Chris Hine covers the Illinois Fighting Illini for the Chicago Tribune. You can find his work at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/
Hine can also be found on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/ChristopherHine
Baltimore Sports and Life thanks Mr. Hine for answering a few questions about the Fighting Illini. Depending on the results of Maryland's game vs. Pittsburgh, and the Illinois vs. Texas match-up, the Terps could face Bruce Weber'steam Friday.
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Last year Illinois ended their season in the National Invitation Tournament after finishing21-15 overall, and 10-8 in the Big 10. Expectations for this year are obviously on the rise, as the team is currentlyranked 13th Nationally. What have you liked so far in Illinois' 3-0 start? (Blowouts over UC-Irvine, Toledo, and SouthernIllinois)."
Chris Hine: "They've had a strong commitment to defense, something which was sorely lacking last year.Bruce Weber made his preseason practices all about defense, so much so that he ran very little offense. And it'sshowed in their three early wins, they're a much-improved defensive team. Offensively, they still need to cometogether, but the defense is better."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "If Maryland winds-up facing Illinois, I will look forward to seeing Terps Center Jordan Williams go against Illinois' 7'1 Senior Center Mike Tisdale. I know Tisdale is known as a good shooting Center,but people have previously questioned his aggressiveness inside. Is that improved?"
Chris Hine: "Tisdale added a lot of muscle in the offseason. He still isn't the most aggressive player on the court, buthe's not as easy to push around this year. The coaches would still like him to rebound a little more to take pressureoff Mike Davis, but the offseason commitment he made to adding muscle shows. And like you said, he's a greatshooter for someone who's 7-1. Don't be surprised to see him pull the trigger on a couple threes -- and hit them."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "If the Terps have to face Illinois, they will be facing the Senior Demetri McCamey whoflirted with the NBA last-Spring, and was 1st-Team All Big-10. McCamey is currently leading Illinois in scoring, and isaveraging 8 assists to 2 turnovers. He is shooting 42% from 3 (compared to 34.1% last-year). What is the strength of McCamey's game?"
Chris Hine: "His court vision and his passing. All you have to do is watch the tape of the Southern Illinois games.He found guys I didn't think were open and threaded the needle with no-look passes. He ran their fast break withoutmaking any mistakes. That's his meal ticket to the NBA after this season. If he plays well, Illinois is a tough team tobeat."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Freshman Forward Jereme Richmond was a McDonald's All-American, and isaveraging over 20 minutes of playing-time so far. Tell us about what you have seen in Richmond, andthe rest of the Freshman class." (Illinois' recruiting class was ranked 7th Nationally)
Chris Hine: "Richmond is so versatile. He'll take you off the dribble, he'll post you up and fade away, and he'llprobably trash talk you while he's doing it too. He'll play a few different positions. He could play point, on a wing, oreven the 4. He also is a great student of the game. Understands its nuances well and talks intelligently about it offthe court. As for Meyers Leonard, he can run, he's got a developing post game and could be a really great playerwhen he develops.Right now, he's a little raw and loves setting illegal screens and committing offensive fouls, but a lotof recruiting analysts were high on Leonard and it's easy to see why. He can also shoot a little bit. Crandall Head isalso a work in progress. Needs to develop his shot a little bit and is coming off an ACL tear from last year which kepthim off the court all season. But he can take it to the hoop and can show off some freakish athleticism at times.Give him sometime to develop too."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "All 5 Fighting Illini starters are back from last-year, and beyond Tisdale, and McCamey that also includes Senior PF Mike Davis who lead the Big 10 in rebounding last-year. 6'9, 220 pounds, is he thebest Illinois post-defender? Offensively does he play with his back to the basket?"
Chris Hine: "He gets most of his points from offensive putbacks or jumpers. He is a good shooter. One of the areashe's had to work on his this offseason is his ability to take guys off the dribble.He tried it the other night and I believegot fouled. That's something you wouldn't have seen him done last year. He doesn't play with his back to thebasket as much as Tisdale does. You can hear Weber often yell "Get it to Tisdale" when he's inside the post.Rarely is it "Get it to Davis."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Maryland has two Freshman guards who figure to receive a lot of playing-time. Illinoiswent through that last-year with the Guards DJ Richardson, and Brandon Paul. Where has their games matured asSophomores?"
Chris Hine: "Brandon Paul seems to have taken a step in his sophomore year. I say that with a bit of hesitancy rightnow because he started hot last year and fell off as the season wore on. But he's more consistent, is better when hetakes the ball to the basket, which was a real problem last year, and he thinks twice before firing up 3-pointers whenthe better option would be to work for another shot. He's also improved as a ball-handler to the point where he's thebackup to McCamey, which was a question mark before the season. But he's a natural wing and a length, athleticone at that. As for Richardson, last year he was Illinois' go-to defender. He was constantly put on the other team'sbest player. He wouldn't shut them down, but he's only going to get better in the area. Offensively he hasn't had as good a start as Weber wanted, but he's still a decent shooter and a threat to knock down the 3."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Do you expect Coach Weber's team to compete with Michigan State for theBig 10 Title?"
Chris Hine: "I do. The Big Ten is going to be competitive. And MSU is going to be right there at the top,so is Ohio State, but if Illinois can keep playing good defense, they'll be right there."
Showing posts with label Terps Basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Terps Basketball. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Texas Longhorns Q&A w/ Mark Rosner
Mark Rosner covers the Texas Longhorns for the Austin American-Statesman.
You can find his work at:
http://www.statesman.com/sports/longhorns/
Rosner can also be found on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/#!/Roshoops
Baltimore Sports and Life thanks Mr. Rosner for answering a few questions about the Longhorns.Depending on the results of Maryland's game vs.Pittsburgh, and the Illinois vs. Texas match-up, the Terps could face Texas Friday.
Baltimore Sports and Life: "In January last-season the Longhorns were ranked #1 Nationally. When the seasonended, Texas had lost 10 of their last 17 games including the first-round of the NCAA Tournament. If that Texas teamwas overrated, do you think this current version has been underrated in the Big 12 and Nationally?"
Mark Rosner: "The Big 12 coaches picked Texas third, ahead of Baylor and Missouri, so they definitely did notunder rate them. Both those teams are ahead of Texas in the polls. I heard Texas played very well against Gonzaga in one of those closed scrimmages they are not supposed to talk about (NCAA rule). That led me to believe that maybe Texas is a little under rated with its No. 27 spot in the AP preseason poll. Texas has three potentialfirst rounders -- Thompson, Hamilton and Joseph -- if you read the draft sites. But there is not a lot of size or depth."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Texas lost 3 players to NBA Draft, but as you alluded there is plenty of talent still onthe roster. Sophomore SF Jordan Hamilton was a Top 10 National recruit, and is the leading returning scorer. In thefirst two games this year against Navy and Louisiana Tech he has averaged 22.5 points, and 7 boards a game.Tell us about Hamilton's game."
Mark Rosner: "Last season he shot without conscience and didn't play enough defense. This season he appears tobe trying harder on defense, and while he still takes a lot of shots, Hamilton is more judicious in his selection."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Jai Lucas is the son of John Lucas, one of the all-time greats at Maryland. Jai was heavily recruited by Maryland before signing with the University of Florida. During Lucas' Freshman seasonat Florida, he was named to the All-SEC Freshman team as he averaged 8.5 ppg, 43.5% from 3, and played30 minutes a game. He transferred to Texas which made him ineligible for 2008-09 season. Last year Lucas did not play his first-game with the Longhorns until mid-December, and averaged only 10 minutes per game for the year.What was he not doing last-year to earn more playing-time, and what is expected him of this now?"
Mark Rosner: "Jai is very smart, but he is about 5-9 and not exceptionally quick or strong. He can, and has, hit anopen shot. Texas has only four guards this season, and Jai has to contribute. So far he is averaging 19 minutes and7 points in two games. This week will be a test against bigger, more talented, more physical teams."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Coach Rick Barnes grabbed two heralded Canadian youths in PG Cory Joseph, andPF/C Tristan Thompson. Both players spent time Nevada's Findlay Prep, and were consensus Top 10 National recruits. Joseph won the 3 point contest at the McDonald's All-American Game, and has started both of the first twogames averaging 31 minutes per. Thompson came off the bench both games, but is averaging 14.5 points,7 boards,2 steals, and 1.5 blocks. What have you seen so far out of them?"
Mark Rosner: "Thompson has shown the ability to defend, rebound, score inside and hit a jump shot from maybe12 feet. Joseph has been playing a lot on the wing, and he has not heated up yet from the perimeter. He hit 47 percent of his threes last season. He does have 7 assists and 11 rebounds. He plays hard on defense, but we have not seen him that much as a playmaker yet."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Senior Forward Gary Johnson came into this season having played in 88 career games (17 starts) and has twice been named as an All Big-12 Conference reserve. So far this year the 6'6 235pound Johnson is averaging 16 ppg, and 8 boards. Is he essentially a SF being asked to play-up at the 4?"
Mark Rosner: "Gary is an undersized power forward, at least in terms of height. You can't just dump the ball intohim and expect him to score. He has improved his mid-range shot over time, and with Texas using more screens and movement this season, he should have opportunities for those shots."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Sophomore Guard J'Covan Brown averaged 9.6 ppg as a Freshman, including scoring efforts of 20 against Wake Forest, 21 against North Carolina, and 28 against Kansas. Is Brown ready to emerge asa consistent scorer?"
Mark Rosner: "I don't know if he is accurate enough from outside, or athletic enough around the basket, to attain real consistency. But he can be streaky-good. Texas does not have much depth this season, so he should have theopportunity to heat up in games."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "If you were Coaching against Rick Barnes and this Texas team, how would you attack them. What would you be attempting to guard against?"
Mark Rosner: "I almost never coach, although Barnes might sometimes disagree."
You can find his work at:
http://www.statesman.com/sports/longhorns/
Rosner can also be found on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/#!/Roshoops
Baltimore Sports and Life thanks Mr. Rosner for answering a few questions about the Longhorns.Depending on the results of Maryland's game vs.Pittsburgh, and the Illinois vs. Texas match-up, the Terps could face Texas Friday.
Baltimore Sports and Life: "In January last-season the Longhorns were ranked #1 Nationally. When the seasonended, Texas had lost 10 of their last 17 games including the first-round of the NCAA Tournament. If that Texas teamwas overrated, do you think this current version has been underrated in the Big 12 and Nationally?"
Mark Rosner: "The Big 12 coaches picked Texas third, ahead of Baylor and Missouri, so they definitely did notunder rate them. Both those teams are ahead of Texas in the polls. I heard Texas played very well against Gonzaga in one of those closed scrimmages they are not supposed to talk about (NCAA rule). That led me to believe that maybe Texas is a little under rated with its No. 27 spot in the AP preseason poll. Texas has three potentialfirst rounders -- Thompson, Hamilton and Joseph -- if you read the draft sites. But there is not a lot of size or depth."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Texas lost 3 players to NBA Draft, but as you alluded there is plenty of talent still onthe roster. Sophomore SF Jordan Hamilton was a Top 10 National recruit, and is the leading returning scorer. In thefirst two games this year against Navy and Louisiana Tech he has averaged 22.5 points, and 7 boards a game.Tell us about Hamilton's game."
Mark Rosner: "Last season he shot without conscience and didn't play enough defense. This season he appears tobe trying harder on defense, and while he still takes a lot of shots, Hamilton is more judicious in his selection."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Jai Lucas is the son of John Lucas, one of the all-time greats at Maryland. Jai was heavily recruited by Maryland before signing with the University of Florida. During Lucas' Freshman seasonat Florida, he was named to the All-SEC Freshman team as he averaged 8.5 ppg, 43.5% from 3, and played30 minutes a game. He transferred to Texas which made him ineligible for 2008-09 season. Last year Lucas did not play his first-game with the Longhorns until mid-December, and averaged only 10 minutes per game for the year.What was he not doing last-year to earn more playing-time, and what is expected him of this now?"
Mark Rosner: "Jai is very smart, but he is about 5-9 and not exceptionally quick or strong. He can, and has, hit anopen shot. Texas has only four guards this season, and Jai has to contribute. So far he is averaging 19 minutes and7 points in two games. This week will be a test against bigger, more talented, more physical teams."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Coach Rick Barnes grabbed two heralded Canadian youths in PG Cory Joseph, andPF/C Tristan Thompson. Both players spent time Nevada's Findlay Prep, and were consensus Top 10 National recruits. Joseph won the 3 point contest at the McDonald's All-American Game, and has started both of the first twogames averaging 31 minutes per. Thompson came off the bench both games, but is averaging 14.5 points,7 boards,2 steals, and 1.5 blocks. What have you seen so far out of them?"
Mark Rosner: "Thompson has shown the ability to defend, rebound, score inside and hit a jump shot from maybe12 feet. Joseph has been playing a lot on the wing, and he has not heated up yet from the perimeter. He hit 47 percent of his threes last season. He does have 7 assists and 11 rebounds. He plays hard on defense, but we have not seen him that much as a playmaker yet."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Senior Forward Gary Johnson came into this season having played in 88 career games (17 starts) and has twice been named as an All Big-12 Conference reserve. So far this year the 6'6 235pound Johnson is averaging 16 ppg, and 8 boards. Is he essentially a SF being asked to play-up at the 4?"
Mark Rosner: "Gary is an undersized power forward, at least in terms of height. You can't just dump the ball intohim and expect him to score. He has improved his mid-range shot over time, and with Texas using more screens and movement this season, he should have opportunities for those shots."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Sophomore Guard J'Covan Brown averaged 9.6 ppg as a Freshman, including scoring efforts of 20 against Wake Forest, 21 against North Carolina, and 28 against Kansas. Is Brown ready to emerge asa consistent scorer?"
