SB Nation User Blog: bbroman

Maryland Minute 7.5.09 - Football Recruiting Notes

bbroman — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:09:41 -0000

Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July weekend. I know all the sportswriters in the world did, because there are almost no links today.

BTW, the 2010 roundup should be up in a matter of hours.

Nice article on Terp target Josh Lovell
Lovell is a decent TE prospect who I believe called the Terps his leader awhile back. We're still leading, but here's something I didn't know about Lovell: he's apparently anorexic.

How else can you explain what drove a 10-year-old kid to ask his mom to wrap his body in 24-inch plastic wrap three or four days a week before he ran in sweltering summer heat to cut weight? Lovell did it so he could play Midget League youth football with his friends instead of having to jump up a league to play with kids his own size. By the time he was in seventh grade, he was wearing trash bags under his football pads in practice, and often ate nothing more than an apple for dinner while drinking copious amounts of water to stay in shape.

Ok, maybe not anorexic - he is 270 pounds - but maybe just really determined?

Terps offer Aliquippa QB
This one surprised me a bit. I had kind of assumed Maryland was done with QBs for 2010 - guess I was wrong. Unfortunately, he seems to be another "under the radar" type of guy.

JD Weatherspoon talks Terps
I really do like Weatherspoon, and although you'd have to want a guy like CJ Leslie more, Weatherspoon is actually a pretty good option. I don't think I'd want him to be the only recruit out of the remaining big targets (Roscoe, Leslie, Harris, Jones, etc.), but I would like him on board, especially because I doubt we get two out of the biggies. Here's what he has to say about his relationship with Terrell Stoglin:

"He's a cool dude. He says he'll be happy wherever I go to school, but he really wants to play with me and I really want to play with him," said Weatherspoon, a 6-6, 200-pound wing who has offers from Maryland, Ohio State and Xavier along with recent interest from West Virginia, Miami and Florida.

Gonna buy NCAA Football 10?
You should. Maybe if we get 10 or 12 people to buy it we can get an online dynasty going. Well, if you do purchase it, make sure to print out your own custom cover, cause who likes Brian Johnson and Michael Crabtree anyway? This site has covers with DHB, Chris Turner, and Da'Rel Scott. I'll see if I can throw some up with guys like Meggett and Torrey Smith, but these are pretty freaking sweet. (FWIW, I'll post this again when it gets closer to game drop date).

Yet another site (albeit a shady one) predicting a below-average record
This time, it's some random odds site, saying Maryland football will be either 5-6 or 6-5. Ugh.

Maryland is a well-coached team with a nice offense in place, but their are too inexperienced to compete with the big dogs of the ACC. Look for Maryland to finish somewhere in the 5-6 to 6-5 range in 09’.

Matt Pilgrim Commits to Oklahoma State

bbroman — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:22:42 -0000

Again, it was fun while it lasted. Via the Memphis Commercial-Appeal:

Pilgrim visited Memphis last Sunday and Maryland late last week but chose to play for Oklahoma State, which had a big hole at power forward when incoming recruit Karron Johnson failed to qualify and enrolled at junior college.

That's a shame: Pilgrim could've added a lot to the team next year. With him, Maryland could've had a(n outside) chance to be elite. But it's important to note that this is the same team as it was before Pilgrim settled (pun 100% intended) in Stillwater. We knew they were a fringe top 25 team then, and they're still a fringe top 25 team now.

The only thing that scares me is the recruiting momentum recently. We've lost out on Lance Stephenson (our choice) and Deshawn Painter and Matt Pilgrim (not our choice). Although news on the 2010 frontier is very good, we've yet to lock up that all important 3rd commit. We aren't anywhere close to panic mode yet - we're farther along in most recruitments (like Roscoe Smith's) than we normally get - but I'm starting to feel a little uneasy.

But to finish out the post optimistically: Pilgrim would've been a big get, but an ultimately unnecessary one. This team as it stands is completely capable of finishing in the top 4 or 3 in the ACC, especially if everything breaks right on injuries and freshmen development.

Maryland Minute 7.3.09 - Gary's Fistpump Explained, Roscoe Smith Likes Duke?

bbroman — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:36:45 -0000

Gary Explains His Fistpump
Steinberg has been coming up huge with the Maryland news lately. I love it.

