SB Nation - Maryland Terrapins

Maryland Minute 12.22.09 - Notes from the Winston-Salem Win

Ben Goldstein — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:53:31 -0000

If Greivis thinks his slump his permanently over, I believe him.

Gary Williams' Rx for Terps' ACC season -- baltimoresun.com

Nice article on what Gary feels the team needs to work on between now and the ACC season.

Max Garcia Talks Terp Commitment - Bracken

Good read here. Sounds like the main reason he came to Maryland was the journalism program, and I can't blame him. Hopefully he's successful here and can find a job with CSN or ESPN as a CFB analyst one day. - Ben B.

Tianna Hawkins Named ACC Freshman of the Week

The recognition comes after recording the third double-double of her young career. We could have a star in the making here with Hawkins. She leads the nation in field goal percentage...as a freshman.

Montrose Upset by Neumann-Goretti

Ross had 15 points on 6-21 shooting; Justin Anderson fouled out. - Ben B.

Early Lacrosse Rankings: Maryland at 8 - Lacrosse Mag

Seems low for the men. Maryland women at 2, which is good, and Caitlyn McFadden (a Terp) is preseason POY for them. - Ben B.

Young Jeezy to perform at halftime of Under Armour game

Good get by Under Amour. They really are making in-roads in college football. Now it's time for an Under Armour college basketball game.

Vasquez's Big Night Spurs Maryland to Big Win Over Winston-Salem State, 98-55

Ben Broman — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:04:39 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

about 8 hours ago: Maryland's Greivis Vasquez shoots between Winston-Salem State's Stephon Platt, left, and Corey Morris during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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Maryland hadn't played in 10 days, but you couldn't tell from the final score. After a first half filled with up and down runs and hot shooting, Maryland pulled away in the second half on the strength of 27 points, 11 assists, and 8 reounds from Greivis Vasquez to beat Winston-Salem State, 98-55. Vasquez, for those not great at math, was just two rebounds away from Maryland's 4th triple double ever.

WSS - who was given a 0% chance of victory by KenPom - was more resilient than I expected them to be, at least in the first half. With just a few minutes to go in the first, it was a three point game. Somewhat shockingly, WSS was actually winning the rebounding battle after the first, too. But Maryland went on an 8-0 run with a torrent of Cliff Tucker threes to close the half and quickly ironed out the minor issues during the break. When they came back in the second half, the blowout was on.

I mentioned the scary negative - rebounding - and it does need to be addressed, heavily. That said, this was a very one-sided game once the lead got up to double-digits. No single player looked bad, either. Everyone, from Greivis Vasquez to Jordan Williams, was pretty good. Once Gary got in their ear about rebounding, they fixed up the rebounding, too. I don't think you can complain about this performance at all.

The two players that most stood out to me were the aforementioned Tucker and Adrian Bowie, who combined for 22 points. Bowie showed off a jumper that was literally nonexistent a week and a half ago, and his court vision and point guard skills looked better than ever. If he can play like this the rest of the year, I won't be freaking out about the PG spot next year. Tucker looked like he did against North Carolina last year: awesome on offense with a great stroke.

Greivis Vasquez had his best performance of the year, by far. I'm not sure how much we can take away from it - WSS is legitimately awful - but the hope is that it got his swagger back. If it did, he'll be back to his old self again, meaning his form should be on its way back.

As most people feared going into the game, there's not much to take away from this game other than Maryland could use a little bit of shoring up on the rebounding end. They were rusty, so we don't know how much of the slow start can be attributed to that, and Winston-Salem State is awful, so we don't know how much of the good can be attributed to that. It's a tough spot to be in.

Jordan Williams didn't see much PT until the second half, but he looked pretty good in his time. He ended up with 12 points and 8 boards in just 18 minutes. Maryland definitely looked a better team when he was on the floor. Hopefully this will lead to him getting some meaningful playing time again. James Padgett, on the other hand, was quiet and saw little playing time, even though Maryland was blowing them out with 10+ minutes. Dino Gregory had to get 4 fouls for Padge to even get on the floor in the second half.

Notable absence: Jin Soo Choi. No word on why he only played about 2 minutes at the very end of the game. Probably a Cliff Tucker "missed practice" deal. I would've expected him to get a lot more PT with the lead that big.

In the end, I'm not sure how much Gary and the crew can take out of it, but it was a good, easy win. Nothing like a little low-major fodder for a confidence booster.