Mark Rosner: "I don't know if he is accurate enough from outside, or athletic enough around the basket, to attain real consistency. But he can be streaky-good. Texas does not have much depth this season, so he should have theopportunity to heat up in games."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "If you were Coaching against Rick Barnes and this Texas team, how would you attack them. What would you be attempting to guard against?"
Mark Rosner: "I almost never coach, although Barnes might sometimes disagree."
Monday, November 15, 2010
Pitt Panthers Q&A w/ Ray Fittipaldo
Ray Fittipaldo covers the Panthers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. You can find his work at:
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pitt/
http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports-town/pitt
Baltimore Sports and Life thanks Mr. Fittipaldo for answering a few questions about the Panthers prior to Maryland's match-up with Pittsburgh at the Semi-Final of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament this Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
Baltimore Sports and Life: "The Panthers are ranked 4th Nationally, and were picked as the Pre-Season favorite to win the Big East. Pretty easy to see why, with 4 returning starters, and 7 ofthe top 8 scorers back from a team that was 25-9 overall,and 13-5 in conference play last-year.Where if anywhere, do you believe the Panthers are vulnerable?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "Pitt's two best players -Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker- are guards. If an opponent can take one or both of them out of a game the Panthers will struggle to score.Jamie Dixon has a solid front line with Gary McGhee and Talib Zanna, but neither are natural postscorers and do most of their damage through offensive rebounding. So I would say if an opponent can keep the Panthers off the boards and force a bad shooting performances from their guards they'll have a good chance to win."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "In the past 5 years, the Panthers have won at-least 25 games each year. So obviously this is a program used to winning. Has there been an opposing style ofplay that has traditionally given the Panthers trouble during Coach Jamie Dixon's 7 previous yearsat Pitt?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "Guard-oriented teams usually give Jamie Dixon's teams the most problems.Marquette had a lot of success against Pitt when Tom Crean was there and he hadDominic James, Jerel McNeal and Co. Georgetown gave them some problems last season with Chris Wright and Austin Freeman. Generally, teams that can break down the defense off the dribble and penetrate tothe hoop create problems for Dixon's defense."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "The Maryland and Pitt programs share a few connections. Juan Dixon's brother Jermaine played a lot of minutes for the Panthers the last two seasons. Ashton Gibbs littlebrother Sterling will join Maryland next-season. How aggressive was Pittsburgh in the recruitmentof Sterling? Any comments from Ashton about how good he believes his brother can be?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "I know Pitt was on Sterling a little bit early in the recruiting process, but Pitt recruited another guardby the name of John Johnson, who signed a letter of intent this week...I haven't asked Ashton about Sterling choosing Maryland yet."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Before Gibbs, the Panthers had beat out Maryland for several recruits in recent years including Sophomore Forward Dante Taylor, and Freshman Guard Isiah Epps.Taylor appeared to have struggled a bit adjusting to the College game, but there have been lots ofreports of his growth as player over the Summer. What maturation have you seen out of him? Anyearly thoughts on Epps?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "It appears Epps will redshirt. He had some problems qualifying and was not able to enroll until August. He missed three important months during the summer. Pitt went on aforeign tour to Ireland and got to practice 10 times as a team before that trip, so he missed a lot ofvaluable learning opportunities.Taylor finally seems to be getting it. The light seems to be going on for him. He was weak and out of shape when he reported last summer and never really made a big impact. He got in the weight room and appears to be making some strides. He'll play backup center to Gary McGhee this season with the hope that he develops enough that he'llbe someone they can build around next season. He is still a very raw offensive player.He has a hard time finishing around the basket for some reason."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Senior Guard Brad Wanamaker is off to a strong start, averaging19.3 ppg, 6.3 assists, 5 boards, and shooting 82% from the foul-line.What can you tell usabout him?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "He's a guy who has improved a ton since his freshman year. He used to be a turnover machine.Now he is cool, calm and collected. He can get to the hoop and he can shootfrom 3-point range. He is a tough match-up for opposing teams."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Going back to Gibbs, he was named the Big East's Most Improved Player last-year.So far this year, he is also averaging 19.3ppg, and shooting 46% from 3.Clearly he is a capable shooter. Is he able to put it on the floor? Is he a good defender?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "Gibbs worked hard over the summer to become a better athlete. Dixon wanted him to become a better defender and a better penetrator. He is not someone who isgoing to make a living going to the hoop, but at least has that as a threat now. I wouldcategorize him as a solid defender."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Freshman Forward J.J. Moore did not play against Rhode Island,but scored 9 against Illinois-Chicago, and dropped 19 on North Florida. Is Nasir Robinson in danger of losing minutes to the Freshman, when he returns from his knee injury?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "Nasir Robinson started all 34 games last season at power forward, so it is likelythat Robinson and Talib Zanna will split time when Robinson returns from his knee injury.Moore plays small forward, which is the deepest position on the team. Gilbert Brown is the starter there and Lamar Patterson is his backup. Brown can play shooting guard and Patterson can play power forward, so if Moore shows he can be a capable defender I think therewill be minutes for him. But he's a freshman and freshmen sometimes have a hard time earning minutes under Dixon. But I would say from the looks of it that Dixon might be forced to use Moore even if he is still lagging behind defensively because he has the potential to besuch a dynamic scorer."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Maryland's best player is Center Jordan Williams. What can you tell usabout Pitt's Senior Center Gary McGhee?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "Dixon keeps touting McGhee as a Big East Defensive Player of the Year candidate.He is 6-10, 260 and as strong as an ox. He doesn't block a lot of shots, but he eats up a lotof space and makes opposing centers earn their points. He is not much of an offensive player."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "The Sporting News picked SF Gilbert Brown as the most athletic player in the Big East. How is the transition from 6 man to starter going for the Senior?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "He has struggled some in the early going. He injured a hamstring and missed two weeks of practice during the preseason. He was a very up and down playerlast season, scoring 20 points one game and two the next. He would follow up a bad gamewith a great game. There wasn't much in between last season. He worked hard over theoff-season to be more consistent. He is a good outside shooter and can get to the hoop."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "I see that Baltimore's Aron Nwonkwo (City College) has walked-on to Pitt. For Dixon to accept him as a walk-on, he must like the practice contributions he is receiving from Nwonkwo. Nwonkow is already on a full Academic scholarship, so he does not need an athletic scholarship. Any chance his playing-time increases during his career with the Panthers?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "I don't think so. Pitt is so deep, I don't see how a walk-on will earn any minutes on this team unless there are several injuries."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "To beat Pittsburgh on a neutral-court, what will Maryland have to do? Predictions on the game?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "Rhode Island did a good job of defending the 3-point line against Pitt,forcing a 3-for-16 performance from behind the arc. If Maryland can do the same I think the Terps will have a chance to win. If they let Gibbs and Wanamaker shoot open shots it will be a long night."
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pitt/
http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports-town/pitt
Baltimore Sports and Life thanks Mr. Fittipaldo for answering a few questions about the Panthers prior to Maryland's match-up with Pittsburgh at the Semi-Final of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament this Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
Baltimore Sports and Life: "The Panthers are ranked 4th Nationally, and were picked as the Pre-Season favorite to win the Big East. Pretty easy to see why, with 4 returning starters, and 7 ofthe top 8 scorers back from a team that was 25-9 overall,and 13-5 in conference play last-year.Where if anywhere, do you believe the Panthers are vulnerable?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "Pitt's two best players -Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker- are guards. If an opponent can take one or both of them out of a game the Panthers will struggle to score.Jamie Dixon has a solid front line with Gary McGhee and Talib Zanna, but neither are natural postscorers and do most of their damage through offensive rebounding. So I would say if an opponent can keep the Panthers off the boards and force a bad shooting performances from their guards they'll have a good chance to win."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "In the past 5 years, the Panthers have won at-least 25 games each year. So obviously this is a program used to winning. Has there been an opposing style ofplay that has traditionally given the Panthers trouble during Coach Jamie Dixon's 7 previous yearsat Pitt?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "Guard-oriented teams usually give Jamie Dixon's teams the most problems.Marquette had a lot of success against Pitt when Tom Crean was there and he hadDominic James, Jerel McNeal and Co. Georgetown gave them some problems last season with Chris Wright and Austin Freeman. Generally, teams that can break down the defense off the dribble and penetrate tothe hoop create problems for Dixon's defense."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "The Maryland and Pitt programs share a few connections. Juan Dixon's brother Jermaine played a lot of minutes for the Panthers the last two seasons. Ashton Gibbs littlebrother Sterling will join Maryland next-season. How aggressive was Pittsburgh in the recruitmentof Sterling? Any comments from Ashton about how good he believes his brother can be?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "I know Pitt was on Sterling a little bit early in the recruiting process, but Pitt recruited another guardby the name of John Johnson, who signed a letter of intent this week...I haven't asked Ashton about Sterling choosing Maryland yet."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Before Gibbs, the Panthers had beat out Maryland for several recruits in recent years including Sophomore Forward Dante Taylor, and Freshman Guard Isiah Epps.Taylor appeared to have struggled a bit adjusting to the College game, but there have been lots ofreports of his growth as player over the Summer. What maturation have you seen out of him? Anyearly thoughts on Epps?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "It appears Epps will redshirt. He had some problems qualifying and was not able to enroll until August. He missed three important months during the summer. Pitt went on aforeign tour to Ireland and got to practice 10 times as a team before that trip, so he missed a lot ofvaluable learning opportunities.Taylor finally seems to be getting it. The light seems to be going on for him. He was weak and out of shape when he reported last summer and never really made a big impact. He got in the weight room and appears to be making some strides. He'll play backup center to Gary McGhee this season with the hope that he develops enough that he'llbe someone they can build around next season. He is still a very raw offensive player.He has a hard time finishing around the basket for some reason."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Senior Guard Brad Wanamaker is off to a strong start, averaging19.3 ppg, 6.3 assists, 5 boards, and shooting 82% from the foul-line.What can you tell usabout him?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "He's a guy who has improved a ton since his freshman year. He used to be a turnover machine.Now he is cool, calm and collected. He can get to the hoop and he can shootfrom 3-point range. He is a tough match-up for opposing teams."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Going back to Gibbs, he was named the Big East's Most Improved Player last-year.So far this year, he is also averaging 19.3ppg, and shooting 46% from 3.Clearly he is a capable shooter. Is he able to put it on the floor? Is he a good defender?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "Gibbs worked hard over the summer to become a better athlete. Dixon wanted him to become a better defender and a better penetrator. He is not someone who isgoing to make a living going to the hoop, but at least has that as a threat now. I wouldcategorize him as a solid defender."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Freshman Forward J.J. Moore did not play against Rhode Island,but scored 9 against Illinois-Chicago, and dropped 19 on North Florida. Is Nasir Robinson in danger of losing minutes to the Freshman, when he returns from his knee injury?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "Nasir Robinson started all 34 games last season at power forward, so it is likelythat Robinson and Talib Zanna will split time when Robinson returns from his knee injury.Moore plays small forward, which is the deepest position on the team. Gilbert Brown is the starter there and Lamar Patterson is his backup. Brown can play shooting guard and Patterson can play power forward, so if Moore shows he can be a capable defender I think therewill be minutes for him. But he's a freshman and freshmen sometimes have a hard time earning minutes under Dixon. But I would say from the looks of it that Dixon might be forced to use Moore even if he is still lagging behind defensively because he has the potential to besuch a dynamic scorer."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "Maryland's best player is Center Jordan Williams. What can you tell usabout Pitt's Senior Center Gary McGhee?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "Dixon keeps touting McGhee as a Big East Defensive Player of the Year candidate.He is 6-10, 260 and as strong as an ox. He doesn't block a lot of shots, but he eats up a lotof space and makes opposing centers earn their points. He is not much of an offensive player."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "The Sporting News picked SF Gilbert Brown as the most athletic player in the Big East. How is the transition from 6 man to starter going for the Senior?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "He has struggled some in the early going. He injured a hamstring and missed two weeks of practice during the preseason. He was a very up and down playerlast season, scoring 20 points one game and two the next. He would follow up a bad gamewith a great game. There wasn't much in between last season. He worked hard over theoff-season to be more consistent. He is a good outside shooter and can get to the hoop."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "I see that Baltimore's Aron Nwonkwo (City College) has walked-on to Pitt. For Dixon to accept him as a walk-on, he must like the practice contributions he is receiving from Nwonkwo. Nwonkow is already on a full Academic scholarship, so he does not need an athletic scholarship. Any chance his playing-time increases during his career with the Panthers?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "I don't think so. Pitt is so deep, I don't see how a walk-on will earn any minutes on this team unless there are several injuries."
Baltimore Sports and Life: "To beat Pittsburgh on a neutral-court, what will Maryland have to do? Predictions on the game?"
Ray Fittipaldo: "Rhode Island did a good job of defending the 3-point line against Pitt,forcing a 3-for-16 performance from behind the arc. If Maryland can do the same I think the Terps will have a chance to win. If they let Gibbs and Wanamaker shoot open shots it will be a long night."
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Terps rout Maine; The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Several days after being pushed to the limit against the College of Charleston, the University of Maryland was in-complete control against the University of Maine.
Picked by The Sporting News, as the preseason favorite of the American East conference - Maine was out of the game early against Maryland. Life for the Terps will become more difficult next week against Pittsburgh, and either Illinois or Texas; but the 89-59 win today was the latest example of why this Maryland team is capable of again exceeding external expectations for the program.
