

SF: Milbourne, backed up by Cliff Tucker

PF: Dupree, backed up Neal

C: Burney, backed up by a rotation

- Other lineups I see involve three guards with Vasquez at the 3; a three guard lineup with Milbourne at the 4 and Dupree at the 5; 4 guard lineup with Burney at center. Not lying. 

- The keys will be if Hayes can play a solid point guard for the entire year, and whether Milbourne can defend against power forwards in the ACC. I think they will.

Prediction: 21-9 (9-7)

(Photo Credits: AP and The Washington Post)