tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114471292012-01-30T15:46:41.069-05:00Musings, Rants, Odes and Testimonials to Maryland SportsEsquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.comBlogger7751100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-37978233590549849732012-01-30T15:42:00.002-05:002012-01-30T15:46:41.080-05:00

It was an eventful week for Maryland basketball with Duke coming to College Park on Wednesday on the night when the court at Comcast Center would be named after former coach Gary Williams. The game itself turned out to be a bit of a letdown as Duke used its superior talent and Coach K out maneuvered Mark Turgeon to post another in a string of wins against the Terps. As I have written before the

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-38290907795912766882012-01-17T16:09:00.000-05:002012-01-17T16:09:17.020-05:00

It hasn't been pretty but Maryland has managed to squeeze out two home wins to improve their ACC record to 2-1. There have been a number of people on the radio and in the sports journalist world who have expressed surprise that Maryland is 12-4 and 2-1 in the ACC. I think Maryland has merely beaten the teams that they should have and expecting this team to lose 12 or more conference games in a

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-10456456399992038292012-01-11T11:06:00.000-05:002012-01-11T11:07:27.831-05:00

Sorry for the lack of writing the last few weeks. The holidays and a bad back have kept me from writing very much. The basketball squad had a good December against some questionable mid-major teams. Alex Len and Pe'Shon Howard returned to the lineup from suspension and injury respectively. Len proved from the start that he is a very skilled player. Len still has work to do in almost all facets 

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-31368000696084276372011-12-16T17:46:00.000-05:002011-12-16T17:46:13.591-05:00

In the movie Clear and Present Danger there is a scene in which the CIA's Jack Ryan is in a briefing with the President and there is a discussion among the political operatives of how to handle a potential scandal. Ryan ends up giving contrary advice and summarizes his strategy by saying, "there is no point in defusing a bomb that has already gone off." The dreadful 2-10 season that Maryland

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-28058211998884136752011-12-05T17:27:00.001-05:002011-12-06T15:46:58.899-05:00

I thought that the game against Notre Dame would go a ways toward informing Maryland fans where this squad is in early December. Most assumed it would be a work in progress at this point even before the injury to Pe'Shon Howard and the NCAA docking Alex Len 10 games of eligibility. There have been more lows (noncompetitive losses to Iona and Alabama) than highs (the Colorado Comeback) but there

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-46606430916627395722011-11-30T10:08:00.001-05:002011-12-02T15:51:12.080-05:00

I have girded myself for many news stories about a "feisty" or "scrappy" performance in a losing effort for the basketball team. It would be easy to trot out those cliches after the Terps loss to a mediocre Illinois squad last night. Certainly the effort was good for most of the game which you would expect for a primetime game on ESPN (one of only three Maryland games on the prime ESPN channel

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-49286185937557329692011-11-14T15:57:00.001-05:002011-11-14T17:08:34.967-05:00

The game against Notre Dame was a prime opportunity for the football team to get a quality win and try to end the season on a positive note. Instead the effort and execution was dreadful in a 45-21 drubbing that wasn't even that close. Starting QB Danny O'Brien was largely ineffective before breaking his arm on a scramble in the 2nd half. He is done for the year and may have played his last game

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-65278889505989312702011-11-09T17:04:00.000-05:002011-11-09T17:04:38.556-05:00

It has been a rough time recently for Maryland supporters. Gary Williams shocking retirement, the bitter divorce from Ralph Friedgen, the failed courtships of Mike Leach and Sean Miller, the hiring of Randy Edsall, the dismal performance of the football team and the prospect of a long slog of a basketball season must have most fans more than a little weary. I know personally it has been a

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-18987366977624220022011-10-28T14:47:00.002-05:002011-10-28T14:48:26.128-05:00

If you are a head coach of a revenue sport at the University of Maryland and the Washington Post's sports page is running opinion pieces about your program you had better duck and cover. Just over half way through his inaugural season in College Park Randy Edsall has learned that this media market isn't like Storrs, Connecticut. The level of scrutiny in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore markets

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-7792537223273105632011-10-27T16:53:00.002-05:002011-10-27T16:53:24.203-05:00

Another year another Q&A with longtime guest of Boston College blogger Bill from Eagle In Atlanta. Check out his blog for some interesting tidbits regarding Maryland head coach Randy Edsall and his connections to Boston College.1. Boston College started off the season with 3 losses but it would be hard for any ACC program to win at Clemson and Virginia Tech which were the last two opponents for

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-23350871062537204282011-10-26T12:05:00.002-05:002011-10-27T16:44:03.051-05:00

Maryland looked helpless last Saturday while getting crushed by Florida State. The defense had as bad a performance as any Maryland team since the getting run off the field by California in the 2009 opener. The game went downhill right from the kickoff as FSU scored two straight touchdowns on drives of 7 and 9 plays to open the game 14-0. This Seminole team is not stacked with NFL athletes like

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-78885142200597785072011-10-18T16:35:00.001-05:002011-10-26T12:10:28.565-05:00

I think most Maryland fans anticipated a level of continuity going into this season even with longtime coach Ralph Friedgen being forced out in the offseason. Truth is very little has carried over since last season's 9-4 record. Everything from the staff, multiple starters and even the uniforms has changed. Many fans viewed QB Danny O'Brien and defensive star Kenny Tate as cornerstones of their

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-4392678152244608102011-09-30T13:52:00.000-05:002011-09-30T13:52:37.703-05:00