Maryland Minute 12.21.09 - Brandon Ifill Chooses Pitt

Ben Goldstein — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:27:52 -0000

Props to Ben B. for most of the links today.

Brandon Ifill Chooses Panthers over Terps

This would have been a real nice pick up for the Terps. Oh well... - Ben G.

Ashton Pankey in NJ.com's Top 50

Stress fracture is slightly concerning, but he'll be a good grinder for Maryland.

Ashton Pankey, St. Anthony: The talented 6-8 senior forward, bound for Maryland, will likely be out of the lineup for at least a month due to a stress fracture in his left leg. He averaged just 7.7 points in 15 games last season, but realized his greatest value as a rebounding and defensive force.

Also in the list: Sterling Gibbs. Surprisingly not there: Desmond Hubert.

Bog Gives Juan the #2 Spot For DC Athletes of the Decade

Can't argue with that.

2. Juan Dixon (9) At some point, great athletes are defined by their teams' results. During a decade of local mediocrity, Juan Dixon won a national championship. He was the most outstanding player of the Final Four, became Maryland's all-time leading scorer, was the player of the year in what was then the nation's best conference, was a first-team all-American, and won more games than anyone in Terps history. Sure, not every D.C. sports fan is a Maryland fan, and sure, Dixon's pro career has been spotty, but in my opinion, he left a larger mark on this region than any of the names listed above.

Jio Fontan to USC

Maryland was involved for a short while. Looks like he ended up elsewhere.

My Take: Good for him. Hope he enjoys his new SUV.

Josh Furman Likely to Michigan

Maryland stopped recruiting him long ago, but it still hurts. I liked him.

Steve Goins Still Hurt

Okay then.

"No, no, I'm not including him," Williams said. "He hasn't played all year."

Recruiting Report: Weekend wrap — Parker comes home

Busy recruiting weekend, basketball-wise.

ACC Power Rankings: 12.21

MRickman84 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:30:13 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

View full size photo »

It's time for another exciting edition of ACC Power Rankings. We've had some teams really moving around, so let's see where everyone stacks up.

1.) Duke Blue Devils (9-1, W vs. Gardner-Webb, W vs. Gonzaga) - Duke is really playing well right now. Kyle Singler has picked his game up and Jon Scheyer has been almost mistake free. Duke needs to worry a little bit about their starters' minutes as Scheyer, Singler and Nolan Smith are all playing over 33 minutes a game, and that's with the blowouts included. That notwithstanding, Duke has this spot with a bullet.

2.) North Carolina Tar Heels (8-3, L vs. Texas) - I am almost tempted to drop UNC a little bit further, but there aren't any other teams that have really earned the #2 spot. Regardless, UNC has looked awful in a couple games this year and they definitely have some things to work on. The bigs--Tyler Zeller, Ed Davis and Deon "Miss It" Thompson--are playing well, but the Heels do not play good defense at all and there is literally no guard depth.

3.) Clemson Tigers (10-2, W vs. ECU, W vs. CofC) - Clemson has all the pieces. But they're Clemson. Trevor Booker is a very good player and the combination of Tanner Smith, Andre Young and Demontez Stitt aren't pretty, but they get the job done. Plus their defense can keep them in any game.

4.) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-2, W vs. Chattanooga, W vs. AR Pine Bluff, L vs. Florida State) - Despite the loss to FSU, Tech is up here because they have a lot of talent and everyone knew they'd have some bumps along the way. Gani Lawal, Derrick Favors and Zach Peacock bring it most of the time, but with Iman Shumpert out, GT has to rely on freshman Mfon Udofia at the point. He's a gifted player, but he's still a freshman. Tech will have big wins and dumb losses (a lot like a certain team from last year).

5.) Miami Hurricanes (10-2, W vs. Stetson, W vs. Florida Atlantic) - The next few teams are kind of a jumbled mess, but right now I feel like the 'Canes have the edge. Their only blemish was the extremely close loss to Boston College. In all their other games they have won by an average of 22.7 points. Dwayne Collins is averaging 13 and 9, and the James Dews, Malcolm Grand and Durand Scott combo of guards are chipping in 31.4 a game.

6.) Florida State Seminoles (10-2, W vs. Georgia State, W vs. Auburn, W vs. Georgia Tech) - FSU's win over GT was a bit of a statement. The 'Noles had a few decent wins but no real statement win to their credit. This win helps them out and solidifies them as a tough, physical basketball team. Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton are a real force and Derwin Kitchen is a well-rounded player. Ryan Reid is always capable of showing spurts as well.