Then he got to Maryland, and the vibe required something stronger. Len Bias had died. Sanctions were coming, and soon the Terps couldn't appear on television or play in the NCAA tournament. Williams wanted a way to say thanks to the 7,369 fans who still showed up for his first game, an 87-53 win over Delaware State at Cole Field House.

"Walking into Cole and seeing a pretty good crowd even though we had those restrictions meant a lot to me," Williams said. The fist pump "was just to show them. So once you start something like, that it would be difficult to stop."

Roscoe Smith interested in Duke?
It's from a Duke writer and only a teaser, but it's probably legit anyway.

Baltimore (Md.) five-star forward Roscoe Smith began hearing from Duke last summer and since that time the Blue Devils' interest has increased incrementally. As of late, Smith has seen himself go from a player being evaluated by Duke to a heavily pursued prospect. Now, the 6-foot-8, 200 pound wing is returning the interest by placing the Devils high on his list.

Duke scares me. Until recently, I don't remember them as a major player in Roscoe's recruitment. They don't scare me as much as UNC did, but if this is legit, they came on really quickly, which usually isn't a good sign.

Check out the rest of the MM below the jump.

Terrell Stoglin Playing Against NBAers in the TSPL
The Arizona Star has a good article on future Terp Terrell Stoglin, who's been going up against the likes of Jordan Hill and Hassan Adams in the Tuscon Summer League. For some reason, the commenters think that he's cocky and has too much of an attitude, simply for saying playing against an overrated PF and a journeyman wing "wasn't anything special".

More on Gary and Tiger from Steinberg
The Bog has been churning out the content on Gary, though that has quite a bit to do with the fact that he's hanging out at the AT&T Congressional with Tiger. In case you haven't been filled up with Gary & Tiger stuff, here's yet another story.

TSR Catches Up With Andrew Crummey
TSR hasn't exactly been pumping out the content recently, but this is linkable - Mike Rubin talks with former Terp Andrew Crummey about life in the NFL....and that's about it.

Recruiting Report: Weekly recruiting roundup
Matt Bracken's reliable recruiting roundup, the Friday & Monday MM staple.

Question: Matt Pilgrim or Save the Scholarship for 2010?

bbroman — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:56:23 -0000

I believe the answer to this question will be rather one-sided, but I'm interested to see it regardless, but there has to be some debate about it. As you probably know by now, the Terps are hot after Kentucky transfer Matt Pilgrim, and are supposedly looking good. I believe he still needs to visit OK State and possibly Cincinnati, but Maryland has a legit chance with the 6'9" big man.

To learn everything you need to about Pilgrim, check out our previous post here.

Now, I have no doubt the staff already gave him the scholarship offer, so this isn't up for debate - it's a purely hypothetical issue. But, since everyone loves picking a side, it's time to pick now.

First, why take Pilgrim? Well, he's a big body who's ready to contribute right away, for one, which is something Maryland seriously lacks. Sure, the Terps have Jordan Williams and James Padgett coming in, but it's rare for a high 3 star big man to come in and make an impact in the ACC. Pilgrim could provide the perfect amount of buffer for the duo to get acclimated to the ACC. Not to mention, he's actually a very good player who (supposedly) would've started for Kentucky had he not had to sit for his transfer. He could cement Maryland's status as a top 4 ACC team, and vault them from fringe top 25 to securely top 20. Not to mention, he could have a very positive effect on recruiting - tweeners like Terrence Jones and CJ Leslie could see this as confirmation that they won't be stuck in the post the entire time.

Of course, there are negatives: it takes a scholarship away from that stacked 2010 recruiting, in which the Terps are looking pretty good. That may not matter if Steve Goins ends up transferring out again or if Jerome Burney gets hurt again, but it does minimize the impact that class could make. There's also the issue of the possibility that he doesn't get a waiver from the NCAA - he is presumed to get one, because he was forced out of a scholarship - and ends up having to sit out another year, a la Gus Gilchrist, which would be a major downer. Then there's the issue of possibly overrating Pilgrim - he averaged 10 points at Hampton before the Kentucky transfer, where he didn't play a minute due to the sitting-out requirement. Just how good is he, and how much of him is hype?

Choose carefully:

Poll

Which would you rather have: Matt Pilgrim, or another 2010 scholarship?

Maryland Minute 7.2.09 - Gary Williams Interviews Tiger

bbroman — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:00:01 -0000

Trying something new today...we're gonna use the jump. Trying to keep the front page nice and clean. Check out the full MM after the jump.