After the debacle against Temple head coach Randy Edsall made his first major gaffe by suggesting that the football program was undergoing a major restructuring that would take time. To be fair he never said the words "rebuilding" as some had suggested but it was a foolish thing to say on the heels of such a shambolic performance by his team in losing 38-7 at home. Edsall has taken some thinly

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-52966387019478812962011-09-20T10:02:00.001-05:002011-09-20T10:07:53.511-05:00

The loss to West Virginia was illuminating. Maryland fans learned a few things about their team in the process not all of which was negative. It is clear Danny O'Brien is still learning. Though the hype was off the charts for the quarterback coming into this season he has looked shaky the first two games. He threw for a bunch of yards against a depleted Miami defense but also had an awful

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-44937424029914014922011-09-06T09:34:00.000-05:002011-09-06T10:23:56.760-05:00

The weather may have been atrocious at Byrd stadium last night but the play on the field demonstrated there could be bright days ahead for Maryland under Randy Edsall. The new offense under Gary Crowton showed a dynamism that Maryland has not had since maybe the early years under Ralph Friedgen. It was fitting that senior Ronnie Tyler, a player who has been a personal favorite of mine, scored the

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-10869049228414263962011-07-13T13:50:00.000-05:002011-07-13T13:50:33.984-05:00

If you continued to wonder how Randy Edsall was hired as the head football coach at Maryland instead of Mike Leach read this and you should have a better idea. Regardless of the merits of Leach's claims against Craig James, ESPN and Texas Tech no AD in the country would hire him with this kind of monkeys-at-the-zoo-poo-fight going on in the background.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-11941228588032586862011-05-11T10:41:00.001-05:002011-05-11T10:42:21.412-05:00

I'll certainly have more thoughts on the hire of Mark Turgeon to replace Gary Williams as the head basketball coach at the University of Maryland. My initial reaction is this is a very good hire. Calling him a "solid" hire has a whiff of condescension to it as he is almost certainly the best hire by any ACC program this off season. The only coaches in the league that have more NCAA tournament 

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-84409572654968948102011-05-09T11:28:00.000-05:002011-05-09T11:28:28.183-05:00

I was as shocked as everyone else by the sudden retirement of Gary Williams as head basketball coach at the University of Maryland. When I received a text message from a friend who is a fan of a rival ACC school I thought it was their idea of a joke. Turns out it wasn't. I still have a hard time accepting that after 22 years Gary Williams will not be coaching the basketball team this fall.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-5621247065877259092011-04-28T12:47:00.000-05:002011-04-28T12:47:12.691-05:00

The football team is preparing for the Red White scrimmage this Saturday at Byrd Stadium. As you would expect with a mostly new coaching staff things will be a little different with many players switching positions and new schemes being implemented. Two notable switches include DB Kenny Tate moving to outside linebacker and LB David Mackall moving to a rush end position. The other linebackers

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-81161607505449735222011-04-07T10:45:00.000-05:002011-04-07T10:45:12.514-05:00

A good piece on how Debbie Yow's conspiracy theory outburst is playing outside of Raleigh in the Winston-Salem Journal by Lenox Rawlings. I think he pretty much nails it. Across the college basketball media spectrum from ESPN's Andy Katz, who called the sabotage claim "absurd", to Dick Vitale who characterized Yow's allegations as an excuse for her failure to hire the coach she wanted, to John

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-55226495653376348652011-04-06T12:52:00.002-05:002011-04-07T10:37:15.891-05:00

With the ending of the college basketball season and the spring football game still weeks off this would seem to be a dead time in Maryland sports. Thanks to former AD Debbie Yow that isn't the case any longer. Yow has gone from a constant source of annoyance and public relations disasters to a constant source of unintended comedy after she scurried out of town and went to Raleigh to take the

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-50792890950472079142011-04-04T15:32:00.000-05:002011-04-04T15:32:17.903-05:00

Anyone following the current debacle that is the N.C. State basketball coaching search should have a sense of why I was petrified of Debbie Yow having a role in picking the next head coach at Maryland. It seems every head coach in America has turned down the Wolfpack or their agents about taking the head coaching job even though they are offering one of the best salaries in the ACC and have a

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-32413738197933536862011-03-31T09:44:00.000-05:002011-03-31T09:44:46.173-05:00

I don't normally care about much the NBA does but the changes they are considering making to the pre-draft workout policies may effect Maryland this year. The NCAA imposed deadline of May 8 to withdraw from the draft allows for virtually no substantive review by NBA scouts of the players who are leaving college early. Simply put the guidance players might get from NBA teams isn't reliable because

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-15778821798146560472011-03-30T16:00:00.002-05:002011-03-31T09:02:55.095-05:00

The program announced yesterday what had been rumored for a few weeks, that sophomore forward Jordan Williams will declare for the NBA draft. While Williams has not hired an agent there are concerns that he also may not be academically eligible should he withdraw from the draft and return to College Park. At this point it would seem unlikely that Williams will be on the Maryland roster come this

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-23703440199801486832011-03-14T16:37:00.000-05:002011-03-14T16:37:10.759-05:00

Maryland's season ended with the third and final matchup against the Duke Blue Devils in the ACC tournament on Friday night. The Terrapins were surprised by their absence from the NIT field that was announced last night and so the disappointing dawn of the post Greivis Vasquez era came to a close. It was a fitting end to a season that lingered too long and for a team that measured itself against