The Good:
1) Cliff Tucker was everywhere in the first-half, scoring all of his 16 points before the break. He finished the game 4 for 6 from 3, and also had 4 boards, 2 assists, and 4 steals. Several times in Tucker's first-three seasons as a Terp, I have been irritated that Tucker would try and try a finger-roll on a fast-break. Today he emphatically slammed it home, showing all the athleticism he has always had. He has scored 16, 15, and 16 in the first three games. It will be very interesting to see what he does next-week.
2) It is going to get boring talking about Jordan Williams. Every-game he brings effort. Every-game he is stronger than his opponent. He had a rough first-half today, but continued to run the court, and go after missed shots. Another 20 points, and 11 boards today. After missing his first 2 FT's, he came back to hit his last 8. Through the 3 games he is averaging 21 points, and 13.7 boards. The nation does not yet understand how good Williams is.
3) After the poor opening game against Seattle, Adrian Bowie has put together back-to-back solid outings against Charletson, and Maine today. 9 points, 8 boards, 5 assists, and 0 turnovers today for the Senior.
4) The FT shooting against Charleston was embarrassing, and could have cost MD the game. It was not outstanding today, but the 25 of 33 (75.8%) was still good to see.
5) The play of Stoglin, and Howard so far has been extremely impressive. They are both mature beyond their years, and just exude confidence. Good things happen when they are on the floor, and they are not just looking to defer to their more experienced teammates. They are making plays. Stoglin had 14 points today, shooting 5 of 7 from the floor. In each of the three games, Stoglin has had at-least 2 steals. Howard was a little off today, but he walked into the game and immediately hit a 3. He later made a drive, got contact, and had the strength to hit a runner. It reminded me a lot of the guy that previously wore his number.
6) Hawk Palsson hit all 6 of his foul shots, and also added a short jumper. He also added 4 boards, an assist, a steal, and a block. I'm extremely pleased that Palsson is already showing the capability of being part of the regular rotation in the beginning of his career. It is also interesting seeing how MD looks, when he plays as an undersized 4.
7) Before the game you would have expected MD to dominate the boards, and they did just that winning 46 to 27 on the glass.
8) Maryland only had 14 turnovers today, so again there was improvement in that regard.
9) Due to the rout, Coach Williams was able to get some extended minutes to Parker (11), and to Weijs (10). One of the strengths of this Maryland team is the depth. I hope even as the competition improves, that the Terps continue to have an extended rotation.
10) 5 points, 3 boards (2 offensive) for Padgett today off the bench. Would have liked a couple of blocks, but at-least he was active.
The Bad:
1) Not a lot of bad to choose from when you win by 30 points. I have already commented that I liked that Coach Williams found some minutes for his bench, but hypocritically I will mention that I wish Tucker could have had some additional touches in the 2nd-half. Clearly I am nit-picking here.
2) Dino Gregory played 17 minutes today, and fouled out. 6 points, 3 boards, and a block. I'm going to continue to harp on it, Maryland needs Gregory to clean-up on the glass, and provide strong defense. It appears to me that he has been a little passive in the first 3 games, and looking to contribute through his offense. That is not how Gregory is going to help this team.
The Ugly:
1) There is a lot to like about what we have seen from Maryland during the first 3 games, but the play of Mosley against Charleston and Maine has been disturbing. The Jr. from Baltimore fouled out today in 16 minutes of play, and did not score a point. He has been a player capable of filling-up the stat sheet, but today also had 0 assists, 0 steals, and 0 blocks. This came off the heels of a 3 point outing against Charleston.
Somehow, in his last 45 minutes of play Mosley has had only 9 FG attempts. Maryland needs Mosley to provide consistent scoring, so him back-to-back games with essentially nothing raises alarm. You would have thought that Mosley (and his teammates) would have consciously been looking to get him some shots today.
Up-Next:
Maryland plays Pittsburgh this coming Thursday at Madison Square Garden in the Semi-Final of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament. The Panthers are currently ranked 4th Nationally, so this will provide a good early measuring stick for Maryland.
Pittsburgh is also 3-0, having won a close game against Rhode Island (A-10 Conference), and beat-up on Illinois-Chicago, and North Florida.
Pittsburgh:
http://espn.go.com/ncb/notebook/_/page/notebooksummershootaround100825/big-east
"Jamie Dixon has a great program. Not good, but great. Every time you think the Panthers will take a step back, they find a way to win and wow you with high-level consistency and fight. With a young and inexperienced team last year, Pitt seemed to will itself to 25 wins and the best scoring defense in the league. This season, Ashton Gibbs returns with the confidence of a star; Gilbert Brown should have his best year, and was very good on a tour of Ireland; Brad Wannamaker brings toughness and leadership; Gary McGhee brings strength and finishing ability; and Dante Taylor will be far better and more productive. Pitt should have the best team in the Big East when it is all said and done."
On Friday, the Terps will face either Illinois or Texas in the Consolation or Championship Game of the CVC Tournament.
Picked by The Sporting News, as the preseason favorite of the American East conference - Maine was out of the game early against Maryland. Life for the Terps will become more difficult next week against Pittsburgh, and either Illinois or Texas; but the 89-59 win today was the latest example of why this Maryland team is capable of again exceeding external expectations for the program.
The Good:
1) Cliff Tucker was everywhere in the first-half, scoring all of his 16 points before the break. He finished the game 4 for 6 from 3, and also had 4 boards, 2 assists, and 4 steals. Several times in Tucker's first-three seasons as a Terp, I have been irritated that Tucker would try and try a finger-roll on a fast-break. Today he emphatically slammed it home, showing all the athleticism he has always had. He has scored 16, 15, and 16 in the first three games. It will be very interesting to see what he does next-week.
2) It is going to get boring talking about Jordan Williams. Every-game he brings effort. Every-game he is stronger than his opponent. He had a rough first-half today, but continued to run the court, and go after missed shots. Another 20 points, and 11 boards today. After missing his first 2 FT's, he came back to hit his last 8. Through the 3 games he is averaging 21 points, and 13.7 boards. The nation does not yet understand how good Williams is.
3) After the poor opening game against Seattle, Adrian Bowie has put together back-to-back solid outings against Charletson, and Maine today. 9 points, 8 boards, 5 assists, and 0 turnovers today for the Senior.
4) The FT shooting against Charleston was embarrassing, and could have cost MD the game. It was not outstanding today, but the 25 of 33 (75.8%) was still good to see.
5) The play of Stoglin, and Howard so far has been extremely impressive. They are both mature beyond their years, and just exude confidence. Good things happen when they are on the floor, and they are not just looking to defer to their more experienced teammates. They are making plays. Stoglin had 14 points today, shooting 5 of 7 from the floor. In each of the three games, Stoglin has had at-least 2 steals. Howard was a little off today, but he walked into the game and immediately hit a 3. He later made a drive, got contact, and had the strength to hit a runner. It reminded me a lot of the guy that previously wore his number.
6) Hawk Palsson hit all 6 of his foul shots, and also added a short jumper. He also added 4 boards, an assist, a steal, and a block. I'm extremely pleased that Palsson is already showing the capability of being part of the regular rotation in the beginning of his career. It is also interesting seeing how MD looks, when he plays as an undersized 4.
7) Before the game you would have expected MD to dominate the boards, and they did just that winning 46 to 27 on the glass.
8) Maryland only had 14 turnovers today, so again there was improvement in that regard.
9) Due to the rout, Coach Williams was able to get some extended minutes to Parker (11), and to Weijs (10). One of the strengths of this Maryland team is the depth. I hope even as the competition improves, that the Terps continue to have an extended rotation.
10) 5 points, 3 boards (2 offensive) for Padgett today off the bench. Would have liked a couple of blocks, but at-least he was active.
The Bad:
1) Not a lot of bad to choose from when you win by 30 points. I have already commented that I liked that Coach Williams found some minutes for his bench, but hypocritically I will mention that I wish Tucker could have had some additional touches in the 2nd-half. Clearly I am nit-picking here.
2) Dino Gregory played 17 minutes today, and fouled out. 6 points, 3 boards, and a block. I'm going to continue to harp on it, Maryland needs Gregory to clean-up on the glass, and provide strong defense. It appears to me that he has been a little passive in the first 3 games, and looking to contribute through his offense. That is not how Gregory is going to help this team.
The Ugly:
1) There is a lot to like about what we have seen from Maryland during the first 3 games, but the play of Mosley against Charleston and Maine has been disturbing. The Jr. from Baltimore fouled out today in 16 minutes of play, and did not score a point. He has been a player capable of filling-up the stat sheet, but today also had 0 assists, 0 steals, and 0 blocks. This came off the heels of a 3 point outing against Charleston.
Somehow, in his last 45 minutes of play Mosley has had only 9 FG attempts. Maryland needs Mosley to provide consistent scoring, so him back-to-back games with essentially nothing raises alarm. You would have thought that Mosley (and his teammates) would have consciously been looking to get him some shots today.
Up-Next:
Maryland plays Pittsburgh this coming Thursday at Madison Square Garden in the Semi-Final of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament. The Panthers are currently ranked 4th Nationally, so this will provide a good early measuring stick for Maryland.
Pittsburgh is also 3-0, having won a close game against Rhode Island (A-10 Conference), and beat-up on Illinois-Chicago, and North Florida.
Pittsburgh:
http://espn.go.com/ncb/notebook/_/page/notebooksummershootaround100825/big-east
"Jamie Dixon has a great program. Not good, but great. Every time you think the Panthers will take a step back, they find a way to win and wow you with high-level consistency and fight. With a young and inexperienced team last year, Pitt seemed to will itself to 25 wins and the best scoring defense in the league. This season, Ashton Gibbs returns with the confidence of a star; Gilbert Brown should have his best year, and was very good on a tour of Ireland; Brad Wannamaker brings toughness and leadership; Gary McGhee brings strength and finishing ability; and Dante Taylor will be far better and more productive. Pitt should have the best team in the Big East when it is all said and done."
On Friday, the Terps will face either Illinois or Texas in the Consolation or Championship Game of the CVC Tournament.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Terps move to 2-0; The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Terps Freshman Pe'Shon Howard hit a shot with seconds left to prevent Maryland from being upset by the Charleston Cougars.
Charleston is Coached by former ACC Coach Bobby Cremins who is a personal friend of Coach Gary Williams. Cremins believes he has 9 players capable of starting for him, and many members of the media have picked his squad as a possible Southern Conference Champion.
The reality is you can know that, and also know that Charleston beat North Carolina last year; and still know that if Howard does not hit the game winner that the feeling from tonight is much different. Teams grow from their experiences (both good and bad) and this was certainly a game the Terrapins can learn from.
The Good:
1) Howard hitting that last-second shot will rightfully get lots of attention. What will get less attention is that Howard was willing to take (and able to create) that less second shot. Two nights after delivering 8 assists in his college debut, Howard provided 14 big points.
2) Jordan Williams scored a career high (26) and added 15 boards. The guy is an absolute monster.
3) 18 turnovers is still too many overall, but it was a considerable improvement over Monday.
4) It was a better game for Bowie. He finished with 9 points , 3 boards, 3 assists, and 1 steal. This is the effort Maryland will need from him regularly.
5) Tucker finished with 15 points, and I really liked seeing him willing to take 15 shots.
6) Stoglin did not get the playing time he got Monday, nor provide that scoring. What he did do was contribute 3 steals in just 8 minutes of action.
7) Palsson took just 1 shot during his 10 minutes, but brought some intensity to the court.
8) Maryland held Charleston without a FG over the last 8+ minutes of the game.
The Bad:
1) Maryland was out-rebounded by Charleston 35-31. With the size, and athletic advantages of the Terps that was unacceptable.
2) The Terps had 8 shots blocked by the Cougars.
3) Charleston's Andrew Goudelock was the Southern Conference Pre-Season Player of the Year. He is known for his shooting beind the arc. Mosley and others played a lot of help defense, leaving Goudelock open for too many shots.
4) Seven combined minutes for Padgett, and Weijs and just 1 rebound. I was hoping Maryland would have had better success exploiting their size advantage off the bench.
5) Gregory got 26 minutes tonight, and did not score. You can live with him being held scoreless, but 4 boards, 1 steal, and 1 block is not enough production for that level of playing time.
The Ugly:
1) Maryland wins this game comfortably if they do not shoot an abysmal 5 of 18 from the foul-line. You have to work hard to shoot that bad. The main culprits? Williams was just 2 for 8 from the charity-stripe, and Howard was 1 for 5.
2) During Mosley's first two seasons as a Terrapin, there were times he could disappear as a scoring option. This was somewhat understandable as he was not the first or second or maybe even the third option on those teams. On this team, Mosley clearly has to be option 1A behind Williams. It is simply unacceptable for Mosley to be on the court for 29 minutes, and hoist-up just 5 FG attempts. He has to be selfish every-game about getting his attempts. If he is not hitting his jumper, or getting to the rim; he needs to force his way to the line. He has to score for this team.
Up-Next:
The Terps will face the Black Bears of Maine on Sunday afternoon. Maine is the projected Conference Champion of the America East (same conference as UMBC). This will be the last game for Maryland prior to heading to Madison Square Garden and facing Pittsburgh, and either Illinois or Texas.
Charleston is Coached by former ACC Coach Bobby Cremins who is a personal friend of Coach Gary Williams. Cremins believes he has 9 players capable of starting for him, and many members of the media have picked his squad as a possible Southern Conference Champion.
The reality is you can know that, and also know that Charleston beat North Carolina last year; and still know that if Howard does not hit the game winner that the feeling from tonight is much different. Teams grow from their experiences (both good and bad) and this was certainly a game the Terrapins can learn from.