7.) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-2, W vs. UNC-W, W vs. NC State) - Ok, I'll move the Deacs up. They are on a four game winning streak and the wins over Gonzaga, UNC-W and State are games they needed to win, but still look pretty good. If Al-Farouq Aminu can hold onto the basketball, he could average 20+ a game, but as it stands right now, he's still a beast. The key to Wake is whether or not they can get solid play out of their bigs at all--right now, they haven't.

8.) Virginia Tech Hokies (9-1, W vs. Charleston Southern) - VT's record is gaudy, but there aren't any wins that really stick out to me right now. But still, I love how Malcolm Delaney plays and Jeff Allen has done a good job so far. The problem is, there isn't a whole lot more there outside of Dorenzo Hudson and Victor Davila.

9.) Boston College Eagles (7-4, W vs. Bryant) - After back to back losses to Harvard and Rhode Island, where does BC stand? There's a good core there with Joe Trapani, Corey Raji and Reggie Jackson. Tyler Roche gives good minutes. Rakim Sanders is an explosive player. But BC needs to figure things out before ACC play before they can move up the list.

10.) Maryland Terrapins (6-3, DNP) - Remember when everyone was slobbering all over Maryland and Greivis Vasquez? Well, he is shooting 34.6% and 28.2% from deep. Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne are good players and we all know about Eric Hayes, but Maryland has no good wins and they've lost to the good teams they've played. They need to prove something.

11.) N.C. State Wolfpack (8-2, W vs. Elon, L vs. Wake Forest) - State is an ugly basketball team. They almost lost to Elon and then looked just downright bad against Wake. They have no identity and no real players outside of Javi Gonzalez and Tracy Smith. That win against Marquette is still strange, and the rest of their wins aren't anything to write home about. The Wolfpack have a long road ahead of them when conference play gets going.

12.) Virginia Cavaliers (4-4, DNP) - The best thing to happen to UVA last week was that they got snowed in and didn't play. I wholeheartedly believe that UNC-W would have beaten them. This team is Sylven Landesberg and not much else--Mike Scott is ok, Mustapha Farrakhan shows promise and Sammy Zeglinski is Eric Hayes Part Deux, but the Cavs are not good. Their four wins are against Longwood, Rider, Oral Roberts and Cleveland State.

Friendly Reminder: Maryland Basketball Plays Again Tomorrow

Ben Broman — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:48:21 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

10 days ago: Maryland's Adrian Bowie (22) loses control of the ball while being guarded by Eastern Kentucky's Joshua Jones, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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Shaken off the snow? Fully recovered from a great weekend of basketball and snow fights? Forget Maryland basketball existed? That's understandable, considering the Terps haven't played in ten days. They'll be back on the court tomorrow, though, taking on the 2-6 Winston-Salem State Rams. That means its time to get back in basketball-watching mode.

My original write-up on the Rams wasn't exactly complimentary, and nothing has changed since. This team is not a good one, and Maryland should win with ease. In the WaPo, WSS's coach described them as "opportunistic", and Maryland will have to provide plenty of opportunities for them to have any shot.

As a quick reminder, WSS's best player is senior guard Brian Fisher, their leader in scoring and assists. The other player to watch out for is Shelton Carter, a junior 6-5 forward who will probably match up with Sean Mosley. He has the ability to score more than Fisher, but is generally more inconsistent.

I'm fully expecting an easy win, though the score might not get too out of hand until late. Don't be surprised if David Pearman and Ersin Levent crack five or ten minutes of PT, and Steve Goins might be right there with them.

As for a random prediction, I'm feeling Jin Soo Choi tomorrow. I'm calling a made three and a block, for no other reason than he'll be seeing lots of playing time and has to score eventually.

Final prediction: Maryland 78, WSS 59. Couldn't break 20.

The Best of Maryland's 2009, Through Youtube

Ben Broman — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:44:14 -0000

I'm snowed-in, you're probably snowed in, and there's not much going on news-wise. That means its time to reminisce and watch the best videos of the past year (decade will be arriving shortly):

The Dave Neal Screen

Who could forget this? First he destroys Nolan Smith, then he finishes it off with a huge 3. This sequence is engrained into my memory. Absolutely amazing couple of plays by Neal; it epitomizes why Maryland fans loved him so.