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-44563048718416944172011-03-11T14:45:00.000-05:002011-03-11T14:45:45.205-05:00

Maryland played well in fits against N.C. State but struggled to sustain a high level throughout the game. Jordan Williams looked more like his old self after struggling a little the last few games finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Dino Gregory had a good game with 11 points and six rebounds. Hawk Palsson got a start and really ignited Maryland by scoring 5 quick points to start the game.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-79373167069790436432011-03-09T15:51:00.000-05:002011-03-09T15:51:07.205-05:00

As expected sophomore forward Jordan Williams was voted as a 1st team All-ACC player. Williams' play, like that of his teammates (most, anyway), trailed off towards the end of the season if only slightly. He scored 135 points in the first half of the ACC season and scored 136 in the second half. His shooting percentage dropped from 53% to 50% in the last eight games while his points per shot

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-22286014509537838022011-03-08T11:51:00.000-05:002011-03-08T11:51:07.718-05:00

In a way Maryland's listless performance in a losing effort against the modestly talented Wahoos was fitting. It would be easy to take shots at seniors Cliff Tucker and Adrian Bowie, who certainly deserve it, but the rest of the squad is also responsible for abominable results the last two games.  In the last three games the defense, always a decent barometer of effort has been almost

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-19664765600503698182011-03-03T17:32:00.001-05:002011-03-04T09:33:58.962-05:00

The hope that Maryland would extend its modest NCAA tournament streak to three years probably ended during a balmy Miami evening as the Hurricanes, who are six points away from being 1-14 in the ACC, ran the Terrapins out of the gym in a 80-66 horror show in front of crowd that probably consisted of people who thought it was a boat show and wandered into the arena. You can always tell how hard a

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-43568082648622878382011-02-28T16:30:00.000-05:002011-02-28T16:30:48.197-05:00

I'm getting a little weary of writing about yet another loss to a likely NCAA tournament team for this basketball team. This time the opponent was North Carolina and the setting was Chapel Hill but the result wasn't any different from most of the other times Maryland played a good opponent. If you are generous and consider bubble teams Virginia Tech, Boston College and Clemson in the tally

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-13650531166481738382011-02-24T15:30:00.000-05:002011-02-24T15:30:08.476-05:00

The Terrapins seem to have found an offensive formula that works with a few games left in the season. After floundering with repeated attempts to have Adrian Bowie, Cliff Tucker and Sean Mosley carry the offensive load with Jordan Williams early in the season it now appears that freshman Terrell Stoglin and Dino Gregory are the scoring complements to that Gary Williams had been searching for all

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-70032199061260803092011-02-22T16:05:00.000-05:002011-02-22T16:05:12.971-05:00

Maryland fans were treated to a glimpse of the past at the N.C. State game on Sunday night as the 2001 Final Four team was honored at halftime and Greivis Vasquez had his number put in the rafters at Comcast Center. It was a feel good night in a season that has been largely devoid of them. Right now Maryland's present isn't all that exciting outside of Jordan Williams. Getting back to 0.500 in

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-24952926508546544132011-02-18T15:28:00.002-05:002011-02-18T15:28:35.228-05:00

Before the game against N.C. State on Sunday Maryland fans will get a reminder of what the 2011 Terrapins a missing most. Greivis Vasquez will have his now famous 21 honored and placed in the rafters at Comcast Center before the game. For his part Vasquez is as steadfast in his love for Maryland and his coach Gary Williams but the fans didn't always reciprocate. After most of a season with

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-84330217941096148962011-02-17T16:10:00.001-05:002011-02-18T10:16:51.008-05:00

It was a familiar feeling for Maryland fans at the end of the loss to Virginia Tech. The team had been close to pulling out a victory, leading for most of the 2nd half, and yet there was a sense that this squad would stumble in a hostile environment. When Maryland needed defensive stops late in the game they could not get them and gave up numerous offensive rebounds en route to a 50 point 2nd

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-10330892719408090402011-02-14T17:37:00.000-05:002011-02-14T17:37:59.008-05:00

Maryland took another step closer to NIT purgatory with the loss to Boston College over the weekend. For me the game was a perfect case study for the struggles of this year's basketball squad. Those struggles are personified by three players: Cliff Tucker, Adrian Bowie, and Sean Mosley. Two seniors and a junior with a decent amount of playing time and experience have utterly failed given the

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-22096918821956347802011-02-10T16:32:00.000-05:002011-02-10T16:32:22.279-05:00

The next few games for the Maryland Terrapins will likely decide the course of the season. With road games at Boston College and Virginia Tech coming up Maryland gets a chance to add to their thin resume and bump their flaccid RPI number to relevant levels. Collectively these two game are just as important as the Duke game was last week. At this point in the season Maryland needs to win,

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-25984519821134404272011-02-08T16:11:00.000-05:002011-02-08T16:11:52.904-05:00

It didn't turn out to be much of a contest between Maryland and Wake Forest last week. Coming off a dispiriting loss to Duke Maryland, led by Jordan Williams' 27 points and 15 rebounds, rolled past hapless Wake Forest with relative ease. The Deacons shot fairly well for the game, at nearly a 46% clip, but couldn't keep from turning the ball over 19 times and that was their ultimate undoing.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-15766510257022088552011-02-03T17:20:00.000-05:002011-02-03T17:20:16.781-05:00

