Dose of reality

Georgetown and George Washington, perennial afterthoughts in college basketball, are now enjoying a small amount of attention with Maryland being down again this season. It is clear from watching Comcast or reading the local papers which program of the three "pays the bills" as it were, and it isn't the two inside the District line. The Colonials play in a gym that holds less than five thousand people and looks like a concrete mausoleum. Georgetown plays in the MCI Center, mostly as a nod to their past glories, and can barely fill a third of the 20,000 seat arena. Schools like Bradley, UTEP, Fresno State, Creighton, Wichita State, Utah State, and even the cadavers at Penn State drew better average crowds than the Hoyas last season. None of those facts were mentioned in the articles written by Luke Winn on Sports Illustrated entitled Scenes from the District part I and II which didn't even mention that the only school in DC to win a national title in basketball recently is Catholic.

George Washington got some further bad press in the New York Times related to an expose about fraudulent diploma mills that have sprung up to get kids eligible to play college sports. The Times reported:

Few basketball programs have benefited from recruiting players from Schofield and Lutheran more than George Washington. The Colonials are 24-1 this year and ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press poll. Two of the team's best players, Maureece Rice and Omar Williams, played at schools run by Schofield. The George Washington president, Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, had a strong reaction to The Times article.

Trachtenberg was "embarrassed" by the article, but his coach Karl Hobbs didn't seem all that phased by the obvious questions about the propriety of taking students from these kinds of fictitious prep schools. Hobbs fell back on the standard excuse that he felt obligated to give an opportunity to kids who have a "burning desire" to graduate and succeed. Apparently Hobbs assumes we're all as stupid as the president of GW or he has no shame, or perhaps it is a little of both. As for Trachtenberg he commented in a fit of ludicrous naivete that as to the players who had gone to unaccredited prep schools he, "wished they'd all gone to Andover and Horace Mann and finished first in their class." It is hard to imagine how Trachtenberg could be such a fool to not have a clue as to how Hobbs, an ex-minion of one the most crooked coaches in college basketball, was running his program.

Georgetown wasn't any bastion of higher learning when the previous Thompson was there in spite of a graduation rate that looked good on paper. Pappy Thompson got his lone national title with kids like Michael Graham who wasn't expected to qualify to play at Georgetown and then struggled to stay eligible in his one year on the team. He transferred to UDC and promptly flunked off the team. Allen Iverson wasn't interested in the foreign policy school at Georgetown either. Since 1995 the Georgetown program has had at least three players fail to qualify out of high school and still recruits players like Jeff Green and Vernon Macklin who could not get admitted at any other school that were recruiting them.


Recruiting News

Maryland has offered junior forward Darnell Dodson from Eleanor Roosevelt high according to his coach. The 6-5 Dodson is a wing player who has a decent outside stroke and scores abut 16 points per game. His free throw shooting is an abysmal 59%, however. I doubt that Dodson is a priority at this point and may be a backup plan if Corey Raji decides to go elsewhere.

Pack it in

You can't expect a team to be suddenly better than what they have shown in the previous 25 some odd games. This Maryland team is a fairly ordinary bunch that isn't worth mentioning along with the top teams in the ACC. The players on this team are a flawed bunch that don't mesh well together. I feel Gary Williams has tried everything he can the last two years to reach this group and it just isn't going to happen.

What you can expect is a team to compete with their opponents. To at least put forth a good showing in the areas that are not dependent on high levels of skill. Rebounding, defense, getting to loose balls these are all things that even mediocre players can do with some success if they put forth a high level of effort. Highly skilled players can do the first two without complete effort but merely average players cannot. This Maryland team can't hope to give the effort they have the last 10 games and hope to win more than a couple. They didn't just go down to the Dean Dome in the biggest game of their season and lose, that should have been expected, they were never competitive in a 24 point blowout to a good but nowhere near great Tarheel team. It was another embarrassing loss in a season that has had far too many.

Nik Caner-Medley struggled against the long and quick perimeter players for Carolina as he did in the previous meeting. Reyshawn Terry and Danny Green are bad matchups for Caner-Medley on both ends of the floor. He shot a horrid 3-16 while forcing far too many shots. He has started pressing the last few games and his shot selection has gone right down the tidy bowl.

DJ Strawberry has regressed in the last 5 games and had a dreadful night. The utter horror show that was his performance can't be seen in the box score. On defense he's started to wander around like the guy in those old Maxwell House commercials popping in for a cup of coffee with complete strangers. You never know where he's going to show up. Sometimes it is hard to tell who he is even trying to guard. On offense he only runs the offensive sets about half the time before he either drives the lane, without any thoughts of a kick out to an open man, or throws one pass to a teammate who inevitably throws up a shot regardless if he's open or not. I love Strawberry as a passionate player and someone who will try hard every night but he's killing this team right now.