The Good:
1) Howard hitting that last-second shot will rightfully get lots of attention. What will get less attention is that Howard was willing to take (and able to create) that less second shot. Two nights after delivering 8 assists in his college debut, Howard provided 14 big points.
2) Jordan Williams scored a career high (26) and added 15 boards. The guy is an absolute monster.
3) 18 turnovers is still too many overall, but it was a considerable improvement over Monday.
4) It was a better game for Bowie. He finished with 9 points , 3 boards, 3 assists, and 1 steal. This is the effort Maryland will need from him regularly.
5) Tucker finished with 15 points, and I really liked seeing him willing to take 15 shots.
6) Stoglin did not get the playing time he got Monday, nor provide that scoring. What he did do was contribute 3 steals in just 8 minutes of action.
7) Palsson took just 1 shot during his 10 minutes, but brought some intensity to the court.
8) Maryland held Charleston without a FG over the last 8+ minutes of the game.
The Bad:
1) Maryland was out-rebounded by Charleston 35-31. With the size, and athletic advantages of the Terps that was unacceptable.
2) The Terps had 8 shots blocked by the Cougars.
3) Charleston's Andrew Goudelock was the Southern Conference Pre-Season Player of the Year. He is known for his shooting beind the arc. Mosley and others played a lot of help defense, leaving Goudelock open for too many shots.
4) Seven combined minutes for Padgett, and Weijs and just 1 rebound. I was hoping Maryland would have had better success exploiting their size advantage off the bench.
5) Gregory got 26 minutes tonight, and did not score. You can live with him being held scoreless, but 4 boards, 1 steal, and 1 block is not enough production for that level of playing time.
The Ugly:
1) Maryland wins this game comfortably if they do not shoot an abysmal 5 of 18 from the foul-line. You have to work hard to shoot that bad. The main culprits? Williams was just 2 for 8 from the charity-stripe, and Howard was 1 for 5.
2) During Mosley's first two seasons as a Terrapin, there were times he could disappear as a scoring option. This was somewhat understandable as he was not the first or second or maybe even the third option on those teams. On this team, Mosley clearly has to be option 1A behind Williams. It is simply unacceptable for Mosley to be on the court for 29 minutes, and hoist-up just 5 FG attempts. He has to be selfish every-game about getting his attempts. If he is not hitting his jumper, or getting to the rim; he needs to force his way to the line. He has to score for this team.
Up-Next:
The Terps will face the Black Bears of Maine on Sunday afternoon. Maine is the projected Conference Champion of the America East (same conference as UMBC). This will be the last game for Maryland prior to heading to Madison Square Garden and facing Pittsburgh, and either Illinois or Texas.
MD vs. Charleston 5 things to watch tonight
As Maryland prepares for their second game of the 2010-11 season tonight against Charleston, here are 5 things I will be looking for:
1) I want to see Bowie play his game and not attempt to be something he is not. He is going to get about 20 minutes a night, and he has to be productive during that playing time. He is not going to be productive trying to be a true distributing PG. He has to attack the rim in transition and look for his. If he does that regularly, defenses will collapse and he will be able to dish to open shooters. Bowie hit 11 of his last 15 three-point attempts to end last-year. Supposedly he was showing an improved stroke this Summer. I'd like to see him knock down a couple of shots tonight.
2) Consistency from Tucker. I have little doubt that Tucker will average between 10-12 points per game at a minimum this season. If he can consistently be closer to 15 a game, this is will be a very dangerous MD team. Williams and Mosley are going to get their points. A 3rd option that the Terps can rely on to score has to emerge, and Tucker represents the best option.
3) I expect Padgett will again be the first big off the bench tonight. It is important to see better defensive energy and rebounding from him.
4) In their first games as collegians, Stoglin had 13 points and Howard had 8 assists. What do they do for an encore? I plan on paying more attention to their defensive efforts.
5) The Terps are playing a team who have a Head Coach (Bobby Cremins) that is extremely familiar with Gary Williams and the ACC. Cremins team is expected to contend for an NCAA Tournament birth, and the Cougars coach believes he has 9 players capable of starting. This is the type of team that has been capable of sneaking up on the Terps in recent seasons. Part of the reason Maryland lost games to American, Morgan State, and William & Mary was that the athletic difference between those teams, and the Terps was fairly limited. Each of those teams would go on to post-season play and had solid guard play.
This Maryland team loses the savvy, and experience of Vasquez and Hayes - but is much stronger athletically in the back-court. Even if Maryland struggles in the 1/2 court, and with limiting turnovers; they should be able to create offense from defense and win handily tonight (12 to 15 point margin).
What I will really be looking for is the type of mindset the Terps come out with tonight. The Comcast Center figures to again be half-full, and provide a limited atmosphere. You want to see Maryland focused on taking control of the game early, and not allowing the Cougars to believe they can pull the upset. Maryland's turnovers are going to continue to be an issue for awhile, you just want to see some improvement from Monday.
1) I want to see Bowie play his game and not attempt to be something he is not. He is going to get about 20 minutes a night, and he has to be productive during that playing time. He is not going to be productive trying to be a true distributing PG. He has to attack the rim in transition and look for his. If he does that regularly, defenses will collapse and he will be able to dish to open shooters. Bowie hit 11 of his last 15 three-point attempts to end last-year. Supposedly he was showing an improved stroke this Summer. I'd like to see him knock down a couple of shots tonight.
2) Consistency from Tucker. I have little doubt that Tucker will average between 10-12 points per game at a minimum this season. If he can consistently be closer to 15 a game, this is will be a very dangerous MD team. Williams and Mosley are going to get their points. A 3rd option that the Terps can rely on to score has to emerge, and Tucker represents the best option.
3) I expect Padgett will again be the first big off the bench tonight. It is important to see better defensive energy and rebounding from him.
4) In their first games as collegians, Stoglin had 13 points and Howard had 8 assists. What do they do for an encore? I plan on paying more attention to their defensive efforts.
5) The Terps are playing a team who have a Head Coach (Bobby Cremins) that is extremely familiar with Gary Williams and the ACC. Cremins team is expected to contend for an NCAA Tournament birth, and the Cougars coach believes he has 9 players capable of starting. This is the type of team that has been capable of sneaking up on the Terps in recent seasons. Part of the reason Maryland lost games to American, Morgan State, and William & Mary was that the athletic difference between those teams, and the Terps was fairly limited. Each of those teams would go on to post-season play and had solid guard play.
This Maryland team loses the savvy, and experience of Vasquez and Hayes - but is much stronger athletically in the back-court. Even if Maryland struggles in the 1/2 court, and with limiting turnovers; they should be able to create offense from defense and win handily tonight (12 to 15 point margin).
What I will really be looking for is the type of mindset the Terps come out with tonight. The Comcast Center figures to again be half-full, and provide a limited atmosphere. You want to see Maryland focused on taking control of the game early, and not allowing the Cougars to believe they can pull the upset. Maryland's turnovers are going to continue to be an issue for awhile, you just want to see some improvement from Monday.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Terps open season with win; The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
The University of Maryland Terrapins took the floor tonight against Seattle University in the first game of their 2010-11 season, winning 105-76.
This opening round game of the 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer 2k Sports Classic, was a reminder that plenty has changed since the March 21st loss to Michigan State in the 2nd-round of the NCAA Tournament. The Seattle Redhawks were out manned physically, but their willingness to go up and down the court with the Terps helped create some ugly moments particularly in the first 15 minutes of play.
I did not see a lot of surprises tonight. Everything you saw for good, and for bad was basically anticipated. There are plenty of things the Terps will need to improve, but overall I saw a lot of things to be optimistic about.
The Good:
1) The Terps are deep and athletic. Maryland gets up and down the court with ease, and has the personnel required to match-up with numerous teams.
2) The athleticism of this squad will allow them to create offense from their defense. There will be plenty of times this Maryland team struggles to run the flex-offense. They will be bailed out by their defense and ability to quickly score in transition.
3) Coach Williams got all 6 of his new faces on the court tonight, and they provided immediate dividends.
3a) Stoglin was the first non-starter into the game. He quickly changed the tempo of the Terps with some aggressive play. I liked his quickness, and his willingness to look for his own shot even when attempting to get others involved. He hit his foul-shots in the scrimmage, and hit all 9 of his foul shots tonight. That by itself could earn him minutes on the floor during close games. His quick hands helped him get 2 steals.
3b) Howard started his collegiate career with an emphatic dunk, but more importantly ran the offense better than both Bowie, or Stoglin. He is not super athletic, but I thought showed better quickness than had been advertised. Very chiseled for a Freshman, and looked very comfortable on the court. That is somewhat understandable considered he started the past 3 seasons for Oak Hill. I've read numerous write-ups about his flare for the game, and his passing ability. That description proved apt as he provided several quality passes, including a no-look early on. 8 assists for Howard, vs. just 3 turnovers. Also added 3 steals, and 3 boards.
3c) When Palsson signed, the belief of many was that he was destined to be a glorified practice player for most of his career. I think the scrimmage, exhibition, and this first game tonight has shown those projections were off. Coach Williams obviously likes Palsson's hustle, strength, and shooting ability. Coach Williams is always going to find minutes for a player with those attributes. He will get even more if he shows he can play defense.
3d) It might take a little longer, but ultimately the star of this class will be the highest rated recruit - Mychal Parker. I liked that Williams found minutes for Parker on the court. In just a couple minutes of play, Parker's athleticism was readily apparent. Towards the end of the game, Parker was called for a goal-tend where he got up close to the top of the backboard. That dunk he had with under 1:30 left was ridiculous explosion.
3e) I really liked what we saw from Weijs tonight. He runs very well for a big, and showed outstanding coordination. Sometimes you see bigs who just look awkward. That is not the case for Weijs. Even if he does not put on any more weight during the season, he is going to be a defensive presence with his shot-blocking. Weijs finished with 3 blocks, and 2 dunks.
3f) Pankey played the least out of all the newcomers, just getting a couple of minutes at the end of the game. The one thing that jumps out at you, is that he looks like he spent plenty of time in the weight-room.
4) Cliff Tucker finished with 16 points, which was good to see. What I liked best about his play tonight was that he was looking to push the ball and run every-time he could.
5) 17 points, and 15 boards for Jordan Williams tonight. We knew he had lost some weight, an it showed. Maryland is going to run, run, and run and having a big with his physicality, and hands is just ideal. He also hit 5 of his 6 foul-shots.
6) Sean Mosley was excellent offensively tonight. 7 of 9 from the floor, and 8 of 10 from the line. He often gets tagged with 'old man skills,' but a better description is strong fundamentals.
7) Dino Gregory was active as usual for him. He can really help the Terps if he can continue to knock down a few short jumpers a game like he did tonight. Beyond his 8 points, he contributed with 6 boards, 4 blocks, and 2 steals.
8) Maryland was 33 of 41 (80%) from the line, and made 56% of their shots from the floor. Their FG % was up because they were running and getting to the rim.
9) We will discuss what poorly for Bowie below, but he salvaged something from the night by hitting his 5 foul-shots, and playing under better control in the 2nd-half.
10) The Terps did not force up 3 point shots, taking just 8 attempts.
11) Maryland handled the boards, had 9 blocks, and 23 assists.
The Bad:
1) Bowie finished the night with 7 turnovers in 12 minutes of play. He was in foul-trouble just a couple of minutes into the game. Everyone understands that he is not a true PG, and that the Freshman are going to play plenty. I expect Bowie to play about 20 minutes a game. When he plays, he has to do what he does best - attack the rim, and look to score. That is not a PG, but that is what Bowie can bring to this team. If he gets to the rim and pushes the ball in transition, he will have an opportunity to dish to open shooters.
There has been plenty of talk about the opportunity available to the 3 Terrapin Seniors. I think they will all be served by being the best players they are, vs. trying to be the players others think they need to be.
2) 29 turnovers looks horrible in a box-score, but I am not sure how much can be gleaned from tonight. Seattle was willing to run, and that can force sloppy play. What you want to see is how Maryland handles the ball, and the offensive sets they run when they play a team that slows the tempo down.
2a) That said, the Terps made things more difficult than they needed to be at times. Too many plays they were looking for the highlight. You can expect that to improve.
3) James Padgett was the first big of the bench, and played 11 minutes tonight. On athleticism alone, he should have been a presence on the boards. 1 rebound in 11 minutes is not enough from him.
The Ugly:
1) None. Maryland was playing their first game of the year and won by 29 points. The Terps got significant contributions from 5 of their first 6 new players, and their leaders (Williams, and Mosley) stepped-up with strong games.
If the Terps play this game in mid-December, there would would plenty of negatives to talk about. For the first-time out the positives are the takeaway.
Up-Next:
Maryland will be in action again Wednesday vs. the Charleston Cougars. Former Georgia Tech Head Coach Bobby Cremins is very familiar with Coach Williams and the Terps.
Charleston is expected to compete for the Southern Conference South Division title, and be a team capable of advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars are led by Guard Andrew Goudelock who averaged over 19 points per game last year. Cremins has been quoted as stating this is the deepest team he has had during his tenure with Charleston, with up to 9 players capable of starting.
You want to see some improvement in this second game, and against Maine on Sunday before the Terps head to New York to face Pittsburgh on the 18th.
This opening round game of the 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer 2k Sports Classic, was a reminder that plenty has changed since the March 21st loss to Michigan State in the 2nd-round of the NCAA Tournament. The Seattle Redhawks were out manned physically, but their willingness to go up and down the court with the Terps helped create some ugly moments particularly in the first 15 minutes of play.
I did not see a lot of surprises tonight. Everything you saw for good, and for bad was basically anticipated. There are plenty of things the Terps will need to improve, but overall I saw a lot of things to be optimistic about.