I've felt for many years now that Maryland puts too much emphasis on their games against Duke. Certainly Duke basketball is a measuring stick for almost every program in the ACC with the possible exception of North Carolina. If you can beat Duke in any given year it probably means you are a very solid basketball team. This version of the Blue Devils is a very solid club with two exceptional

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-13501644100265616782011-01-31T14:59:00.000-05:002011-01-31T14:59:16.792-05:00

Maryland gathered two important wins on the road against Virginia and Georgia Tech. That gives the Terps three wins on the road this season in their first four road games. Playing at Virginia, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech this season isn't the most intimidating slate but Virginia Tech and North Carolina lost convincingly to the Yellow Jackets recently. There are signs that this team is getting

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-88565700695405309692011-01-25T13:12:00.000-05:002011-01-25T13:12:41.391-05:00

Maryland's win over Clemson on Saturday was just the kind of game that Gary Williams must have dreaded seeing in ACC play, a close game that would require the Terps to make free throws down the stretch. The poor free throw shooting by Maryland has been well chronicled this season but this team had not been in a position where they had to make free throws clinging to a slim lead since the Boston

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-69853932241331552222011-01-21T13:40:00.000-05:002011-01-21T13:40:28.053-05:00

Some great observations by former college coach Denny Kuiper on the loss to Virginia Tech. His points about Maryland's attacking the 2-3 zone were spot on. Lots of blame to go around.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-46174668001188496462011-01-21T12:42:00.000-05:002011-01-21T12:42:29.494-05:00

Gary Williams didn't seem to have an answer for the pitiful performance of his team in a 74-57 drubbing by Virginia Tech last night. It was the worst home loss for Maryland since 1999 when the Terps lost to Duke by 18 at Cole Field House. That Duke team was #2 in the country (Maryland #4 at the time) and should have won the national title that season. This Virginia Tech team doesn't have an

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-57833551299650570252011-01-18T11:27:00.000-05:002011-01-18T11:27:57.498-05:00

We've seen this before. Maryland plays well for periods against a ranked opponent only to fall at the end of the game through a series of missed opportunities, bricked free throws and poor rebounding. Such was the case again against Villanova on Saturday as the Terps choked a 12 point 2nd half lead away in the closing minutes to fall 71-64 against the Wild Cats. Leading 59-47 with about 9 minutes

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-57951061594677574672011-01-13T17:49:00.000-05:002011-01-13T17:49:51.760-05:00

Maryland's 74-55 win over hapless Wake Forest was the kind you run to get on the team bus and head home. Gary Williams was even a little testy when Maryland analyst Chris Knoche referred to the Terp's performance, charitably, as "uneven." Williams called him "unbelievable", commented how he was always looking for a negative and called it a great win on the road. With all due respect to Gary, who

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-73220286513490961422011-01-10T17:37:00.000-05:002011-01-10T17:37:29.370-05:00

It was a familiar story for Maryland fans this season. The team played a scrappy and competitive game against a superior opponent but ended up making too many mistakes and too few plays to pull out a win at the end. So it was against Duke at Cameron Indoor last night as the Terps fell 71-64. The crucial stretch of the game probably occurred a few minutes into the 2nd half as Maryland surged to a

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-31213201359948083392011-01-10T12:16:00.000-05:002011-01-10T12:16:18.885-05:00

Not great timing coming off a 1/10 stinker at Duke but freshman guard Terrell Stoglin is getting some notice. John Gasaway from Basketball Prospectus lists him as the 13th best freshman so far this year. I'll have more on the tough loss at Duke shortly but here is a great article by Ken Pomeroy on why plus minus stats are fairly worthless.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-56567699119684971222011-01-07T16:31:00.000-05:002011-01-07T16:31:57.709-05:00

Very worthwhile article in the Carroll County Times by Josh Land regarding the struggles of junior guard Sean Mosley. The Baltimore native has struggled this season, along with Cliff Tucker and Adrian Bowie, to be reliable scoring options to replace Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes. Kudos to Land for this article.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-82352534721128147582011-01-07T15:01:00.001-05:002011-01-07T15:05:06.364-05:00

Most Maryland fans didn't see former Connecticut coach Randy Edsall as the likely replacement for Ralph Friedgen as the head coach of the football program. I certainly dismissed some of the early reports about Edsall along with the ridiculous rumors that Michigan coach Rich Rodriquez was a candidate as well. Turns out Mike Leach wasn't the favorite that everyone thought he was when this saga

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-62948374332544228372011-01-04T16:38:00.000-05:002011-01-04T16:38:13.522-05:00

Ken Pomeroy on the perils of relying on field goal percentage and how Maryland isn't as good a shooting team as you would think. Read here. It appears defensive coordinator Don Brown will stay on the Maryland staff under new coach Randy Edsall. Great news for Maryland on the field and in recruiting. It takes a little of the sting out of the underwhelming hiring of Edsall as a replacement of

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-2667486336825822352010-12-21T12:46:00.002-05:002010-12-21T12:46:40.573-05:00

After ten seasons and a 74-50 record as head coach of the football program Ralph Friedgen will be coaching his last game in the Military Bowl against East Carolina. I felt that Friedgen would be back as head coach in 2011 because Maryland lacked the resources and profile to attract a top tier college coach to replace him. The dominoes began to fall when offensive coordinator and

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-32971402300654445512010-12-19T15:06:00.000-05:002010-12-19T15:06:54.178-05:00

