Start:  Love me some GV...a distinction well deserved.  Best of success on the next level and if you work as hard there is no doubt it is happening.

Side Thought:  What is up w/ only 5 members of the 2001 Final Four Team showing up for the dedication at 1/2???!?  -

Mardesech (sp)???  Outside of dominating Brendan Heywood at the Dean Dome for a HUGE upset, pretty much a "5 fouls to give" guy

Patsos??  Great assistant, sure, but wanted to see more players

Mouton--Love him and so happy to see him pumped as always

Taj--God he is a house.  Great to see Taj--Key player on 2001 FF and 2002 NC teams. 

Wilcox--WOW  So good to see him.  Haven't been following him in the NBA but my man is going bald FAST.

So, you have to figure Nicholas, Dixon OUT-Europe?  Danny Miller--Not about to show up to get booed.  Baxter--Embarassed by his Gangsta style not working out?  OK--I understand those guys, but where is Steve Blake?  Over at the all star weekend?  Hahn and Dickerson coaching for Huggie and others?

 OK--Original Thought for this post was created by my scratching my head wondering why Gary didn't let Hauk see the floor all game but Mosley (who from what I could tell only found his points when we started rolling in garbage time at the end) got PT and Hauk didn't get more than 3-4?  I thought Mosley was playing poorly on D and offensively he couldn't hit sand if he fell off a camel for the lion's share of the game.

Best I could think is that a) Dino was having a lights out day but possibly b) with Whittager? and our Deutsch recruits in attendence, it was PAINFULLY obvious the vacuum we have behind Dino at the 4 spot and they have a BIG shot at some PT or even competing for a starting spot.

Sigh overall this season, but I'm still backing this team even through the NIT if that should be their fate.

Go Terps

Got a call from a friend of mine yesterday who happened to be in the security line at O'Hare airport in Chicago.  The huge South American guy next to him seemed very familiar so he took the opportunity to say hello to Greivis.  As ALWAYS (take note 90% of other pro prospects/elite athletes), the General was gracious, polite and happy to say hello.

Turns out that he was on his way back from visiting with the Bulls and he had enjoyed the meeting.

If Greivis goes in the second round as expected, I think the team who is lucky enough to land him will be getting great value, ala Stevie Blake.

I met GV while he was waiting for a table in the Reston Town Center w/ Coach Vetter before last season and thought he was the nicest guy.  Never could understand why some of the student section jawed w/ him so much as I can't remember a guy who I found so easy to cheer for and have wanted to succeed since Juan Dixon.

All the best at the next level GV.

-JP

I thought it might be an appropriate time on the heels of the UNC dismantling to consider what might have been.  I'll start by saying that I love this team from top to bottom.  They are a classic Gary team:  Steady senior guards who can score and find their teammates both in the halfcourt or on the break.  HARD working forwards who have offensive game but grind out the dirty work and a big fella who I like more with each passing game.  They seem to get better as a team with each game (with the exception of the game at Clemson...)

The results--SO FAR--have been reflective of the good chemistry and balance on the team.  They are reflected not only in the our ACC standings, but I had no idea that we were leading in so many offensive and defensive categories in the ACC until I saw some of the pre-game yesterday.

Let us consider what might have been if Born Ready came here.  You can't assume he would not have left some of his prima donna attitude that was so obvious and distasteful during the recruiting period back in NYC--give the kid the benefit of the doubt.  However, you have to think he would have robbed some valuable minutes from Mosley and Milborne and possibly even Williams.  What does the One and Done getting those minutes do to the overall chemistry of the team if not the development of players who are the future of the program in the upcoming years?

So far Lance is Averaging 11.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, .3 BPG and 1 SPG for a Bearcats team that has talent but is under .500 in the Big East.  Compare that with Jordan Williams' 8.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.1 BPG and .8 SPG for the Terps (#2 in the ACC).  I would argue that Williams' defensive stats more than make up for the 3.5 PPG difference between these guys.  The best thing:  we get to watch Williams continue his development for the next 2-3 years at which point I have little doubt he will be the most dominant big man in the ACC.  (his catches in traffic remind me of LB...hands like glue w/ a soft touch)

So what are your thoughts?  Would MD be better w/ Lance, worse, or the same?  I have to think we would be worse at this point.

I checked out the Washington Post this morning expecting to read at least something about Maryland's recruiting class now that Mychal Parker is on board and it is shaping up to be one of the best in the country.  My preference would be to see something out of Eric Prisbell to make up for his shellacking in the series he wrote on Gary and the follow up smear on the Lance Stephenson/Under Armor and all the implications he threw out.  Although I really didn't expect to see Prisbell put together a piece stating how completely wrong he was, thereby admitting how his journalism paints with broad strokes I at least thought I would see a note or a mention of the committment.

NOTHING AT ALL???

Now the Post is doing a lot of MD Football coverage right now so it has me wondering if Gary has burned any bridges at the Post.  Anyone know what the deal is?  I'm guessing if this was Georgetown and JT3, it would most likely be on the front of the sports section...

Any idea what the deal is here?  Should we expect a retraction from Prisbell anytime soon??

I'm all behind the Lady Terps now and sure, probably still clinging a bit now that the offseason is upon the mens team.

However, does anyone know if another team has done this this season?

Does this make an even stronger statement about who is at the help this year? 

Also, does anyone think we have a shot of winning if the Ladie's team meets UConn?  I hear all the analysts trying to build that case at least.