The Good:
1) The Terps are deep and athletic. Maryland gets up and down the court with ease, and has the personnel required to match-up with numerous teams.
2) The athleticism of this squad will allow them to create offense from their defense. There will be plenty of times this Maryland team struggles to run the flex-offense. They will be bailed out by their defense and ability to quickly score in transition.
3) Coach Williams got all 6 of his new faces on the court tonight, and they provided immediate dividends.
3a) Stoglin was the first non-starter into the game. He quickly changed the tempo of the Terps with some aggressive play. I liked his quickness, and his willingness to look for his own shot even when attempting to get others involved. He hit his foul-shots in the scrimmage, and hit all 9 of his foul shots tonight. That by itself could earn him minutes on the floor during close games. His quick hands helped him get 2 steals.
3b) Howard started his collegiate career with an emphatic dunk, but more importantly ran the offense better than both Bowie, or Stoglin. He is not super athletic, but I thought showed better quickness than had been advertised. Very chiseled for a Freshman, and looked very comfortable on the court. That is somewhat understandable considered he started the past 3 seasons for Oak Hill. I've read numerous write-ups about his flare for the game, and his passing ability. That description proved apt as he provided several quality passes, including a no-look early on. 8 assists for Howard, vs. just 3 turnovers. Also added 3 steals, and 3 boards.
3c) When Palsson signed, the belief of many was that he was destined to be a glorified practice player for most of his career. I think the scrimmage, exhibition, and this first game tonight has shown those projections were off. Coach Williams obviously likes Palsson's hustle, strength, and shooting ability. Coach Williams is always going to find minutes for a player with those attributes. He will get even more if he shows he can play defense.
3d) It might take a little longer, but ultimately the star of this class will be the highest rated recruit - Mychal Parker. I liked that Williams found minutes for Parker on the court. In just a couple minutes of play, Parker's athleticism was readily apparent. Towards the end of the game, Parker was called for a goal-tend where he got up close to the top of the backboard. That dunk he had with under 1:30 left was ridiculous explosion.
3e) I really liked what we saw from Weijs tonight. He runs very well for a big, and showed outstanding coordination. Sometimes you see bigs who just look awkward. That is not the case for Weijs. Even if he does not put on any more weight during the season, he is going to be a defensive presence with his shot-blocking. Weijs finished with 3 blocks, and 2 dunks.
3f) Pankey played the least out of all the newcomers, just getting a couple of minutes at the end of the game. The one thing that jumps out at you, is that he looks like he spent plenty of time in the weight-room.
4) Cliff Tucker finished with 16 points, which was good to see. What I liked best about his play tonight was that he was looking to push the ball and run every-time he could.
5) 17 points, and 15 boards for Jordan Williams tonight. We knew he had lost some weight, an it showed. Maryland is going to run, run, and run and having a big with his physicality, and hands is just ideal. He also hit 5 of his 6 foul-shots.
6) Sean Mosley was excellent offensively tonight. 7 of 9 from the floor, and 8 of 10 from the line. He often gets tagged with 'old man skills,' but a better description is strong fundamentals.
7) Dino Gregory was active as usual for him. He can really help the Terps if he can continue to knock down a few short jumpers a game like he did tonight. Beyond his 8 points, he contributed with 6 boards, 4 blocks, and 2 steals.
8) Maryland was 33 of 41 (80%) from the line, and made 56% of their shots from the floor. Their FG % was up because they were running and getting to the rim.
9) We will discuss what poorly for Bowie below, but he salvaged something from the night by hitting his 5 foul-shots, and playing under better control in the 2nd-half.
10) The Terps did not force up 3 point shots, taking just 8 attempts.
11) Maryland handled the boards, had 9 blocks, and 23 assists.
The Bad:
1) Bowie finished the night with 7 turnovers in 12 minutes of play. He was in foul-trouble just a couple of minutes into the game. Everyone understands that he is not a true PG, and that the Freshman are going to play plenty. I expect Bowie to play about 20 minutes a game. When he plays, he has to do what he does best - attack the rim, and look to score. That is not a PG, but that is what Bowie can bring to this team. If he gets to the rim and pushes the ball in transition, he will have an opportunity to dish to open shooters.
There has been plenty of talk about the opportunity available to the 3 Terrapin Seniors. I think they will all be served by being the best players they are, vs. trying to be the players others think they need to be.
2) 29 turnovers looks horrible in a box-score, but I am not sure how much can be gleaned from tonight. Seattle was willing to run, and that can force sloppy play. What you want to see is how Maryland handles the ball, and the offensive sets they run when they play a team that slows the tempo down.
2a) That said, the Terps made things more difficult than they needed to be at times. Too many plays they were looking for the highlight. You can expect that to improve.
3) James Padgett was the first big of the bench, and played 11 minutes tonight. On athleticism alone, he should have been a presence on the boards. 1 rebound in 11 minutes is not enough from him.
The Ugly:
1) None. Maryland was playing their first game of the year and won by 29 points. The Terps got significant contributions from 5 of their first 6 new players, and their leaders (Williams, and Mosley) stepped-up with strong games.
If the Terps play this game in mid-December, there would would plenty of negatives to talk about. For the first-time out the positives are the takeaway.
Up-Next:
Maryland will be in action again Wednesday vs. the Charleston Cougars. Former Georgia Tech Head Coach Bobby Cremins is very familiar with Coach Williams and the Terps.
Charleston is expected to compete for the Southern Conference South Division title, and be a team capable of advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars are led by Guard Andrew Goudelock who averaged over 19 points per game last year. Cremins has been quoted as stating this is the deepest team he has had during his tenure with Charleston, with up to 9 players capable of starting.
You want to see some improvement in this second game, and against Maine on Sunday before the Terps head to New York to face Pittsburgh on the 18th.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Brief thoughts from Terps Exhibition Win
The University of Maryland faced external opposition for the first time in this 2010-11 season last-night, as they beat Division 2 Florida Southern 106-58 in an exhibition.
There are only so many things you can take away from an exhibition rout against inferior competition. While fun to think about, the transitive relation argument of Florida Southern competing with Butler (70-50 loss Saturday night) has limited to no value in reality.
However, there are a couple of things to take note of.
Prior to the game, some of the things I was looking for were:
Question 1) PG play with Bowie, Howard, and Stoglin. How do they set-up the offense? How do they handle pressure?
Answer 1) Bowie got just over 20 minutes, which is about the playing time I am expecting to see from him this year. He finished with 15 points, 6 assists, 3 turnovers, and 5 steals. I expect Bowie to have trouble as a PG, if he is asked to work against zones and in 1/2 court-sets. If he gets the opportunity to play up and down games, and run; he is going to be productive.
Howard was the first-guard off the bench, and while he did not score - he did finish with 5 assists, vs. just 1 turnover. Stoglin built off his strong outing in the scrimmage, with 9 points (5 for 5 from the line), and 4 boards. In reverse of Howard, Stoglin had 5 turnovers vs. just 1 assist.
Coach Williams has 3 different options who are each going to provide some-level of production. That is the key point to take away here.
Question 2) The game does not figure to be close at the end, so asking who handles the ball down the stretch really will be hard to judge tomorrow. I will be interested to see who Coach Williams puts on the floor to start the 2nd-half. He has talked about using multiple lineups, so that bears watching.
Answer 2) I have not confirmed it, but it appears that Williams had his initial starting lineup of Bowie, Tucker, Mosley, Gregory, and Williams back on the floor to start the 2nd-half. I personally like this, and would like to see this continue. The question that will be answered over-time, is who is on the floor at the end of close games?
Question 3) We keep hearing about improved athleticism, and a team that will spend more time pressing (and using the press to run and jump-start the offense), does that show tomorrow?
Answer 3) Every report from last night talks about the athleticism that was on display from the Terrapins. The fact this is noticeable to everyone, including to the returning players is important. I understand that even a good Division 2 team (FSU returns 4 starters, was 25-5 last-year, 13-3 in their Sunshine State Conference, and a preseason #5 overall in D2) does not have the athleticism, size, or depth to compete with a Major-Conference Division 1 team. Still, Maryland going on a 45-7 run based on their ability to run and pressure the ball is a very good sign. When/if this team struggles in 1/2 court sets, or shooting against a zone-defense, they should have the ability to pressure the ball and manufacture their offense through their defense.
Question 4) I'm very interested to see the play at PF tomorrow with Gregory, Padgett and to a lesser extent Pankey. The way Gregory and Padgett are going to help the Terps this year, is on the glass and by blocking shots. With their height/size and athletic advantages over the Mocs, this match-up should be exploited tomorrow.
Answer 4) 9 points, 7 boards, 2 blocks for Gregory in 22 mts. If Gregory gives the Terps this on a regular-basis, MD will be a difficult game for anyone. Padgett was the first big off the bench, and had 5 points, 5 boards (4 offensive) in 13 minutes. It is a bit surprising to me that Padgett had zero blocks during his time on the floor. Pankey got 10 minutes of his own, and also had 5 pts, and 5 boards. It seems clear that Pankey is healthy enough, to give you roughly the same production that Padgett provided last-year. That is an improvement to the bench.
I believe the 14 minutes of action that Weijs got last-night came mostly at Center behind Williams, but I do not want to ignore his contribution. There are multiple positive reports to be found all over the web of how well he ran the floor. 5 boards, and 4 blocks is excellent production from him (as is the 14 minutes of play). For two seasons Maryland has received nothing from Goins. The addition of Weijs over Goins is another improvement to the bench.
Question 5) Jordan Williams and Sean Mosley stepped-up yesterday in the scrimmage and immediately reminded their fellow Terrapins that they will be the leaders of this team. You want to see that continue tomorrow, but we need to see a 3rd join them as an option you can regularly rely on. To me that player has to be Cliff Tucker. In the exhibition tomorrow, and in the 2K Sports Regional Round games vs. Seattle, College of Charleston, and Maine it is important that Tucker gets established as a scorer.
Answer 5) You got the games you expected from Williams and Mosley, and most importantly Tucker had an excellent outing. Tucker finished with 15 points, 10 assists, 0 turnovers, 4 steals, and a block. I fully expect Tucker will average 10-12 points per game. If he is closer to 13 to 15 ppg, that is a tremendous difference. The key for Tucker this season is going to be how consistent can he be? It is very important that the Terps get Tucker the ball during the upcoming 3 games to start the season.
Overall Notes:
When you win by 48 points, there are going to be plenty of positives. Maryland handled the boards like they should have (55-33), had 10 blocks, and 13 steals.
The production of Palsson so far has been the surprise to me. He produced in the scrimmage with four 3's, and he chipped in two more last night in the exhibition. 8 points, 5 boards from him is interesting. If he continues to hit shots from outside, he will find minutes on the floor when other teams go zone against the Terps.
The only real negative of the night is the poor free-throw shooting (18 for 30). As I mentioned, Stoglin though was 5 for 5. If that is indicative of things to come, he might find himself with the ball in his hands at the end of close games.
There are only so many things you can take away from an exhibition rout against inferior competition. While fun to think about, the transitive relation argument of Florida Southern competing with Butler (70-50 loss Saturday night) has limited to no value in reality.
However, there are a couple of things to take note of.
Prior to the game, some of the things I was looking for were:
Question 1) PG play with Bowie, Howard, and Stoglin. How do they set-up the offense? How do they handle pressure?
Answer 1) Bowie got just over 20 minutes, which is about the playing time I am expecting to see from him this year. He finished with 15 points, 6 assists, 3 turnovers, and 5 steals. I expect Bowie to have trouble as a PG, if he is asked to work against zones and in 1/2 court-sets. If he gets the opportunity to play up and down games, and run; he is going to be productive.
Howard was the first-guard off the bench, and while he did not score - he did finish with 5 assists, vs. just 1 turnover. Stoglin built off his strong outing in the scrimmage, with 9 points (5 for 5 from the line), and 4 boards. In reverse of Howard, Stoglin had 5 turnovers vs. just 1 assist.
Coach Williams has 3 different options who are each going to provide some-level of production. That is the key point to take away here.
Question 2) The game does not figure to be close at the end, so asking who handles the ball down the stretch really will be hard to judge tomorrow. I will be interested to see who Coach Williams puts on the floor to start the 2nd-half. He has talked about using multiple lineups, so that bears watching.
Answer 2) I have not confirmed it, but it appears that Williams had his initial starting lineup of Bowie, Tucker, Mosley, Gregory, and Williams back on the floor to start the 2nd-half. I personally like this, and would like to see this continue. The question that will be answered over-time, is who is on the floor at the end of close games?
Question 3) We keep hearing about improved athleticism, and a team that will spend more time pressing (and using the press to run and jump-start the offense), does that show tomorrow?
Answer 3) Every report from last night talks about the athleticism that was on display from the Terrapins. The fact this is noticeable to everyone, including to the returning players is important. I understand that even a good Division 2 team (FSU returns 4 starters, was 25-5 last-year, 13-3 in their Sunshine State Conference, and a preseason #5 overall in D2) does not have the athleticism, size, or depth to compete with a Major-Conference Division 1 team. Still, Maryland going on a 45-7 run based on their ability to run and pressure the ball is a very good sign. When/if this team struggles in 1/2 court sets, or shooting against a zone-defense, they should have the ability to pressure the ball and manufacture their offense through their defense.
Question 4) I'm very interested to see the play at PF tomorrow with Gregory, Padgett and to a lesser extent Pankey. The way Gregory and Padgett are going to help the Terps this year, is on the glass and by blocking shots. With their height/size and athletic advantages over the Mocs, this match-up should be exploited tomorrow.