Gary Interviews Tiger Woods (With Assistance from Chick Hernandez)
Quick, someone queue up the standard "OMG Gary's not recruiting he's golfing" complaint in 3...2...1... Anyway, at least Gary's putting his sick golfing skills to use. Watch part two of the interview here.

Bog: NYC Fans to UMD Grad Fred Funk: "Funk You"
The only reason I have this here because this is probably the only time the lead story in the MM will involve golf, and guaranteed the only time the MM will contain two golf stories. Thus, it makes the headline fit better with the actual article.

I have trouble imagining a golf fan saying this, but that's what it is:

"Here, I hear 'Fear the Turtle!', and 'Go Fred!' and all that other stuff," Funk said. "And up at Bethpage, I hear, 'Hey, Funk you!' it's a little difference in the crowd. New York, D.C., they're not the same."

...
"Oh yeah, absolutely," he said. "I heard it about 9,000 times. I hear it some other places, but in New York they were really going at it--'Hey, Funk You!' and then there's, 'Hey, you Funked up!' "

Is Maryland-UNC a real rivalry?
Or, that should be, more than Maryland-Duke? Pat Forde thinks so.

Maryland-North Carolina: The Terrapins have shocked the Tar Heels each of the past three seasons, and no fan base in the ACC is as irritating (and occasionally tasteless) as Maryland's.

Also, I (halfheartedly) resent the irritating and tasteless comment. Tasteless, yes, but Duke's fanbase has to be more irritating.

Andre Monroe talks about Terp commit
Maryland recruiting has been busy lately, garnering three commits, from Andre Monroe, Matt Robinson, and Jeremiah Johnson, within the past few days. While fans might want those recruits to be a bit higher regarded, beggars can't be choosers. Anyway, Matt Bracken of the Sun sat down to talk with Monroe about his commitment.

After Maryland offered, New Mexico, Akron, Bowling Green, Miami (OH) and Ohio followed suit with scholarships of their own. Other major schools expressed interest, and Monroe took visits to Pittsburgh, Duke and North Carolina. But the Terps remained his only BCS-conference offer. St. John’s coach Joe Patterson thinks there’s a simple explanation for Monroe’s relatively low-profile recruitment. "[Monroe’s height] was the only thing you ever heard anyone talking about ... as far as any issues he may have had," Patterson said. "If he had been a couple of inches taller, I’m sure he would’ve been a national recruit."

I'm trying to have faith that all these under the radar guys will turn out, but it's tough when their other offers are New Mexico and Akron.

Leslie, Jones Shine at Vince Carter Camp
This is a few days old, but it's still worth a read. First, CJ Leslie was called the #3 scorer at the Vince Carter wing camp:

3. C.J. Leslie, 2010, (Word of God/Raleigh, N.C.) Leslie is an explosive, active athlete who is a big-time finisher when he gets in the paint. He has a quick first step to the basket; he stays low on the drive to finish high above the rim. He gets points from finishing dump-off passes from his teammates' penetration along with climbing on the offensive glass. You will see him at the foul line quite a bit, as he is an aggressive scorer who is always attacking the basket with his wiry, strong body. He needs to work on his perimeter jumper from deep and a pull-up, midrange jumper.

Terrence Jones was a bit more impressive, garnering the top slasher spot.

1. Terrence Jones, 2010, (Portland, Ore./Jefferson) This lefty is a physical specimen who drives the ball with explosive strength and overpowers defenders on his way to the basket. A good percentage of his points come from the free throw line because he is so strong and attacks the basket on the drive and from the post. Jones finishes through contact well and finds himself at the foul line frequently. To elevate his game to another level we'd like to see him refine his perimeter shooting ability and weak-hand drives .

Tobias Harris at the Amare Stoudamire Camp
Two things that I found interesting - 1) Harris, unlike other Terp target tweeners CJ Leslie and Terrence Jones, attended the camp for big men, and not wings, and 2) he - probably unsurprisingly - had the best face-up game there.

Harris has the skills and body type to be a face-up 4 or even a 3 someday. He has the bounce to elevate over defenders in the post, but presently his frame is too slender to bang inside. Out on the perimeter, he has the skills, athleticism and motor to be an outstanding college player. He attacks the basket with reckless abandon. Because of his slender frame, he is able to slither through the defense for the finish, usually with a nice floater. His handling is slick for his size, and he can knock down the pull-up jumper.