It has been the wildest weekend in Maryland football since the Terps beat N.C. State to go to the Orange Bowl and win the ACC in 2001. Ralph Friedgen was informed he would not be granted the extension he had hoped for after winning 8 games and being named ACC coach of the year. It now appears that Friedgen will either negotiate a buyout of his contract or be terminated next week. Former Texas

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-59380795617655606762010-12-17T17:53:00.001-05:002010-12-17T17:53:05.858-05:00

James Franklin has finally taken the head coaching job at Vanderbilt and departs College Park with a mixed record. Many fans have latched on to the last few games and the development of QB Danny O’Brien as evidence that Franklin’s departure will be detrimental for the football program. The game against N.C. State was the best performance the offense had all season against a credible opponent.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-59621238182157349012010-12-16T16:00:00.001-05:002010-12-16T16:18:56.560-05:00

One of my pet peeves in this early season is when sports journalists or TV commentators make reference to Maryland’s “inexperience”.  On its face it is somewhat preposterous to call a team that starts, at least for now, three seniors and a junior as inexperienced. When Gary Williams himself trotted out this fatuous bit of nonsense after the loss to Boston College I felt I had to correct the

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-63080385657498320762010-12-13T17:44:00.000-05:002010-12-13T17:44:06.902-05:00

Up to yesterday all the basketball team had proven was that they could be competitive against the better opponents they had played this season. There were no impressive or noteworthy wins, only hollow consolation in giving good teams a "scare" before eventually losing. It was open to debate what a series of close losses really meant or how illustrative those losses were about the ability of this

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-53545708175674460722010-12-09T16:57:00.000-05:002010-12-09T16:57:22.955-05:00

After Maryland's 99-56 win over hapless UNC Greensboro it appears that the struggling starters, Adrian Bowie, Cliff Tucker, Sean Mosley and Dino Gregory will keep their jobs for now. It may take some losses due to the slow starts that the senior dominated starting lineup before Gary Williams will make a change. To Gary's credit he values loyalty and that is a quality that Maryland fans can take a

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-67225304341319486532010-12-06T16:00:00.000-05:002010-12-06T16:00:36.479-05:00

Apologies to my loyal readers for the lack of posts recently. Phil Steele came out with his All-ACC picks for football and I think his picks are usually superior to the media selections. Torrey Smith and Kenny Tate, the best players on their side of the ball, were 1st team picks at wide receiver and safety. Tony Logan also was named as 1st team punt returner. Logan had a nice beginning of the

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-9669204981527897822010-11-22T14:24:00.000-05:002010-11-22T14:24:43.798-05:00

Maryland played Florida State to a standstill for most of the game on Saturday. The Terps defense had a valiant performance in keeping FSU mostly in check all evening. The Seminoles explosive offense did get two big plays which turned the tide of the game: Chris Thompson's 70 yard TD run and Bert Reed's 44 yard TD catch. Before both those plays Maryland had a slim lead which was erased afterwards

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-5341301354029438702010-11-18T12:49:00.000-05:002010-11-18T12:49:13.957-05:00

In anticipation of the showdown between FSU and Maryland on Saturday night we got to exchange some questions with Rich from Chantrant. 1. What is the latest news on QB Christian Ponder's injury status? E.J. Manuel looked decent against Clemson last week but do you see the staff making any changes to the gameplan if Manuel ends up playing against Maryland?A: Apparently Ponder mended during the

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-44570446609379408222010-11-16T16:05:00.000-05:002010-11-16T16:05:19.495-05:00

Maryland played a nip and tuck game against Virginia on Saturday until they blew things open with 21 points in the 4th quarter. The game was much closer than the final score indicated and the Terps trailed as the final quarter began. The offensive numbers were fairly even between the two teams but Virginia sabotaged themselves with 16 penalties for 145 yards. The late turnovers helped Maryland

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-34280766506707984512010-11-11T15:13:00.000-05:002010-11-11T15:13:40.312-05:00

Maryland has made a habit of early season stumbles against lesser competition the last few seasons. Morgan State, American, William & Mary are all teams that have come into College Park and come away with wins. College of Charleston is a step above those programs and with a proven head coach in Bobby Cremins who doesn't need a scouting report to come up with a game plan against Gary Williams it

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-57463440568878229482010-11-09T15:39:00.001-05:002010-11-09T17:28:02.928-05:00

In an odd twist the freshmen impressed in the opening game of the season for Gary Williams while some veterans struggled. Overall the results were positive. In a frantic up and down game with Seattle Maryland eventually wore down their opponent and ran away with the game 105-76. The pace resulted in a sloppy affair at times with 50 combined turnovers and 63 free throws. Ball handling was one of

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-41385755288001303562010-11-08T17:22:00.000-05:002010-11-08T17:22:55.707-05:00

The game against Miami was a game that a good team should have won. After the loss the lame duck coaching staff talked about how Miami had great athletes and the Terps had done well to stick with them and have a chance to win the game outright. You would have thought this Hurricane squad was a vintage bunch of NFL draft picks instead of the mediocre bunch of underachievers that they are. Missing

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-24997286748111528052010-10-29T13:15:00.000-05:002010-10-29T13:15:12.022-05:00

Maryland landed a whopper yesterday as 2011 SG Nick Faust from Baltimore picked the Terps over FSU, Marquette, Oregon State and Villanova. The 6'6" 175lbs Baltimore junior is a do-it-all wing player. He can score in bunches by driving to the basket, from beyond the arc, in transition and mid-range pull up jumpers. He is a little on the thin side and will have to add strength and weight but he is