Answer 4) 9 points, 7 boards, 2 blocks for Gregory in 22 mts. If Gregory gives the Terps this on a regular-basis, MD will be a difficult game for anyone. Padgett was the first big off the bench, and had 5 points, 5 boards (4 offensive) in 13 minutes. It is a bit surprising to me that Padgett had zero blocks during his time on the floor. Pankey got 10 minutes of his own, and also had 5 pts, and 5 boards. It seems clear that Pankey is healthy enough, to give you roughly the same production that Padgett provided last-year. That is an improvement to the bench.
I believe the 14 minutes of action that Weijs got last-night came mostly at Center behind Williams, but I do not want to ignore his contribution. There are multiple positive reports to be found all over the web of how well he ran the floor. 5 boards, and 4 blocks is excellent production from him (as is the 14 minutes of play). For two seasons Maryland has received nothing from Goins. The addition of Weijs over Goins is another improvement to the bench.
Question 5) Jordan Williams and Sean Mosley stepped-up yesterday in the scrimmage and immediately reminded their fellow Terrapins that they will be the leaders of this team. You want to see that continue tomorrow, but we need to see a 3rd join them as an option you can regularly rely on. To me that player has to be Cliff Tucker. In the exhibition tomorrow, and in the 2K Sports Regional Round games vs. Seattle, College of Charleston, and Maine it is important that Tucker gets established as a scorer.
Answer 5) You got the games you expected from Williams and Mosley, and most importantly Tucker had an excellent outing. Tucker finished with 15 points, 10 assists, 0 turnovers, 4 steals, and a block. I fully expect Tucker will average 10-12 points per game. If he is closer to 13 to 15 ppg, that is a tremendous difference. The key for Tucker this season is going to be how consistent can he be? It is very important that the Terps get Tucker the ball during the upcoming 3 games to start the season.
Overall Notes:
When you win by 48 points, there are going to be plenty of positives. Maryland handled the boards like they should have (55-33), had 10 blocks, and 13 steals.
The production of Palsson so far has been the surprise to me. He produced in the scrimmage with four 3's, and he chipped in two more last night in the exhibition. 8 points, 5 boards from him is interesting. If he continues to hit shots from outside, he will find minutes on the floor when other teams go zone against the Terps.
The only real negative of the night is the poor free-throw shooting (18 for 30). As I mentioned, Stoglin though was 5 for 5. If that is indicative of things to come, he might find himself with the ball in his hands at the end of close games.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Terps Exhibition vs. Florida Southern Tomorrow
After a public scrimmage yesterday, the University of Terrapins will play their lone exhibition against Division 2 power Florida Southern tomorrow night.
If you did not see it, here is a good recap of the scrimmage from the Terps official site:
http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/103010aaa.html
Florida Southern should provide some good practice for the Terps. The Mocs were 25-5 overall last season, and 13-3 in the Sunshine State Conference. They have been picked to finish 2nd in the SSC this year, as they return 4 starters.
Last night FSU played without their best returning scorer (Rion Rayfield, 15.3 ppg), and were competitive in a 90-70 exhibition loss to National Runner-up Butler. At half-time the Mocs were down just 7 points (52-45) before Butler went on a 19-4 run. For the game, Butler won on the boards 41-35, and forced 15 turnovers. It will be interesting to see how Maryland does in those categories.
If Rayfield is able to play, FSU will start a 3 guard lineup. The other two guards are the brothers Terry Jenkins (12.7 ppg), and Brandon Jenkins (12.2 ppg). The Florida Southern web-site touts Andre Hawkins (6'7, 225 lbs) as a defensive 'ace'. Not a ton of height for the Mocs, as Hawkins is one of three players that is 6'7, and they have one other player that is 6'8.
Clearly what matters tomorrow is not who Maryland faces, but how the Terps use the 40 minutes of playing-time to improve.
A couple of things I will be looking for:
1) PG play with Bowie, Howard, and Stoglin. How do they set-up the offense? How do they handle pressure?
2) The game does not figure to be close at the end, so asking who handles the ball down the stretch really will be hard to judge tomorrow. I will be interested to see who Coach Williams puts on the floor to start the 2nd-half. He has talked about using multiple lineups, so that bears watching.
3) We keep hearing about improved athleticism, and a team that will spend more time pressing (and using the press to run and jump-start the offense), does that show tomorrow?
4) I'm very interested to see the play at PF tomorrow with Gregory, Padgett and to a lesser extent Pankey. The way Gregory and Padgett are going to help the Terps this year, is on the glass and by blocking shots. With their height/size and athletic advantages over the Mocs, this match-up should be exploited tomorrow.
5) Jordan Williams and Sean Mosley stepped-up yesterday in the scrimmage and immediately reminded their fellow Terrapins that they will be the leaders of this team. You want to see that continue tomorrow, but we need to see a 3rd join them as an option you can regularly rely on. To me that player has to be Cliff Tucker. In the exhibition tomorrow, and in the 2K Sports Regional Round games vs. Seattle, College of Charleston, and Maine it is important that Tucker gets established as a scorer.
If you did not see it, here is a good recap of the scrimmage from the Terps official site:
http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/103010aaa.html
Florida Southern should provide some good practice for the Terps. The Mocs were 25-5 overall last season, and 13-3 in the Sunshine State Conference. They have been picked to finish 2nd in the SSC this year, as they return 4 starters.
Last night FSU played without their best returning scorer (Rion Rayfield, 15.3 ppg), and were competitive in a 90-70 exhibition loss to National Runner-up Butler. At half-time the Mocs were down just 7 points (52-45) before Butler went on a 19-4 run. For the game, Butler won on the boards 41-35, and forced 15 turnovers. It will be interesting to see how Maryland does in those categories.
If Rayfield is able to play, FSU will start a 3 guard lineup. The other two guards are the brothers Terry Jenkins (12.7 ppg), and Brandon Jenkins (12.2 ppg). The Florida Southern web-site touts Andre Hawkins (6'7, 225 lbs) as a defensive 'ace'. Not a ton of height for the Mocs, as Hawkins is one of three players that is 6'7, and they have one other player that is 6'8.
Clearly what matters tomorrow is not who Maryland faces, but how the Terps use the 40 minutes of playing-time to improve.
A couple of things I will be looking for:
1) PG play with Bowie, Howard, and Stoglin. How do they set-up the offense? How do they handle pressure?
2) The game does not figure to be close at the end, so asking who handles the ball down the stretch really will be hard to judge tomorrow. I will be interested to see who Coach Williams puts on the floor to start the 2nd-half. He has talked about using multiple lineups, so that bears watching.
3) We keep hearing about improved athleticism, and a team that will spend more time pressing (and using the press to run and jump-start the offense), does that show tomorrow?
4) I'm very interested to see the play at PF tomorrow with Gregory, Padgett and to a lesser extent Pankey. The way Gregory and Padgett are going to help the Terps this year, is on the glass and by blocking shots. With their height/size and athletic advantages over the Mocs, this match-up should be exploited tomorrow.
5) Jordan Williams and Sean Mosley stepped-up yesterday in the scrimmage and immediately reminded their fellow Terrapins that they will be the leaders of this team. You want to see that continue tomorrow, but we need to see a 3rd join them as an option you can regularly rely on. To me that player has to be Cliff Tucker. In the exhibition tomorrow, and in the 2K Sports Regional Round games vs. Seattle, College of Charleston, and Maine it is important that Tucker gets established as a scorer.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Faust verbals to MD; Some Quick Thoughts
The University of Maryland has received the verbal of 2011 SG Nick Faust. The local Baltimore (City College) product is ranked as a Top 25 recruit by all services.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/basketball/recruiting/player-Desmond-Hubert-87011
Assuming Faust follows through on his verbal, with his Letter of Intent next-month, we are looking at a 2010-11 roster as follows:
1) Howard, Gibbs
2) Faust, Stoglin
3) Mosley, Parker, Palsson
4) Padgett, Pankey
5) Williams, Weijs
Thoughts on Faust's verbal:
1) You have to love the immediate positive dividends received from hiring Assistant Coach Bino Ranson. Ranson was brought in to help with Baltimore recruiting, and he has helped secure the best recruit in the area, and one of the best in the Nation.
1a) While Ranson will receive deserved accolades for this addition, the entire staff deserves credit as well.
2) Maryland has all of the components necessary for legitimate National title runs during the '11-'12, and '12-'13 seasons. The Terps are absolutely loaded at the guard and wing positions. There are positive options at PF, and Center is obviously locked with Williams. Plus the Front-Court will gain further depth with another signing or two for this class.
3) The Terps have multiple positive options existing for Front-Court additions with Baru, Space, Lewis, and Hubert. Get any of the two of them and you have inked a very strong class.
Baru
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=4914407
Space
http://rivals.yahoo.com/texashoops/basketball/recruiting/player-Antwan-Space-99381
Lewis
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/recruiting/2010/06/st_frances_greg_lewis_holds_his_own_at_top_100_camp.html
Hubert
http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/basketball/recruiting/player-Desmond-Hubert-87011
4) I think the arrival of Faust only makes it more likely that Jordan Williams stays a Terp for the duration of his eligibility. Maybe the lure of NBA dollars will get him at some-point, but unless he is projected as a Lottery pick after his Sophomore or Junior seasons, I think he will return.
5) I listed Faust as the starter at the 2G above, but clearly that will not be a foregone conclusion. Stoglin could push him, or Parker and Mosley could share the 2 and 3 positions.
6) Maryland is going to be noticeably more athletic in 2010-11 vs. the previous couple of seasons. That is only to be increased when Faust arrives.
7) It is funny how things work out. If Terrence Ross had honored his verbal to Maryland last-year, the Terps would not have brought Howard on-board. As excellent as Ross figures to be, Howard appears to be a positive addition in his own right. Howard figures to get plenty of playing time this year at the PG position, which is something Ross was not going to help with. Ross's minutes would have primarily been at the 2G position, and if that had occurred; Faust may not have wanted to sign with Maryland.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/basketball/recruiting/player-Desmond-Hubert-87011
Assuming Faust follows through on his verbal, with his Letter of Intent next-month, we are looking at a 2010-11 roster as follows:
1) Howard, Gibbs
2) Faust, Stoglin
3) Mosley, Parker, Palsson
4) Padgett, Pankey
5) Williams, Weijs
Thoughts on Faust's verbal:
1) You have to love the immediate positive dividends received from hiring Assistant Coach Bino Ranson. Ranson was brought in to help with Baltimore recruiting, and he has helped secure the best recruit in the area, and one of the best in the Nation.
1a) While Ranson will receive deserved accolades for this addition, the entire staff deserves credit as well.
2) Maryland has all of the components necessary for legitimate National title runs during the '11-'12, and '12-'13 seasons. The Terps are absolutely loaded at the guard and wing positions. There are positive options at PF, and Center is obviously locked with Williams. Plus the Front-Court will gain further depth with another signing or two for this class.
3) The Terps have multiple positive options existing for Front-Court additions with Baru, Space, Lewis, and Hubert. Get any of the two of them and you have inked a very strong class.
Baru
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=4914407
Space
http://rivals.yahoo.com/texashoops/basketball/recruiting/player-Antwan-Space-99381
Lewis
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/recruiting/2010/06/st_frances_greg_lewis_holds_his_own_at_top_100_camp.html
Hubert
http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/basketball/recruiting/player-Desmond-Hubert-87011
4) I think the arrival of Faust only makes it more likely that Jordan Williams stays a Terp for the duration of his eligibility. Maybe the lure of NBA dollars will get him at some-point, but unless he is projected as a Lottery pick after his Sophomore or Junior seasons, I think he will return.
5) I listed Faust as the starter at the 2G above, but clearly that will not be a foregone conclusion. Stoglin could push him, or Parker and Mosley could share the 2 and 3 positions.
6) Maryland is going to be noticeably more athletic in 2010-11 vs. the previous couple of seasons. That is only to be increased when Faust arrives.
7) It is funny how things work out. If Terrence Ross had honored his verbal to Maryland last-year, the Terps would not have brought Howard on-board. As excellent as Ross figures to be, Howard appears to be a positive addition in his own right. Howard figures to get plenty of playing time this year at the PG position, which is something Ross was not going to help with. Ross's minutes would have primarily been at the 2G position, and if that had occurred; Faust may not have wanted to sign with Maryland.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Duke the obvious favorite, but MD well positioned to surprise
Duke is the defending National Champion, and figures to be even more physically imposing during this 2010-11 season.
The Blue Devils lose Jon Scheyer's 18 points per game, the bulk of Brian Zoubek, and the offensive rebounding and defense of Lance Thomas. Still, they return plenty and have added talent as well. Kyle Singer, and Nolan Smith both averaged over 17 points a game, and are poised for even bigger Senior seasons. The Plumlee brothers are skilled, with the younger Mason being the better athlete. They represent good options to step-up and replace Zoubek, and Thomas. Freshman Joshua Hairston (Montrose Christian - Vasquez, Bowie) was a a Top 20 recruit, and should contribute to the rotation immediately.
The strength of this Duke team is going to be their guards. After Smith, you have Sophomore Andre Dawkins who received good playing-time during the year (12.6 minutes), and knocked down 37.9% of his 3 point attempts. While his minutes were significantly cut during the NCAA Tournament, I expect they will be increased this coming season. Dawkins will have plenty of competition for minutes though from Freshman Kyrie Irving, and Sophomore transfer Seth Curry. Irving is recognized as one of the Top 5 recruits in the Country and is supposed to have an explosive first-step. While you respected Scheyer's all-around game, you were never going to be wowed by him as an athlete. Curry (the younger brother of NBA star Stephen), officially joins Duke after sitting out last-year due to transfer. In his Freshman season with Liberty (Big South), he averaged 20 points a game (including 26 at Virginia, and 24 at Clemson). With a year to prepare in Coach K's system, he is going to be ready to produce from Day 1. Freshman Tyler Thorton (Gonzaga, D.C.) is going to struggle to find minutes, but not due to a lack of skills.