ESPNRISE Article on Jordan Goodman
Jordan Goodman is a premier Terps target for 2011, and ESPNRISE has a nice piece on him and his situation.

"There is no question that his mother's passing had a huge impact on Jordan," Deon Goodman said. "We relocated, and Jordan has changed schools -- [his mother's death] probably not only affected Jordan's academics, it probably affected his basketball, too."

...

"He has tremendous upside. His potential is unlimited," Forbes said. "He can go all the way, be a great player in college, maybe a pro if he works hard. You are talking about a 6-9 kid with athletic ability. Now, yes, he must get stronger, get more consistent with his shot and his defense, but the talent is there."

Zags Article on 2011 Terp Target Mike Taylor
Mike Taylor is a possibility for the 2011 recruiting class, and although he hasn't been highly rated, he's gone against good competition. That competition? That would be Lance Stephenson. Taylor attends Boys & Girls HS in Brookyln, the main rival of Stephenson's Lincoln HS, and his proximity to Lance is probably one reason the Terps are looking at him. But anyway, the story:

Taylor holds offers from Indiana, Maryland, Providence, Pittsburgh, Louisville, St. John’s and Rutgers, according to Boys & Girls assistant Elmer Anderson. "I really dont’t have any favorites right now," Taylor said. "I’ll probably wait till the beginning or middle of my senior year to commit."

...

When Taylor dropped 19 points, including five 3-pointers on Lance Stephenson and Lincoln in a 71-61 victory on Jan. 6, St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts was joined by Pitt associate head coach Tom Herrion and Rutgers assistant Craig Carter. "Mike Taylor can really shoot the ball," said recruiting expert Tom Konchalski. "He’s a terrific 3-point shooter."

Sac Bee says Niners Not Using Ex-Terp Vernon Davis Correctly
I concur, Sacramento Bee. Davis has the ability to be the top TE in the league, and they've turned him into "probably...the best blocking tight end in the league". Wonderful.

But as the Maryland coaches noted, that doesn't mean he can't make big plays out of short passes. "He's a guy who needs to face the quarterback and get some (yards after the catch)," Galt said. "He's very good after he catches the ball."

...

Which is to say, if Davis' old coaches were giving new 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye advice, it would be this: Keep it simple and Davis will make you look smart.

BA: Erik Bakich Discusses Terp Baseball Recovery Plan

bbroman — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:38:43 -0000

Maryland baseball has been lackluster (that's putting it euphemistically) the past few years. Head coach Terry Rupp was one of the many problems associated with the program - those problems include facilities, fan interest, athletic department support, and (according to some) weather. Recently, that problem was possibly rectified with Rupp's dismissal and the hire of young, tireless Vanderbilt assistant Erik Bakich as head coach.

Now that there's new blood in the system, I'm trying to make it a priority to at least keep up with Maryland baseball during the spring. After basketball's over, what else do we have to do? I enjoy baseball, and until the O's pitching gets up and hitting develops (outside of Markickass and AJ, of course), my pro team isn't exactly fun to watch. Might as well follow the Terps. This being the case, I was intrigued to see exactly how Bakich intended to solve the program's woes. His answers were surprisingly good.

Via Baseball America:

On facilities:

From a facilities standpoint, I think it’s a situation where if you improve your team, improve the consistency and quality of play, then you can increase the fan interest. You’ve got to connect with alumni in the Mid-Atlantic, then it’s a situation like Vanderbilt all over again, because we didn’t have a strong fan base in 2002 and 2003. But people enjoyed seeing the energy, the kids sprinting on and off the field. We’ve got to instill that hard-nosed, aggressive, blue-collar brand of baseball, creating an identity. We’ve got to get these players to play with an edge, play with confidence.

On recruiting:

I looked at the roster, and I saw that there were a lot of good players in the state and Northern Virginia who weren’t going to the University of Maryland. And they weren’t using the Northeast—they had one player on their roster from Northeast. For sure, that’s a great geographic area to jump into. But the most important area is your own state; you’ve got to take care of your own state. We’ve got to get some border control out there. There are some good players from Maryland playing elsewhere in the ACC and the SEC, and that’s unacceptable. We’ve got do to a better job getting the best players to stay home.

On his first assistant hire (that would be Dan Burton, who is the new recruiting coordinator):

Tim Corbin hired me at a young age because I was a tireless worker, and Dan Burton is cut from the same cloth. He’s full of energy, turbo-charged. He’ll hit the recruiting trail, attack that thing and find some players.