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-16351004654713815622010-10-22T14:11:00.000-05:002010-10-22T14:11:01.251-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. Work has been hectic, blah, blah, blah. I know you probably are not interested in all the excuses. With a toddler and 3 month old I have less time than in the past. I still watch all the games but the time to research and write blog posts isn't as easy to come by these days. I'll try to post more regularly, even if it is not my normal level of analysis. I

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-35430157221259127412010-09-29T16:49:00.001-05:002010-09-29T16:49:36.016-05:00

In this interview with ACC Sports Journal the used car salesman commissioner of the ACC John Swofford talks about conference realignment and the ACC. He implied that the ACC is set with 12 members and doesn’t seem very interested in expanding beyond that number. He isn’t enthralled with 14 or 16 member mega-conferences either. In the last part of the interview he was asked about member discontent

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-3098146588894318222010-09-28T11:56:00.001-05:002010-09-28T11:56:18.135-05:00

Maryland probably hasn’t had four touchdowns on plays of over 50 yards in a single game in a long time. Da’Rel Scott and Davin Meggett each had long touchdown runs, with Meggett’s 76 yard romp late in the 4th quarter sealing the game for Maryland. Torrey Smith caught a 68 yard touchdown pass on a bum ankle and Tony Logan continued his impressive season with a 85 yard punt return for a touchdown.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-57292380237934122462010-09-21T10:03:00.001-05:002010-09-21T10:03:46.691-05:00

The coaches have been talking up the improvement to team speed in the offseason but based on the game against West Virginia this team is far more turtle than hare. There were some impressive speedsters on West Virginia and a few that would be able to match up with some of the quickest players in college football but as with the California blowout last season this game highlighted that Maryland,

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-54224702154139181042010-09-14T16:27:00.001-05:002010-09-14T16:27:19.484-05:00

Maryland ran poor Morgan State off the field last week and there isn’t much worth taking from the game. The offense was rampant with 7 touchdowns and 24 first downs with the team cruising from the 2nd quarter on. Danny O’Brien threw three touchdowns in relief of Jamarr Robinson and even third string QB C.J. Brown got in the game. Brown broke his collarbone and is out for a few months and O’Brien

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-85345142866658705932010-09-07T12:20:00.001-05:002010-09-07T12:20:47.756-05:00

For many programs the opening week of the college football season is more pomp and circumstance than substance. For Maryland this may have been most significant opening the program has had in years. Not because the team looked great, it didn’t, but because a win against a quality team like Navy puts bowl qualification in the reach of this squad. It may have been one game but with Morgan State (

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-15516473046817914982010-08-20T13:06:00.001-05:002010-08-20T13:06:00.127-05:00

Now that the University of Maryland has appointed a new president to take over from Dan Mote the search for a new athletic director can begin in earnest. Wallace Loh, provost at the University of Iowa was hired as the president earlier this week. Clearly Loh comes from a school where football is king and Kirk Ferentz gets paid more than any other state employee in Iowa at over $3 million per year

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-23393393800618999222010-07-23T13:34:00.001-05:002010-07-23T13:34:34.293-05:00

It has been a while since my last blog entry. Life, as always, doesn’t leave as much time as I’d like to write about Maryland sports. Starting with the departures of Dan Mote and AD Debbie Yow this next year will be one of the most interesting in recent memory for Maryland sports. By this time in 2011 Maryland will have a new president, athletic director and possibly a new head football coach.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-78484229995750410082010-06-25T14:29:00.001-05:002010-06-25T14:38:19.282-05:00

Greivis Vasquez has all but fulfilled his dream of playing in the NBA getting selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 28th pick in the first round last night. It was a great scene with Vasquez and his parents in the crowd at the draft and their exuberant celebration, no surprise there, when his name was called. Vasquez suggested that he was confident about getting selected in the first round,

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-68236347762863998442010-06-10T15:26:00.001-05:002010-06-10T15:26:07.911-05:00

It has been a busy week for Maryland sports. Let’s start with some very good news. Maryland hired Xavier assistant Orlando “Bino” Ranson as an assistant coach to replace the departed Chuck Driesell who took over the head coaching job at The Citadel. Ranson is a young up and coming coach who is familiar with the area, particularly Baltimore, and had a very good reputation as a recruiter. He had

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-12991589889233341282010-06-02T09:42:00.001-05:002010-06-02T09:42:32.122-05:00

The women’s lacrosse team defeated Northwestern on Sunday to win the 10th National Championship in the program’s history. It was the first championship for the Terps since 2001 which ended seven straight years of Maryland dominance. Northwestern had won five titles in a row before falling to the lady Terps in a seesaw affair that ended 13-11. It was the first title for head coach Cathy Reese in

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-45441697993920467742010-05-13T12:59:00.001-05:002010-05-13T12:59:06.053-05:00

Things are not so rosy for the Tarheels and Roy Williams. As Barry Jacobs points out it has been a rocky road since winning that national title last season. The frontcourt took a major hit with Ed Davis and the Wear twins departing. The Wear twins decision to transfer took Roy Williams by surprise, or at least that is the story in public, but I think the nasty twitter posts by UNC players about

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-8700622394401075402010-05-13T12:18:00.001-05:002010-05-13T12:18:08.191-05:00