James Gist and Ekene Ibekwe have been largely ineffective on either end of the floor the last few weeks. On offense neither can create anything in the low post unless they have some space or the ability to drive to the lane. Neither understands where they need to position themselves in the low block and often get the ball where they have little chance for a good shot. Reyshawn Terry and David Noel don't have the physical ability of either Gist or Ibekwe but that duo outrebounded them both again. Much was made of all the "layups" that Maryland missed inside and that was an explanation for the 24 point loss, which is total hooey. It has nothing to do with the shots just not going in, this group wasn't a good shooting team before they dropped off the cliff in the last few games. Last season this same bunch had one of the lowest field goal percentages for any team in the Gary Williams era. They have all the firepower of a Daisy air rifle.

It doesn't help that Mike Jones is still in a shooting funk that has seen him go 5-21 in the last two games. He wasn't so totally befuddled on defense as he was against the athletic guards for Georgia Tech and Florida State. Then again you could probably guard walk-on guard Wes Miller with any number of kids playing in high school at the moment. His game consists of spot up 3-point shots and that is it. With a bench that hasn't produced a double digit scorer since Chris McCray flunked off the team Maryland can't afford to have Jones and Caner-Medley play this poorly on offense. The current bench has to be among the worst in the ACC and it places Maryland at a huge disadvantage.

When the lead swelled to 20 points it was obvious that more than a few Maryland players had already quit which was highlighted by the loafing down the court in transition and the fact that Carolina, even with an insurmountable advantage, was outhustling Maryland for most of the loose balls and rebounds. Maryland gave up running its offense early in the second half and would often make no more than 2 passes in a possession, in spite of the fact that the players insisted they were getting good looks, resulting in a putrid 27% shooting night. Carolina's defense simply isn't that good and it is incomprehensible that a group of players on the level of Maryland's could play so poorly. The comments coming out of the locker room afterwards struck me as more delusional than a feeble attempt to keep hope alive. It is hard to fix your problems when the players don't even have a clue what they are failing to accomplish on the floor.

To add insult to injury it is Senior Day for Maryland when they play Miami on Wednesday night. We'll have to ponder this senior class that has been the biggest disaster in at least the last 15 years. Sadly it is about time to look ahead to next year and a fresh start with some new faces.

The fat, unhappy middle

With just a week left in the regular season there is a glut of teams in the middle of the ACC's standings. It is a rather mediocre collection that will likely produce nothing more than a bunch of NIT candidates. Florida State, Virginia, Miami and Maryland are all either at 0.500 on the conference or within one game of even. Virginia and FSU looked like they would separate themselves from the group to contend for the unlikely fifth bid from the ACC. They were both longshots anyway as neither has an impressive win either inside or outside the conference, unless you include Virginia's recent victory over BC, and their RPIs are still mired in the high 50's. Still, each had won three of their last four games going into this weekend and had some momentum going into games with bottom feeders Clemson and Virginia Tech. Both crashed and burned and likely ended any chance to get into the NCAA tournament. They each would need to win both their remaining games, which include @UNC for the Wahoos and Duke for Florida State, to have even the slightest chance.

Perhaps an explanation for the surprising seasons of NC State and North Carolina have as much to do with the dismal state of the ACC as with their playing better than their talent. For that matter there is only one ACC team that has a good chance to go deep into the NCAA tournament and that is likely number one seed Duke. It is a pitiful year for ACC basketball, which makes Maryland's struggles all the more depressing. The ACC is bad enough that even with a loss today if Maryland won its final two games, at home against Miami and at Virginia, they would probably get a bid. Those are hardly imposing games, even for a inconsistent bunch like the 2005 Terrapins.

North Carolina is riding the crest of a four game winning streak that includes three road victories. In their last game they embarrassed the Wolfpack in Raleigh, 95-71. They posted 24 assists and only 6 turnovers in the game while canning 10 3-point baskets. That sounds like a deadly combination for a Maryland squad that struggles to guard the 3-point line and lacks discipline with their half court defense. The young Tarheels have also done a much better job protecting the basketball in their recent winning streak with no more than 13 turnovers in any game. Carolina can get baskets in transition and is starting to be more efficient in the half court. Now the four teams they defeated probably had three of the worst defensive teams in the league at pressuring the ball away from the basket, something Maryland can do with modest effectiveness. It will be incumbent on DJ Strawberry, Sterling Ledbetter and Parrish Brown to force Bobby Fasor, Wes Miller and Quentin Thomas into mistakes. David Noel and Reyshawn Terry hurt Maryland in the first meeting, while Tyler Hansbrough was mostly contained. Terry and Noel were much more aggressive on the boards than Maryland's frontcourt and grabbed 21 rebounds combined. The Terps will have to prevent them from gaining a rebounding advantage like in the last meeting that to have a good chance today.