Quite obviously that is a very-good Duke team, and it is clear to see why they are seen as the favorites in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and Nationally. With their combination of talent, game experience, and having won last-year; you would expect them to win 13-14 games in ACC play.
I do not expect Maryland to match that, but I do think the Terps are being underrated by many.
As I review the prognostications of National college writers, the consensus is that after Duke, there is not a lot within the ACC. The order varies, but most people are picking North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, and Florida State as the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th best teams in the league.
When the writers get around to talking about Maryland, they do so with the Terps as an afterthought. I guess part of me enjoys that. There are a lot of players on the Maryland roster with something to prove, and lowered expectations are only going to motivate them further to prove themselves. Gary Williams talked at-length last-year about how hard that team had worked in the off-season as preparation for the year. So it was very telling last-night when Williams stated this group of Terrapins had worked even harder.
The defending Regular Season Co-Champion of the ACC, and the last team to have beat Duke is not going to roll over quietly. There are too many questions existing to believe Maryland can again compete with Duke for the Conference title. There are enough answers existing though to believe the Terps can win 10-11 games in league-play, and be a very dangerous team next March.
If Duke is the accepted best, than you have to feel good about the Terps. It is possible that Singler stays at the 3, but I expect him to probably spend more time at the 4 this season. That will allow Duke to have Irving, Curry, and Smith on the court together. It also gives Duke better depth in their front-court.
2010-11 Blue Devils:
1) Irving,Thorton
2) Curry, Dawkins
3) Smith
4) Singler, Hairston, Kelly
5) Ma.Plumlee, Mi. Plumlee
2010-11 Terps:
1) Bowie (Senior), Howard (Frosh)
2) Tucker (Senior), Stoglin (Frosh)
3) Mosley (Junior), Parker (Frosh), Palsson (Frosh)
4) Gregory (Senior), Padgett (Soph), Pankey (Frosh)
5) Williams (Soph), Weijs (Junior)
Irving, Curry, Smith > Bowie, Tucker, Mosley
Thorton, Dawkins = Howard, Stoglin, Parker, Palsson
Singler, Ma. Plumlee = Gregory, Williams
Hairston, Mi. Plumlee, Kelly = Padgett, Weijs, Pankey
The Blue Devils lose Jon Scheyer's 18 points per game, the bulk of Brian Zoubek, and the offensive rebounding and defense of Lance Thomas. Still, they return plenty and have added talent as well. Kyle Singer, and Nolan Smith both averaged over 17 points a game, and are poised for even bigger Senior seasons. The Plumlee brothers are skilled, with the younger Mason being the better athlete. They represent good options to step-up and replace Zoubek, and Thomas. Freshman Joshua Hairston (Montrose Christian - Vasquez, Bowie) was a a Top 20 recruit, and should contribute to the rotation immediately.
The strength of this Duke team is going to be their guards. After Smith, you have Sophomore Andre Dawkins who received good playing-time during the year (12.6 minutes), and knocked down 37.9% of his 3 point attempts. While his minutes were significantly cut during the NCAA Tournament, I expect they will be increased this coming season. Dawkins will have plenty of competition for minutes though from Freshman Kyrie Irving, and Sophomore transfer Seth Curry. Irving is recognized as one of the Top 5 recruits in the Country and is supposed to have an explosive first-step. While you respected Scheyer's all-around game, you were never going to be wowed by him as an athlete. Curry (the younger brother of NBA star Stephen), officially joins Duke after sitting out last-year due to transfer. In his Freshman season with Liberty (Big South), he averaged 20 points a game (including 26 at Virginia, and 24 at Clemson). With a year to prepare in Coach K's system, he is going to be ready to produce from Day 1. Freshman Tyler Thorton (Gonzaga, D.C.) is going to struggle to find minutes, but not due to a lack of skills.
Quite obviously that is a very-good Duke team, and it is clear to see why they are seen as the favorites in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and Nationally. With their combination of talent, game experience, and having won last-year; you would expect them to win 13-14 games in ACC play.
I do not expect Maryland to match that, but I do think the Terps are being underrated by many.
As I review the prognostications of National college writers, the consensus is that after Duke, there is not a lot within the ACC. The order varies, but most people are picking North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, and Florida State as the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th best teams in the league.
When the writers get around to talking about Maryland, they do so with the Terps as an afterthought. I guess part of me enjoys that. There are a lot of players on the Maryland roster with something to prove, and lowered expectations are only going to motivate them further to prove themselves. Gary Williams talked at-length last-year about how hard that team had worked in the off-season as preparation for the year. So it was very telling last-night when Williams stated this group of Terrapins had worked even harder.
The defending Regular Season Co-Champion of the ACC, and the last team to have beat Duke is not going to roll over quietly. There are too many questions existing to believe Maryland can again compete with Duke for the Conference title. There are enough answers existing though to believe the Terps can win 10-11 games in league-play, and be a very dangerous team next March.
If Duke is the accepted best, than you have to feel good about the Terps. It is possible that Singler stays at the 3, but I expect him to probably spend more time at the 4 this season. That will allow Duke to have Irving, Curry, and Smith on the court together. It also gives Duke better depth in their front-court.
2010-11 Blue Devils:
1) Irving,Thorton
2) Curry, Dawkins
3) Smith
4) Singler, Hairston, Kelly
5) Ma.Plumlee, Mi. Plumlee
2010-11 Terps:
1) Bowie (Senior), Howard (Frosh)
2) Tucker (Senior), Stoglin (Frosh)
3) Mosley (Junior), Parker (Frosh), Palsson (Frosh)
4) Gregory (Senior), Padgett (Soph), Pankey (Frosh)
5) Williams (Soph), Weijs (Junior)
Irving, Curry, Smith > Bowie, Tucker, Mosley
Thorton, Dawkins = Howard, Stoglin, Parker, Palsson
Singler, Ma. Plumlee = Gregory, Williams
Hairston, Mi. Plumlee, Kelly = Padgett, Weijs, Pankey
Friday, October 15, 2010
Maryland Madness & my Terrapin Questions
The University of Maryland Terrapins Men's Basketball Team officially kicks of the start of their Fall Practice, with their 'Maryland Madness' event tonight.
Terp fans no longer have to think back to how Michigan State's Korie Lucious ended the Maryland season last-year.
After that March loss, I had the following questions and projections:
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/03/terps-basketball-in-2010-11.html
2010-11 Questions / Projections
1) There is a lot of hand-wringing from Maryland fans that Bowie is not a legitimate point-guard. Okay, I agree. He is SG, in a PG body. He also will be a Senior, and Gary Williams has a major bias to his 4 year players. Bowie does have good quickness, and an ability to drive. Bowie came into today, hitting 39% from 3 point-land. With 2 makes in 3 attempts today, Bowie hit 11 of his last 15 three-pointers to end the year. While his Junior year was a disappointment overall; Bowie did play his best ball to end the year. It should also be remembered that in his Sophomore year, he made 28 starts, and averaged 9 points a game.
Terrapin fans should come to grips with the idea that Bowie is going to start to at-least begin next-year. If he improves his ball-handling, and his ability to make foul-shots, he will get more than 20 minutes a game. If he does not; he will be effectively sharing the position with either Howard, or Stoglin.
2) Both Howard, and Stoglin are described first as scoring guards, as opposed to true PG's. While neither is described as a superior athlete, they are both supposed to be strong, physical, scoring threats. After prepping at Oak Hill, I believe Howard is going to be more likely to come-in and challenge Bowie early.
2a) I'm very interested to see how good of a handle both Howard, and Stoglin have; and what percentage they shoot from the foul-line. It has been a blessing being able to have Vasquez, and Hayes on the court in close-games; with their ability to control the ball, and make foul-shots under-pressure.
3) I see Jordan Williams dominating inside next-year as the lead option in the flex. He will come back to College Park even bigger, stronger, quicker - and really be set-up for a tremendous year. I do not think he will have any problem adjusting to being the main-option. If anything, I think he will thrive off of that. Where I do think he will have to adjust, is dealing with defenses sagging on him, until his teammates show an ability to consistently hit from the outside. Before Williams played a game as a Terrapin, I stated I believed he could average 8 points, and 5 boards as Freshman. In-fact, he out-produced that expectation as he averaged 9.6 points, and 8.6 rebounds. Next-year, I expect 15 & 10 per game.
4) If Williams will be the Number 1 option, Sean Mosley will be option 1a. Mosley increased his scoring from 5.3 points, to over 10 points as a Soph. He averaged over 50% from the floor, and made 39% of his shots on 7 Field Goal Attempts per game. In comparison, Vasquez averaged over 15 FGA's per game. As Mosley gets closer to those level of attempts, he should also be at 15+ points per game.
5) In his Sophomore season, Cliff Tucker averaged 20 points per game against National Champion North Carolina. In his Junior season, Tucker scored at-least 8 points 9 times. I fully expect Tucker to be a consistent scorer next-year. He has the athleticism to get to the rim (though he could learn to finish better), and shoots at a high-percentage from the floor 49.7%, and from 3 at 35.4%. There is no reason he can not replace Hayes' level of scoring (11 points per game).
6) Dino Gregory figures to get 1st-crack at the vacated PF position. Milbourne has spent the past two-years as an undersized 4. Gregory is also a bit undersized, but has better bulk than Milbourne. He does not have Milbourne's offensive-game, but should be better equipped to more regularly help rebounding, and as a defensive presence.
6a) Padgett, and Pankey will be active bigs that can run the floor, block shots, and help rebound at both the PF, and Center positions. Pankey should basically mirror what you received from Padgett this year, and Padgett should be ready to take the next-step. If Padgett shows improvement, he can push Gregory as the starting 4.
7) Stoglin and Howard are going to get plenty of minutes off the bench backing-up Bowie, and Tucker. In-fact, I think Stoglin and Howard get more minutes as the backups to Bowie, and Tucker; than Bowie, and Tucker got as backups to Vasquez, and Hayes.
7a) Parker has the potential to be a future star, and the athleticism that is going to get him time off the bench. I envision Parker getting time next-year at both the 2, and 3.
7b) I think it will be interesting to see what Maryland gets out of Palsson. Potentially, he might be the best 'shooter' on the roster. If that is the case, and he looks confident (physically and mentally), I can see him getting minutes as the zone-buster we hoped Jin-Soo Choi was going to be. If Palsson looks uncomfortable, I would not be shocked to see him Red-shirted.
8) The overall athleticism of the roster will be increased. Tucker, Gregory, Padgett, Parker, and Pankey are all very good athletes. Stoglin, Howard, Bowie, Mosley, and Williams move well, even if none of them are jump out of the gym types.
9) This should be a team that improves month-to-month. Williams, Mosley, and Tucker are going to need to carry the load early. It should again be a team that opponents do not like facing come March.
10) I can see why some will project Maryland as an NIT team, but I think the Terps will be on the right-side of the bubble, and around 10 ACC wins.
Since that point, the Terps signed 2010 JUCO Berend Weijs, and we have seen Steve Goins officially depart. This has left the Maryland roster looking like:
2010-11 Terps:
1) Bowie (Senior), Howard (Frosh)
2) Tucker (Senior), Stoglin (Frosh)
3) Mosley (Junior), Parker (Frosh), Palsson (Frosh)
4) Gregory (Senior), Padgett (Soph), Pankey (Frosh)
5) Williams (Soph), Weijs (Junior)
Here are a couple of other previous posts that look forward to this 2010-11 season:
Baltimore Sun Reports Terps Sign 2010 JUCO:
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/05/baltimore-sun-reports-terps-sign-2010.html
MD BBall Major OOC Opponents:
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/08/md-bball-major-ooc-opponents.html
Terps Basketball Schedule & Predictions:
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/09/terps-basketball-schedule-predictions.html
Terp fans no longer have to think back to how Michigan State's Korie Lucious ended the Maryland season last-year.
After that March loss, I had the following questions and projections:
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/03/terps-basketball-in-2010-11.html
2010-11 Questions / Projections
1) There is a lot of hand-wringing from Maryland fans that Bowie is not a legitimate point-guard. Okay, I agree. He is SG, in a PG body. He also will be a Senior, and Gary Williams has a major bias to his 4 year players. Bowie does have good quickness, and an ability to drive. Bowie came into today, hitting 39% from 3 point-land. With 2 makes in 3 attempts today, Bowie hit 11 of his last 15 three-pointers to end the year. While his Junior year was a disappointment overall; Bowie did play his best ball to end the year. It should also be remembered that in his Sophomore year, he made 28 starts, and averaged 9 points a game.
Terrapin fans should come to grips with the idea that Bowie is going to start to at-least begin next-year. If he improves his ball-handling, and his ability to make foul-shots, he will get more than 20 minutes a game. If he does not; he will be effectively sharing the position with either Howard, or Stoglin.
2) Both Howard, and Stoglin are described first as scoring guards, as opposed to true PG's. While neither is described as a superior athlete, they are both supposed to be strong, physical, scoring threats. After prepping at Oak Hill, I believe Howard is going to be more likely to come-in and challenge Bowie early.
2a) I'm very interested to see how good of a handle both Howard, and Stoglin have; and what percentage they shoot from the foul-line. It has been a blessing being able to have Vasquez, and Hayes on the court in close-games; with their ability to control the ball, and make foul-shots under-pressure.