Maryland basketball finished 7th in the nation in average attendance this past season (same as in 2009) and 2nd in the ACC with 16,792 fans per game. Attendance did drop 1.5% from 2009 and for the first time in many years there was not a sellout of season tickets. In fact there were tickets to the North Carolina and Duke home games available as late as January. Still, in a year when the economy

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-6630107153179762010-05-12T11:55:00.001-05:002010-05-12T11:55:33.744-05:00

It has been leaked that Maryland will visit Penn State in the Big Ten ACC challenge. That puts most of the questions regarding the 2010 basketball schedule to rest. As of now the major opponents are: Villanova (in Philadelphia) Notre Dame at the BB&T Coaches vs Cancer in New York Maryland will play two of the three “host” teams: Texas, Illinois and Pitt Terps will also play two

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-27450529430782069282010-04-27T11:42:00.001-05:002010-04-27T11:42:05.502-05:00

Maryland got some good news after learning that assistant coach Chuck Driesell was leaving to take over the head coaching job at The Citadel when New Jersey point guard Sterling Gibbs decided to commit to Maryland. The 6’1” guard comes from Seton Hall Prep and right now is rated a 3-star recruit by most services. I expect he will climb to a 4-star ranking by the end of the year and likely crack

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-82074751982554174132010-04-26T14:11:00.001-05:002010-04-26T14:11:09.229-05:00

Assistant coach Chuck Driesell will be the next head coach at The Citadel replacing Ed Conroy who took the Tulane head coaching job. Former Maryland Dave Dickerson resigned from Tulane earlier this year after five unsuccessful seasons as the head coach there. Maryland had managed to keep the assistant coaching staff intact since Michael Adams quit in the middle of the 2007-8 season. Driesell had

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-25618460370381170872010-04-26T10:23:00.001-05:002010-04-26T10:23:25.542-05:00

Only two Maryland players were drafted over the weekend, OT Bruce Campbell in the 4th round to the Raiders and CB Nolan Carroll to the Dolphins (my old favorite NFL team) in the 5th round. Last year four Maryland players were drafted but it isn’t surprising given that this was a terrible 2-10 squad this past season. Campbell plummeted out of the 1st round after an impressive combine as concerns

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-1079392493449088612010-04-23T11:08:00.001-05:002010-04-23T11:08:51.058-05:00

Maryland announced that it has formally signed two basketball recruits to letters of intent. In addition to the three players who had already been on board for this fall the Terps added forward Haukur Palsson and guard Pe’Shon Howard. The signing of Howard helps to soften the blow of losing Terrence Ross who flaked out on Maryland and Stu Vetter at Montrose Christian. The 6’2” Howard is a mature

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-28577906367092237282010-04-20T13:55:00.001-05:002010-04-20T13:55:34.158-05:00

There have been a few developments for the football team during the spring practice sessions. Starters like LB Alex Wujciak and OG Lamar Young are not participating but it is normal for a few players to miss time recovering from injury. The injury bug already got one starter as fullback Taylor Watson tore a ligament in his knee and will miss the rest of the spring and summer. The staff is hoping

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-4850107244557328382010-04-06T10:49:00.001-05:002010-04-06T10:49:24.105-05:00

Duke (aka Mike Krzyzewski) won its fourth national title last night defeating a scrappy Butler squad in an ugly 61-59 death march. Butler was able to drag Duke down into a quicksand game but the Blue Devils did what they have done all year, play great defense and make shots when they needed. Though the game was close Duke lead the majority of the game and it was difficult for me to imagine that

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-6999196284252811802010-03-30T10:15:00.001-05:002010-03-31T15:44:32.736-05:00

Greivis Vasquez was named a 2nd team All-American by the AP the other day. On the 1st team were Kentucky’s John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins along with Ohio State’s Evan Turner, Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson and Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds. I’ve written before that Wall may be a better professional prospect but Vasquez clearly had a better season. I think the choice between Vasquez and Reynolds would

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-58384670057299359592010-03-23T09:29:00.001-05:002010-03-24T09:34:17.918-05:00

Tough to accept that Greivis Vasquez has played his last game in a Maryland uniform. In an interview with NBC 4 Gary Williams gets choked up realizing that Vasquez will be moving on. Williams consoled himself with the knowledge that Vasquez will still be a part of the basketball program. Vasquez and Gary were meant for each other. Both are sometimes volatile and give their critics too much

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-7525294515788751352010-03-22T14:29:00.001-05:002010-03-22T14:29:38.308-05:00

In many ways the season ending loss to Michigan State was a fitting end to this season and the Greivis Vasquez era in College Park. Vasquez’s heroics in the last few minutes were the stuff of legend but were not enough to make up for the limitations of the rest of his team that were exposed by a veteran Spartan squad. Though the ending was one of the most bitter in Maryland post season history it

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-23597155949460941472010-03-16T15:10:00.001-05:002010-03-16T15:10:52.181-05:00

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-39812404901109634652010-03-16T14:45:00.001-05:002010-03-16T14:45:19.771-05:00

Maryland was awarded a four seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament and will face 13 seed C-USA Tournament champion Houston in the first round on Friday night. It was a good seed for the Terps and a reward for being co-champions in the ACC regular season with Duke. I felt like Maryland might drop a seed or maybe two after losing to Georgia Tech in their first ACC Tournament game but it seems that loss

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-38246518971238666062010-03-15T14:27:00.001-05:002010-03-15T14:27:43.930-05:00

