Terps Lose

Last night was my first opportunity to see the Maryland Terrapins this season. Thanks to their matchup with #1 UCLA, they got a nationally televised game on ESPN. I came away from that game not feeling too enthused about the team.

Maryland hoops fans have had things good for a long time. Gary Williams has done a great job of always fielding a good team. Even with some of their relative struggles over the last few years, they have still been a winning team in one of the best conferences in college basketball. However, it is hard to predict a great year from a team as young as this year's Terps. They return just 2 seniors(big men James Gist and Bambale Osby), 1 junior(Dave Neal 4.4 mpg and 1.6 ppg in 06-07), and 3 sophomores(Eric Hayes, Greivis Vasquez, and Landon Milbourne). Milbourne barely played last season and is basically a freshman in terms of experience, and Neal doesn't have much big game minutes under his belt. So basically the team is coming back with 4 proven contributors.

Williams seems to have Vasquez at the 1 with Hayes at the 2. Although Hayes is the better pure shooter, I don't think this is the best use of their combined talents. Eric played PG in high school, and seems to have that mentality. While Vasquez is a capable ball handler, his aggressive nature isn't suited for running the point full time. Both are capable players though, however neither is a true shooting guard. Vasquez is too inconsistent from beyond the arc, and Hayes doesn't have the mindset or physical ability to create his own shot. I like them on the court together, but I think they would both flourish more if the Terps had a legitimate 2 guard.

Gist and Osby look solid down low. Boom definitely improved his offensive game since last season, although he still turns the ball over way too much. I would like to see the Terps get the ball to Gist more, and for James to act quicker when he feels a double team. These two guys will be relied on game in and game out to put up solid numbers.

Watching the game last night was an introduction for me to the 5 freshman and Milbourne. What I saw from them wasn't bad, but it certainly didn't make me feel good about this season. Milbourne got the start next to the 4 players who got time last season, and he also saw the most minutes of the newcomers. He had a few promising moments, and ended up with 6 points and 5 rebounds. As the starter in the 3 spot, he should be putting up more than just 6 points. He seems like a good enough athlete to start at that spot, but I didn't witness a ton of intensity out of him. Considering that he didn't get time last season, and is still adjusting to being on the floor full time, I'll cut him some slack. However, I hope he comes out a little more determined to make plays later on this season.

Adrian Bowie had the next best showing among the new guys. He played 15 minutes, and had a solid stat sheet with 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. His quickness was evident the whole time he was on the court, but there were several times when it seemed he struggled to control the ball. Unlike Milbourne he didn't lack aggressiveness, but it seemed like his game wasn't quite developed enough to be a reliable weapon. I can see him having some big games off of the bench this year, and he should be fun to watch.

Cliff Tucker had just 8 minutes, and never seemed to get into the flow of the game while he was on the court. He seemed to handle the ball well for a taller guy, but that was all I noticed from him. I'd definitely like to see more of him soon.

Calvert Hall product Braxton Dupree got decent minutes against UCLA's freshman big man Kevin Love. Dupree has a body that reminds me of Lonny Baxter. He is a short, yet muscular center who will rely on positioning more so than athleticism to be successful. Love definitely outplayed him on the boards when they went up against each other. Braxton seemed to have a soft touch around the rim, but needs to work on boxing out when he goes up against other physical big men.

The last freshman to get in the game was Dino Gregory, who I only saw for the final minute when James Gist had fouled out. It looks like he may find himself outside of the main rotation right now.

Overall there seems to be some promise with this large recruiting class. However, there isn't a guy who appears ready to step in and be a major contributor yet. With the lack of experienced depth on the team, they will all see good time this season and hopefully one of them shows they are ready to step up and carry a greater load for this team. Otherwise I don't know if Maryland has what it takes to be near the top of the ACC this season.