On building the program up:

It’s like at Vanderbilt when we had to sell a vision, and we had to talk about what we’re going to do, not what we’ve done. Who doesn’t want to be part of a turnaround? Who doesn’t want to go in and build something? That fires me up.

Mr. Bakich, you've sold me. His answers were well-thought out and sensible. I have full faith that this guy can lead a turnaround of the program. Then again, I know nothing about college baseball, so perhaps I'm not the guy to be asking.

If he's correct that Vandy was in a similar spot and he helped that turnaround, then I'm encouraged: Vandy won the SEC in 2007 and consistently has top 10 recruiting classes.

How do feel about Bakich's hire? Does this at all change your opinion about Maryland baseball? Will you try to follow more in the spring?

Gary Williams Lashes Out Against Cheating Basketball Coaches...Again

bbroman — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:46:29 -0000

By now I'm sure you know that Gary Williams doesn't like cheating basketball coaches, and with good reason. He's made this clear, time and again. He's been hassled by fans for losing recruits to coaches who cheat, to the point where some wondered if his job was in jeopardy last year. There's no way he could ever cheat, of course - when he took over the program, Maryland was under probation for exactly that, and he was told to keep a clean program. He's always made it clear that he doesn't cheat, and doesn't like people that do.

He reasserted this view yesterday on the Sports Reporters. [via Bog] [lots of quotes]

We recruit 'em ['em being one-and-doners], but whenever we do we get yelled at for recruiting 'em. You know, I got yelled at for not cheating this year. It's unbelievable. They were yelling at me because I wouldn't cheat.

...

But I mean, that's where it is. I've been in it a while now, I guess 31 years as a head coach, and there's a lot more cheating going on right now than I've ever seen before.

...

The penalty that the Alabama football team got, for instance; they have to forfeit games, ok? And they get probation for three years or whatever it is. That has nothing to do with what you're gonna do this year. You can go to bowl games, you can play on TV. When we got our sanctions in 1990 we could not play on live television, we could not to go to the NCAA tournament for two years, we lost three scholarships and we had to give back a ton of money. And so basically they took the legs out of our program, because you can't recruit players to the ACC without television, NCAA Tournament hopes, things like that.

...

I'm a little concerned. I don't want to sound like the old head, like things aren't the way they used to be, but something has got to be done. Because you look at the teams this year that were very successful, a couple of them have been outed for what they did. And next year, when it comes time for college basketball to start again, they'll talk about certain coaches as being great recruiters that I know cheat, you know. And I could be a great recruiter if I was giving kids money, or if I was changing grades on a kid, I'd be a great recruiter, but that's where it is right now.

...

You look at the Reggie Bush situation at Southern Cal, and then the Tim Floyd situation. That thing's been three years, with Reggie Bush. They have people saying they got all this money and all these things. Well that hasn't been resolved. I mean, that is still out there. And let's face it, ABC needs Southern Cal on Saturday afternoon in the fall. I remember the Clarett situation with Ohio State a few years ago, that just kind of went away because Ohio State draws big numbers when they play. There's a lot of finances involved with the NCAA; in other words, they have a big operating budget. A school like the university of Maryland has 27 sports that someone has to pay for, so they're very reluctant to go after what generates the money.

Gary loves being defensive, doesn't he? Always back against the wall, even when his back isn't really against the wall.

That aside, I agree with the man. The NCAA is in a shambles right now. No legitimate penalties are handed out anymore. What's going on with UCONN? Memphis? USC? Florida State? Have any of those schools received any legitimate penalties? Does it look like they will? The investigations for UCONN and USC have been going on for forever with nothing handed down yet. While he starts to sound a bit like a conspiracy theorist - "ABC needs Southern Cal on Saturday afternoon" and "they're very reluctant to go after what generates the money" - his premise is correct.

Yet again, Gary hits the nail on the head.

Maryland Minute 7.1.09 - Ralph Friedgen Contemplating Longer Stay as Head Coach

bbroman — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:14:42 -0000

Fridge may be around for a long time
We went and gave James Franklin that big "Head Coach in Waiting" title, but it may not mean much.

University of Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen says he might want to remain in his post for up to five more years if the team is performing well - a move that could complicate the school's coaching succession plan.

Uh, yeah, that's not happening, even if it is fun to talk about. At least, not according to Debbie Yow.