Given Gary Williams contempt for the ACC Tournament it probably shouldn’t have been a surprise that this group looked lackluster in its first game and lost to an inferior Georgia Tech squad. Neither Williams nor he players seemed all that concerned with the outcome during a wretched 1st half, probably the worst 20 minutes this team has played in almost three months, and while they made a furious

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-5976901572945879252010-03-12T14:24:00.001-05:002010-03-12T14:24:12.568-05:00

I’m not sure I’ve ever read quotes from a 7-9 team in the ACC with the level of delusion confidence coming from the Yellow Jackets after their come from behind win over 10 seed North Carolina. Lawal said after his teams not-so-convincing 62-58 win in the opening game of the ACC Tournament that, “We feel they can’t stop us.” He wasn’t the only Yellow Jacket singing this tune as Zach Peacock

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-50482739162457254832010-03-11T17:31:00.001-05:002010-03-11T17:31:06.035-05:00

ACC Player of the Year: Greivis Vasquez, Maryland No player in the conference has the kind of impact on a game like Vasquez. He can score, distribute and rebounds as well as any guard in the conference. There isn’t a guard who has his combination of inside-outside game and ability to score off the dribble and off screens. He is one of the better clutch shooters in the conference as well. ACC

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-37212171333355689922010-03-10T13:20:00.001-05:002010-03-10T13:20:03.724-05:00

John Gasaway at the Basketball Prospectus has the lowdown on the ACC Tournament. The numbers give Maryland a 15% chance to win the ACC and a 43% chance to play in the final game. Duke is the overwhelming favorite to win it all at 63%. It is such a big drop off after Maryland and Duke that Florida State, Clemson and Virginia Tech combined only have a slightly better chance to win the tournament

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-55251908913959580342010-03-10T10:40:00.001-05:002010-03-10T10:40:04.175-05:00

The success of the Terrapins basketball team this season has also fattened the wallets of the coaching staff. Head man Gary Williams earned a tidy $318,000 for finishing tied for first place in the ACC. The assistant coaches all netted about $10,000 for this finish. That is a big boost for Rob Ehsan who is scheduled to make a paltry $66,000 this year and has been doing excellent work on the

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-36188188876910693242010-03-09T13:26:00.001-05:002010-03-09T13:26:17.343-05:00

Grievis Vasquez and Gary Williams are getting some well deserved respect for a great season. Vasquez was awarded the Player of the Year in the ACC by a fairly lopsided vote. Jon Scheyer was seen as a very close second to Vasquez by many observers but he was a distant 12 votes to Vasquez’s 39 votes. Some fools gave Malcolm Delaney two votes. Gary Williams was awarded Coach of the Year in an even

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-37840605176762608002010-03-08T15:07:00.001-05:002010-03-08T15:07:33.058-05:00

Maryland weathered a dreadful defensive effort in the regular season finale on the road at rival Virginia to claim a share of the ACC regular season championship with Duke. It wasn’t the pop the Champagne kind of game as the scrappy Wahoos, without leading scorer Sylven Landesberg who was suspended for academic reasons, came storming back late in the 2nd half to get within one point at 66-65 with

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-37352960395747041202010-03-04T17:06:00.001-05:002010-03-04T17:07:15.223-05:00

The setting was perfect for the last home game of Greivis Vasquez’s career. His parents were in the stands having made the trip from Venezuela as was his high school coach, Stu Vetter, to see him knock off the first place Blue Devils on national television. Vasquez splashed out of the gate with five of Maryland’s first 7 points as the Terps ran out to a 10-2 lead before the first media timeout.

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-5692829927423557202010-03-02T13:58:00.001-05:002010-03-02T13:58:01.197-05:00

Duke versus Maryland to decide the regular season ACC champion (as an aside it is ridiculous that the ACC does not recognize regular season champions). This all sounds so familiar. For most of the past decade it was Maryland that has been the Carthage to Duke’s Rome in the ACC. Under Gary Williams no other ACC program has challenged Duke and Carolina’s hegemony over the ACC like Maryland. He is

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-77537210024754269892010-03-01T15:40:00.001-05:002010-03-01T15:40:44.046-05:00

From our friends at Raycom Sports: In other news Grievis Vasquez was awarded his fourth ACC Player of the Week award this season after averaging 28 points, 9.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds. Amazing. He just might have pulled ahead in the ACC Player of the Year race with Duke’s Jon Scheyer. Jordan Williams was voted Rookie of the Week after averaging 13.5 points and 10 rebounds in his last two

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-53124856770471957392010-03-01T13:06:00.001-05:002010-03-02T10:03:22.619-05:00

An out of control beer truck would seem to make more sense in the plot of a Bill Murray movie than the prologue to a Maryland basketball game but when said truck crashed into a fire hydrant on Virginia Tech’s campus it started a wild evening that ended in a satisfying 104-100 double overtime win. The game was scheduled to tip off at 4pm but didn’t end until almost 10 o’clock at night after 50

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447129.post-75398789008107073892010-02-26T16:09:00.001-05:002010-02-26T16:09:52.205-05:00

You’re bound to hear it mentioned that Virginia Tech is 6-0 at home this season in ACC play and to be sure they have played much better at home than on the road.  At home their scoring margin is +41 in six games while their road margin is -33 with losses to bottom dwellers Miami, Boston College and North Carolina. It is worth taking a closer look at their home wins however as four of the Hokies

Esquirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894298881471811821noreply@blogger.com1