The Clemson Upset

You won't find too many people to argue that Maryland was a good football team this year, but for a day, they were great. Never complain about a 3 point win over a team that went to the ACC Championship. This was the game that gave us a little bit of hope for the year, and probably (no, certainly) saved Ralph Friedgen's job.

The First Round NCAA Win Over Cal

For a year, Cal ended up being Maryland's bitches. Maryland easily beat the Golden Bears despite being the underdog, and the victory couldn't have been sweeter. For the best part of the game, fast-forward to about 1:19 to see the sweet Dino Gregory double-clutch putback.

The Longest (Greatest?) Lacrosse Game Ever

The end of this game still pisses me off, and I still steam every time I watch it. That said, this was the longest lacrosse game ever, and (for my money) the best. It was a joy to watch (until the end), and will go down in the record books. It's a must-see game, even if you will be angered at the end.

The Greivis Vasquez Three to Finish Off NCSt

It was the target of non-stop talk for the next few days: the GV 3 at the buzzer. Necessary? Not really. But still great. That'll teach NC State fans for heckling the best guard in the ACC (when he's on).

The Performance, The Upset

Whenever you start to wane on Greivis Vasquez - as many of us have been doing - watch these videos. Bask in the glory.

Bask.

This was all I could find on the Tube. Post any and all suggestions below.

Maryland Minute 12.18.09 - Bruce Campbell Fallout

Ben Broman — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:51:15 -0000

Maryland confirms Campbell's departure - D1SCOURSE
It's official. Bye bye Bruce.

Mocking the Draft on Bruce Campbell
Even more:

Campbell certainly has the frame and athleticism to be something special at 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds. What really held him back this year were multiple injuries, including turf toe and an issue with his medial collateral ligament. Campbell has also started only a year and a half for Maryland.

They put Campbell as the 3rd best tackle. That's first round potential, definitely.

Bob Knight Lashes Out Against John Calipari, NCAA
No one ever said Knight didn't have his own faults, but I commend him here. He has a definite point on Calipari's shadiness and the fact that two schools are on probation, yet he's scotch-free.

No, not really Maryland-related, but I thought you'd find it interesting.

Happy Holidays from Maryland Athletics
There were three awesome parts of this video. Other than that, meh.

WVU Visited Trevor Cooney Thursday
I'd absolutely love to land Cooney. Don't like that WVU visited him, obviously, but that doesn't mean Gary didn't. Still, not a fan of Huggy Bear.

In hoops recruiting, WVU head coach Bob Huggins was in Delaware on Tuesday recruiting junior shooting guard Trevor Cooney. Cooney is one of the top shooters in the Class of 2011, with great size and good athleticism. He'd be a big get, though there has been some buzz for a while that Syracuse and Villanova will be tough to beat. Notre Dame is pushing hard also for Cooney.

Mychal Parker Returns Home
Nice column on a Terp-to-be.

Recruiting Report: Weekly recruiting roundup
Couple of interesting notes here, especially on the football side.

MD is Fifth in Director's Cup Standings
I don't care too much about it, but if Maryland wants to win this thing, lacross is going to have to come up big.

Maryland Basketball's Unsung Hero So Far: Eric Hayes

Ben Broman — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:16:37 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

10 days ago: Maryland's Eric Hayes (5) shoots over Eastern Kentucky's Josh Taylor (24) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, in College Park, Md. Maryland won 83-72. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

Browse more photos »

One player who really hasn't gotten enough talk for his surprisingly excellent play thus far is everyone's favorite shooting combo guard, Eric Hayes. The senior from Potomac, long heralded for his three point shot despite rough times, is finally putting everything together for the makings of a very solid, consistent year, and the timing couldn't have been better for Maryland.

The first inklings of it came toward the end of last year, when Hayes showed unprecedented offensive aggression during the ACC tournament and NCAA tournament. That now seems to be holding true through the first half of this year, too, and Maryland is easily a better team because of it.

Through the first nine games, Hayes is averaging more points, more shot attempts, more 3 point attempts, more steals, and fewer turnovers per game than any other point in his career. His offensive rating is the highest for his career; so too is his shooting percentages. His effective FG%, one of the four factors to winning, is a sky-high 65%, and his true shooting percentage (which converts threes to twos, basically) is an outstanding 72%. To top it off, his new quicker triggered, but not ill-advised, threes are falling at a smoking 50%, his best (again) and good for 16th in the NCAA.