"We don't intend to ever pay the million dollars. Things are going to be good," Yow said.

...
"That would have to be a conversation Ralph and James had, where James deferred the opportunity for two more years," Yow said. "That's what would have to happen because I don't have a million dollars to give James."

Whether that means we're going to get creative or she'll force Fridge out is unknown right now, but I hope it's the former. Also, does she have to say the athletic department is broke? Can't we put that in a euphemism or something?

More on Fridge's Possible Stay
Not a lot more than what was in the article, but just a few clarifiers.

Terp Commit Robinson talks Terps commitment
I really want to believe this guy will be a productive college player, I really do...but I'm having some trouble right now.

With offers from Fordham, James Madison, Massachusetts, Old Dominion and Stony Brook, it’s safe to say Robinson floated under the radar of most college football recruiters.

"I told Matt, ‘Maryland knows you better than any school in the country.’ ... The more they saw him, the more they liked him. ... He makes plays, he’s got excellent ball skills for a guy his age and he’s a smart player. Matt’s going to be a productive player. There’s no doubt in my mind."

Gary Recommends Booing Tony Romo
I love Gary Williams. And I love him even more that he encouraged people to boo Tony Romo at the Pro Am for Tiger's tourney in Bethesda on Wednesday. I'm a Ravens fan, but I still hate me some Tony Romo [ed's note: so do the other Redskin fans on the staff]... "There are certain standards in golf, and certain standards at Congressional Country Club. You don't wear your baseball hat backwards. You don't wear cargo shorts. You don't yell at golfers mid-swing, and you sure as heck don't boo. Wednesday morning will put those standards to a severe test..."

New 2011 Scout Top 75
Notable Terp targets:

#14 - Michael Gbinije
#25 - CJ Barksdale
#29 - Jordan Goodman
#30 - Trevor Cooney
#32 - Quinn Cook (that's just terrible)
#37 - Jabari Brown
#39 - Mikael Hopkins

Rivals Updated Theirs, Too
Not to be outdone by their main competitor, Rivals updated their top 2011 rankings today too.

Notable Terp targets:
#22 Jabari Brown
#29 Michael Gbinije
#34 Quinn Cook (even worse)
#38 Mikael Hopkins
#49 Jordan Goodman
#50 CJ Barksdale
#78 Trevor Cooney
#80 Grandy Glaze

Mike DeCourcy's Take on Lance Stephenson
Pretty much agreed.

From a basketball perspective, I do believe Stephenson wants to be successful and will come to understand being a good teammate is part of that package. College basketball always has been uniquely suited to training players in that regard, and Mick Cronin will do an effective job in making Stephenson part of something bigger than himself.

...

Obviously, that includes O.J. Mayo, who was cleared to attend Southern California. Former sportswriter Louis Johnson subsequently charged Mayo had received benefits before he enrolled in college—which means USC probably would have been in trouble even if nothing untoward had occurred while he was enrolled in school. That'd be the one worry for Cincinnati—it's almost like double-jeopardy.

Gary Parrish Overviews the Hilarious Henry Situation
Like I said yesterday - the Henrys > the Stephensons.

The week started with Carl Henry telling the Kansas City Star that his older son, C.J. Henry, is just as good as future Kansas teammate Sherron Collins even though C.J. hasn't played organized basketball in four years and despite the fact that he has never been considered an elite prospect. Carl added that both his sons plan to be one-and-done prospects and hinted that the reason Xavier isn't already at Kansas is because he doesn't want to go to class. Then the proud papa told a Kansas City radio station Tuesday that both his sons -- C.J. Henry and McDonald's All-American Xavier Henry -- might actually choose to enroll at Kentucky instead of Kansas because that's what Xavier wanted to do all along.

Goodman: Be Happy the Bad Guy is Back

bbroman — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:30:16 -0000

Goodman: Be Happy the Bad Guy is Back

Yes, it is beginning to appear that Greivis Vasquez is challenging for the title of the most hated player in college basketball. Or, at least college basketball writers are trying to turn him into such. Personally, I couldn't be happier. It's nice to have the "us against the world" mentality, especially with Gary as coach.

Plus, this is the last year before the Terrence Ross era, and I have a feeling he'll be the guy that everybody loves.

But back to the article - Greivis guaranteed an ACC title. I'll take that.