3) I see Jordan Williams dominating inside next-year as the lead option in the flex. He will come back to College Park even bigger, stronger, quicker - and really be set-up for a tremendous year. I do not think he will have any problem adjusting to being the main-option. If anything, I think he will thrive off of that. Where I do think he will have to adjust, is dealing with defenses sagging on him, until his teammates show an ability to consistently hit from the outside. Before Williams played a game as a Terrapin, I stated I believed he could average 8 points, and 5 boards as Freshman. In-fact, he out-produced that expectation as he averaged 9.6 points, and 8.6 rebounds. Next-year, I expect 15 & 10 per game.
4) If Williams will be the Number 1 option, Sean Mosley will be option 1a. Mosley increased his scoring from 5.3 points, to over 10 points as a Soph. He averaged over 50% from the floor, and made 39% of his shots on 7 Field Goal Attempts per game. In comparison, Vasquez averaged over 15 FGA's per game. As Mosley gets closer to those level of attempts, he should also be at 15+ points per game.
5) In his Sophomore season, Cliff Tucker averaged 20 points per game against National Champion North Carolina. In his Junior season, Tucker scored at-least 8 points 9 times. I fully expect Tucker to be a consistent scorer next-year. He has the athleticism to get to the rim (though he could learn to finish better), and shoots at a high-percentage from the floor 49.7%, and from 3 at 35.4%. There is no reason he can not replace Hayes' level of scoring (11 points per game).
6) Dino Gregory figures to get 1st-crack at the vacated PF position. Milbourne has spent the past two-years as an undersized 4. Gregory is also a bit undersized, but has better bulk than Milbourne. He does not have Milbourne's offensive-game, but should be better equipped to more regularly help rebounding, and as a defensive presence.
6a) Padgett, and Pankey will be active bigs that can run the floor, block shots, and help rebound at both the PF, and Center positions. Pankey should basically mirror what you received from Padgett this year, and Padgett should be ready to take the next-step. If Padgett shows improvement, he can push Gregory as the starting 4.
7) Stoglin and Howard are going to get plenty of minutes off the bench backing-up Bowie, and Tucker. In-fact, I think Stoglin and Howard get more minutes as the backups to Bowie, and Tucker; than Bowie, and Tucker got as backups to Vasquez, and Hayes.
7a) Parker has the potential to be a future star, and the athleticism that is going to get him time off the bench. I envision Parker getting time next-year at both the 2, and 3.
7b) I think it will be interesting to see what Maryland gets out of Palsson. Potentially, he might be the best 'shooter' on the roster. If that is the case, and he looks confident (physically and mentally), I can see him getting minutes as the zone-buster we hoped Jin-Soo Choi was going to be. If Palsson looks uncomfortable, I would not be shocked to see him Red-shirted.
8) The overall athleticism of the roster will be increased. Tucker, Gregory, Padgett, Parker, and Pankey are all very good athletes. Stoglin, Howard, Bowie, Mosley, and Williams move well, even if none of them are jump out of the gym types.
9) This should be a team that improves month-to-month. Williams, Mosley, and Tucker are going to need to carry the load early. It should again be a team that opponents do not like facing come March.
10) I can see why some will project Maryland as an NIT team, but I think the Terps will be on the right-side of the bubble, and around 10 ACC wins.
Since that point, the Terps signed 2010 JUCO Berend Weijs, and we have seen Steve Goins officially depart. This has left the Maryland roster looking like:
2010-11 Terps:
1) Bowie (Senior), Howard (Frosh)
2) Tucker (Senior), Stoglin (Frosh)
3) Mosley (Junior), Parker (Frosh), Palsson (Frosh)
4) Gregory (Senior), Padgett (Soph), Pankey (Frosh)
5) Williams (Soph), Weijs (Junior)
Here are a couple of other previous posts that look forward to this 2010-11 season:
Baltimore Sun Reports Terps Sign 2010 JUCO:
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/05/baltimore-sun-reports-terps-sign-2010.html
MD BBall Major OOC Opponents:
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/08/md-bball-major-ooc-opponents.html
Terps Basketball Schedule & Predictions:
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/09/terps-basketball-schedule-predictions.html
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Will Maryland land Nick Faust?
As reported yesterday by Matt Bracken and The Baltimore Sun, the University of Maryland is hosting Baltimore's (City) Nick Faust this weekend.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/recruiting/2010/09/weekly_recruiting_roundup_147.html
While the Terps are getting ready to host a football game, the potential addition of Faust to the Terps basketball program is the biggest story today in College Park.
Here are scouting reports from Scout.com, Rivals.com, and ESPN:
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=4897535
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Nick-Faust-111435
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/player?id=113234&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmens-college-basketball%2frecruiting%2fplayer%3fid%3d113234
Faust is one of the best guards in the Country, which of course makes getting his commitment a priority. The fact that he is the best player in Baltimore brings a further sense of urgency to his recruitment.
If you add Faust to Howard, Stoglin, Parker, and Gibbs - that is going to be a group of guards capable of matching-up with everyone for years to come.
Assistant Coaches Bino Ranson, and Keith Booth have done their job selling Maryland to the Baltimore product. Head Coach Gary Williams made an in-person emotional pitch. Now Faust has to visit and decide if College Park is where he wants to be.
Getting past Faust for a second, I do not mean to downplay the significance of getting Johnny O'Bryant to visit. The 6'10 PF is ranked as the 13th best player in the 2011 class by ESPN. Unless Faust verbals, and O'Bryant decides he wants to join his friend; I am not envisioning his commitment this weekend.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/recruiting/2010/09/weekly_recruiting_roundup_147.html
While the Terps are getting ready to host a football game, the potential addition of Faust to the Terps basketball program is the biggest story today in College Park.
Here are scouting reports from Scout.com, Rivals.com, and ESPN:
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=4897535
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Nick-Faust-111435
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/player?id=113234&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmens-college-basketball%2frecruiting%2fplayer%3fid%3d113234
Faust is one of the best guards in the Country, which of course makes getting his commitment a priority. The fact that he is the best player in Baltimore brings a further sense of urgency to his recruitment.
If you add Faust to Howard, Stoglin, Parker, and Gibbs - that is going to be a group of guards capable of matching-up with everyone for years to come.
Assistant Coaches Bino Ranson, and Keith Booth have done their job selling Maryland to the Baltimore product. Head Coach Gary Williams made an in-person emotional pitch. Now Faust has to visit and decide if College Park is where he wants to be.
Getting past Faust for a second, I do not mean to downplay the significance of getting Johnny O'Bryant to visit. The 6'10 PF is ranked as the 13th best player in the 2011 class by ESPN. Unless Faust verbals, and O'Bryant decides he wants to join his friend; I am not envisioning his commitment this weekend.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
MD Names New AD & Gary Williams is happy
As shown in the Washington Post piece linked below, the University of Maryland is set to name Army's Athletic Director Kevin Anderson as the new Terrapin A.D. shortly:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/terrapins-insider/2010/09/armys_kevin_anderson_to_be_nam.html
Around the web, the news was greeted by many Terps fans with a shrug as Anderson had not appeared on many public short-lists.
My initial honest reaction was that it was a big jump from the Athletic Department of Army to that of Maryland. That said, it took a fair minimal amount of digging to see this is a guy that was previously the Director of Annual Giving for Stanford's Athletic Department, Director of External Operations at Oregon State (with responsibility of overseeing the Football, Men's Basketball, and Baseball programs) and spent time at California as an Executive Associate Athletic Director.
This means he has previously been in leadership positions with three Pac-10 Universities, which should help alleviate any apprehension from Terrapin fans. If there is any residual apprehension from Terp fans, I suggest they review the comments this afternoon from Gary Williams, as quoted in the Baltimore Sun:
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/maryland_terps/blog/2010/09/gary_williams_calls_anderson_a_coachs_ad.html
"If you're a coach, you got the feeling he is a coach’s AD," said Williams, who leads Maryland's biggest revenue-producing sport. "He would look for the department to be unified. I always looked at the department as a team," Williams said. He recognizes the need for basketball to be successful."
So there is the bottom-line. Gary Williams is happy, which means everyone else associated with the Terps should be as well. It will be interesting to follow this story, and see what comments Anderson makes about the Football program. I would imagine that he will be spending some-time in assessment period, with the Football team and MD Athletic Program in-general.
It should also be noted that Williams was on the search committee responsible for finding a new AD. As were Brenda Frese (Women's Basketball), Sasho Cirovski (Men's Soccer), Len Elmore, and Kevin Plank (Under Armour). Anderson is coming-in to this program with existing buy-in from the stakeholders that matter. It is also good to hear that the incoming University President Dr. Loh was able to give his opinion.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/terrapins-insider/2010/09/armys_kevin_anderson_to_be_nam.html
Around the web, the news was greeted by many Terps fans with a shrug as Anderson had not appeared on many public short-lists.
My initial honest reaction was that it was a big jump from the Athletic Department of Army to that of Maryland. That said, it took a fair minimal amount of digging to see this is a guy that was previously the Director of Annual Giving for Stanford's Athletic Department, Director of External Operations at Oregon State (with responsibility of overseeing the Football, Men's Basketball, and Baseball programs) and spent time at California as an Executive Associate Athletic Director.
This means he has previously been in leadership positions with three Pac-10 Universities, which should help alleviate any apprehension from Terrapin fans. If there is any residual apprehension from Terp fans, I suggest they review the comments this afternoon from Gary Williams, as quoted in the Baltimore Sun:
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/maryland_terps/blog/2010/09/gary_williams_calls_anderson_a_coachs_ad.html
"If you're a coach, you got the feeling he is a coach’s AD," said Williams, who leads Maryland's biggest revenue-producing sport. "He would look for the department to be unified. I always looked at the department as a team," Williams said. He recognizes the need for basketball to be successful."
So there is the bottom-line. Gary Williams is happy, which means everyone else associated with the Terps should be as well. It will be interesting to follow this story, and see what comments Anderson makes about the Football program. I would imagine that he will be spending some-time in assessment period, with the Football team and MD Athletic Program in-general.
It should also be noted that Williams was on the search committee responsible for finding a new AD. As were Brenda Frese (Women's Basketball), Sasho Cirovski (Men's Soccer), Len Elmore, and Kevin Plank (Under Armour). Anderson is coming-in to this program with existing buy-in from the stakeholders that matter. It is also good to hear that the incoming University President Dr. Loh was able to give his opinion.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Terps Basketball Schedule & Predictions
The University of Maryland has released their 2010-11 Men's Basketball Schedule this afternoon.
http://www.umterps.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/md/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/1011MBKSked
There are no surprises here, just official confirmation that MD will face Villanova in Philadelphia. Here is link to our post from the other day which provides previews on Maryland's Major Out-of-conference opponents (Pittsburgh, Illinois or Texas, Penn State, Temple, and Villanova).
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/08/md-bball-major-ooc-opponents.html
Quite the gauntlet of Pennsylvania teams.
Here is the full schedule and my initial prediction of results:
November 8th vs. Seattle - W
November 10th vs. College of Charleston - W
November 14th vs. Maine - W
November 18th vs. Pittsburgh @ Madison Square Garden - L
November 19th vs. Illinois / Texas at MSG - W
November 23rd vs. Delaware St - W
November 26th vs. Elon - W
December 1st @ Penn State - W
December 5th vs. Temple @ Verizon Center - W
December 8th vs. UNC-Greensboro - W
December 12th vs. Boston College - W
December 22nd vs. NJIT - W
December 29th vs. North Florida - W
January 4th vs. Colgate - W
January 9th @ Duke - L
January 12th @ Wake Forest - W
January 15th @ Villanova - L
January 20th vs. Virginia Tech - W
January 22nd vs. Clemson - W
January 27th @ Virginia - W
January 30th @ Georgia Tech - L
February 2nd vs. Duke - W
February 5th vs. Wake Forest - W
February 9th vs. Longwood - W
February 12th @ Boston College - W
February 15th @ Virginia Tech - L
February 20th vs. NCST - W
February 23rd vs Florida State - W
February 27th @ UNC - L
March 2nd @ Miami - L
March 5th vs Virginia - W
=24-7 overall, 11-5 in the ACC
http://www.umterps.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/md/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/1011MBKSked
There are no surprises here, just official confirmation that MD will face Villanova in Philadelphia. Here is link to our post from the other day which provides previews on Maryland's Major Out-of-conference opponents (Pittsburgh, Illinois or Texas, Penn State, Temple, and Villanova).
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/08/md-bball-major-ooc-opponents.html
Quite the gauntlet of Pennsylvania teams.
Here is the full schedule and my initial prediction of results:
November 8th vs. Seattle - W
November 10th vs. College of Charleston - W
November 14th vs. Maine - W
November 18th vs. Pittsburgh @ Madison Square Garden - L
November 19th vs. Illinois / Texas at MSG - W
November 23rd vs. Delaware St - W
November 26th vs. Elon - W
December 1st @ Penn State - W
December 5th vs. Temple @ Verizon Center - W
December 8th vs. UNC-Greensboro - W
December 12th vs. Boston College - W
December 22nd vs. NJIT - W
December 29th vs. North Florida - W
January 4th vs. Colgate - W
January 9th @ Duke - L
January 12th @ Wake Forest - W
January 15th @ Villanova - L
January 20th vs. Virginia Tech - W
January 22nd vs. Clemson - W
January 27th @ Virginia - W
January 30th @ Georgia Tech - L
February 2nd vs. Duke - W
February 5th vs. Wake Forest - W
February 9th vs. Longwood - W
February 12th @ Boston College - W
February 15th @ Virginia Tech - L
February 20th vs. NCST - W
February 23rd vs Florida State - W
February 27th @ UNC - L
March 2nd @ Miami - L
March 5th vs Virginia - W
=24-7 overall, 11-5 in the ACC
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