If you watch the games, you can see the improvement. He's the steadiest player on the team and seems much more comfortable and in the flow than he ever was before. There's no doubt in my mind that he's a top 3 player for Maryland, and is top 2 on some days. Gone are the Hayes-ian performances of the past (hopefully for good).

Part of his emergence is Greivis Vasquez's disappointing play thus far, which meant Hayes was on the floor more and expected to make more shots. So, too, has been Dave Neal's absence, which means Hayes is the new deep threat. That had another repurcussion, too; with another big body in the middle, Hayes is more likely to be open as players are more likely to help out against the big guy.

Another part, though, has been Hayes himself. He's getting his shot off quicker and is generally being more forceful when it comes to scoring, all while remaining his calm and steady self. The result has been a very good, very underrated performance.

Any other nominee's for an unsung hero? I would say Sean Mosley, except we've been singing his praises for a few weeks (seriously, I'm making up an SSM t-shirt). It could be Greivis Vasquez, in an ironic sort of way, but I didn't want to be ironic. My choice is Hayes. Any others?

Bruce Campbell Officially Enters Draft, Weakens Maryland Offensive Line Even More

Ben Broman — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:46:48 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

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Maryland's highly-touted, athletic starting left tackle, Bruce Campbell, has officially entered the NFL draft, departing from College Park a year early.

Campbell, who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 310 pounds, said he has been told he could be drafted from the middle of the first round to the middle of the second.

"I feel I can be something special and this is best for me," Campbell said. "I have good size and I can protect the quarterbacks' blind side. I played defensive line in high school so I can also think like a defensive player, which is an advantage."

Shame, because Bruce could've dominated next year. Early prediction: he'll dominate the combine and end up a top 10 pick based solely on potential. ESPN has him going at #13 ($), and Walter Football has him at #6. Best of luck to him in the league.

Unfortunately, this has extreme negative repercussions for Maryland next year. Campbell could've completely dominated that side of the line, taking a line that was mediocre at best and make it pretty okay. Now, I'm not sure the line will see all that much improvement from last year, and literally every single position is in flux.

Early prediction for next year: Paul Pinegar-Andrew Gonnella-Bennett Fulper-Lamar Young-R.J. Dill.

No, that doesn't sound good.

Maryland Minute 12.17.09 - Maryland Assistants Story Picking Up

Ben Goldstein — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:23:10 -0000

Props to Ben B. for most of today's links.

Does the low pay of Maryland's assistants hurt the team? - The Dagger

Well, it looks like the story is picking up nationally, as well. (Sporting News has a new write-up.) Not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing for MD basketball, but I do know that this does not look good for the athletic department. - Ben G.

WalterFootball Says Bruce Campbell Goes at #6 to the Skins

Well, I don't really want Bruce Campbell to leave and he's a reach at 6 for my Skins. That's bad.

My Take: Love Bruce Campbell, don't love the Redskins. My personal loyalties aside, #6 would be a reach for the big guy.

Big Day at DeMatha

Nick Saban was in the building to talk to Arie Kouandjio. That's big time. Bill Self was there, too, presumably for Quinn Cook.

My Take: Pretty sure Quinn Cook to MD isn't happening either. It would be nice to land a top 30 recruit from the area just once...

Zags - ESPN HS Basketball Schedule

Not a lot of TV for Terps. We'll see possible 2011 target Jabari Brown from Findlay twice and former target and possible backup plan Pe'Shon Howard once. There's also a DeMatha game to check out Quinn Cook and Mikael Hopkins, both of whom I doubt Maryland is really going after all that hard. Oh, and we'll be able to see Terrence Jones once.

Very disappointed there aren't any televised games for Montrose at the moment.

Recruiting Report: Season recap: Rahsaan Moore

I'm slowly warming up to Moore. Could be a diamond in the rough.

Cincinnati Falls to UAB

Cincy's a really good team when they're on, but they have a knack for being inconsistent. The loss won't look bad, but it won't look as good as I had once believed it would. They'll knock off some big dogs in the Big East, and lose to some teams they shouldn't. Product of inexperience.

SI.com's Cheerleader of the Week: Maryland's Kendra Davis

Not gonna lie: this is not a must-read. But it's still cool when any Terp is being featured in SI. Also, you have to love the first question they ask her... - Ben G.