Everything You Need to Know About Matt Pilgrim

bbroman — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:05:02 -0000

So, Maryland is looking at transfer prospect Matt Pilgrim (and vice versa, obviously). While I wouldn't get my hopes up, it only stands to reason that we should actually know who he is. He is, after all, a Terp target. I mean, if we do this for DeShawn Painter, we might as well do it for Matt Pilgrim.

Height: 6-9

Weight: 235

Position: PF/C

Vital Info: Pilgrim was at Hampton for his first two years, but impressed a lot of people and transferred to Kentucky. After sitting out a year, the HC who recruited him - Billy Gillespie - was unceremoniously kicked out the door. In turn, John Calipari kicked Pilgrim out the door, giving him the option of sitting the bench and getting 0 playing time or transferring out - for all intents and purposes, he was cut. He would normally have to sit out a year, but an NCAA waiver is expected, because he was kicked out of his scholarship by the coach. This would mean he'd be a junior and able to play next year.

Competitors: Memphis (ugh), Oklahoma State, Cincinnati

Scouting report (from NBADraft.net):

Strengths: Forward with excellent versatility, has the ability to pass and handle plus face the basket or go inside Pilgrim has a good feel for the game ... He has active hands and has a real presence on the floor when he decides to play .... His stroke has vastly improved since he got to college ... In high school he was very much an inside banger, who has developed a good face up game and 3 point shot. His athletic ability is above average ... Can play with anyone in the country and dominate ... He is a terrific ball handler for someone who has played inside for so long. His long arms give him added size and make him a solid shot blocker and also rebounder ... Maintains excellent post skills to compliment his now improving perimeter game An excellent rebounder, especially for a small forward, who hits the glass hard ...

Weaknesses: As a high schooler he would play great for 5 minutes and disappear for the next 10, which explained why he was under-recruited ... He needs to develop consistency and play hard all the time ... He missed the beginning of the season due to a broken foot and has taken some time to get back up to speed ... He'll have one huge game followed by an average one. As he matures in college it could get scary how good he becomes at a mid-major with the style of play and the freedom to grow he has at Hampton ... To truly develop into a legit first round prospect he needs to hit the weights and commit himself to dominating every game ... Free throws need work, he has good form, but needs to develop a consistent routine at the line ... Shows good handle, but needs to become better at protecting the ball and limiting turnovers ...

NBADraft.net wrote that up and graded him in 2007. He would've been a freshman at Hampton then, I believe, and they rated him an 85. James Gist, for comparison's sake, was an 87 after his senior year.

Ok, so now that you have all that fun stuff, did UK fans like him? Well, that's up for debate. Some UK fans don't like him at all:

I really hope Matt Pilgrim gets a chance to play against UK because I think the kid needs an attitude adjustment. [snip] It was obvious from the get go that Matt wasn't the most pleasant of players but his recent comments lend creedence to the thought that he may have been a case of "too much attitude, not enough game".

Others do...a lot:

The guy comes in a relative unknown from Hampton University, and all the talk is that he is a beast. Everyone that follows UK raved about his ability and claimed that he would have started if he were eligible last season. [snip] I heard another scout say that if he was coming out of high school right now, he would be a 5-star player.

Scott Padgett - yes, the former player...he's now an analyst - said Pilgrim would've been a starter last year at UK easily. For what it's worth, more UK fans seemed unhappy that he was leaving than pleased.

Want to see him in action? If you remember, two years Maryland played Hampton, and yes, Pilgrim was on that Hampton team. He played relatively well, though he wasn't spectacular. Here's the highlight reel for him for that game. He's got a nice shot, which is just about all you see in that highlight reel.

If you want to see more highlights of Pilgrim, here's a video of a Kentucky pickup game in which Pilgrim participated. If you just want to see Pilgrim and not have to listen to the guy's commentary, I suggest you start watching the clip at 4:40, then fast-forward to about 6:30, then see Pilgrim's finale at 8:30. The guy commentating the pickup game seemed to like Pilgrim, saying he is "athletic, mean, and a future NBA star. Well, maybe not star, but he can play in the NBA."

Now you know what I know. From the little that I know of him, I definitely like and want him. He's a big body who can take pressure off the freshmen bigs coming in, and play right away, possibly starting. Gary has very few good big men targets for 2010, so he wouldn't be robbing anyone of a 'ship and may actually help us with the tweeners like CJ Leslie and Terrence Jones. Especially considering Jerome Burney's health track record, Pilgrim is a guy that, if he wants to come, you take.