In this game Maryland's deficiency at the point guard position won't be as big a factor unless Ledbetter and Strawberry make self inflicted mistakes as none of Carolina's backcourt is adept at getting steals. They will be content to play position defense and make Maryland beat them with offensive execution. The Maryland players are going to have to match the intensity of a team playing in front of its home crowd, it will be obvious from the way they rebound and play defense if they are going to do that. With North Carolina moving up to the top 15 in the RPI and Arkansas moving into the top 50 with a win over Tennessee Maryland could have three wins over the top 50 in the RPI, which would put them in an excellent position for a bid.

Terps drop to NIT territory

I had some computer issues the other day so please forgive my sparse postings these last few days. Not that it has been very pleasant to write about this Maryland basketball team lately either. Maryland lost for the sixth time in it's last eight games. Their record since Chris "Scholar" McCray flunked off the team stands at 3-6 and they go into the game in Chapel Hill on Sunday having lost three of the last four. I think that Maryland will not make it to the NCAA tournament at this point but the odd thing is that of all the remaining "bubble" teams in the ACC Maryland has by far the best chance to get in. Their RPI is better than any of the other three contenders and they could probably get in to the tournament with an 8-8 record and a win in the ACC tournament. The others probably have to go 9-7 and win one game to have a shot. To give those of you who still have a sliver of hope an idea of where Maryland stands they only need win one of the next two games, either North Carolina or Miami, and then you have a elimination game at Virginia. As bad as Maryland has looked that is all it would take. If Maryland was able to pull off an unlikely upset of UNC then I think Maryland would be in the tournament if they only won one of their following three games.

In last night's game Maryland looked like a solid NIT squad. Their offensive execution was horrendous. In the first half Maryland shot just over 30% from the floor and couldn't do much of anything to get good looks at the basket. After the 10 minute mark in the first half Maryland didn't really threaten until closing to within six points at 37-31 with 17 minutes left in the game. They then promptly got blow out and were down by 20 points just 7 minutes later. The defense wasn't particularly good, giving up a mixture of fast break, second chance and 3-point scoring by FSU, but it may have been enough to win had the offense not been so putrid.

Much has been made all season of the lack of a "true" point guard for Gary Williams and it has certainly been a constant source of difficulty but last night, as bad as the guards played, it was two key players who let Maryland down totally: James Gist and Mike Jones. Both were coming off excellent games versus Georgia Tech. Jones scored 21 points and Gist notched a tough double-double in the win over the Yellow Jackets. Last night they combined for 4 points in 33 minutes. With the Terps' paper thin depth they simply can't afford those kinds of nights from key players. Gist got into early foul trouble and was never really a factor while Jones had an embarrassing night where he attempted to play something that never resembled defense. He looked like he was trying out for the ballet with all of the ridiculous leaping for ball fakes that wouldn't fool a grade schooler. Jones was completely shut out in the second half. In his post game comments Williams called their disappearance "amazing". When you're trying to rely on what really are two sophomores in terms of playing time you'll have to expect some stinkers but you hope they don't happen on the same night or in a critical game.

It wasn't as if anyone else had a notable game either. Nik Caner-Medley scored 19 points but by the time he got his first basket of the second half the game was already over. His 11 2nd half points all came with Maryland down by almost 20 points and the team's fate sealed.

Ekene Ibekwe score 15 points and had some flashes of decent play but also had 6 turnovers and collected five points in the last few minutes of garbage time. The entire frontcourt struggled badly against a deep but mediocre FSU frontline. There isn't anyone on FSU who has the low post skills of Ra'Sean Dickey or Jeremis Smith but neither Ibekwe or especially Gist could exploit that. Note that Al Thorton plays more of a small forward position and doesn't post up very often. Most of his points were either in transition or outside the paint.

Sterling Ledbetter, as usual, was painful to watch. His turnover in the last few moments of the game, when he wasn't even pressured by a defender, was embarrassing. All told in the last 6 minutes Parrish Brown, Ledbetter and Strawberry had 4 turnovers combined. But it wasn't just the turnovers that killed Maryland, it was also the incredibly poor decisions by that trio. There were numerous times with Maryland trailing in the 2nd half that one of the three dribbled up the court and took an immediate shot with only a few seconds coming off the shot clock. No attempt to run the offense and get a good look for a teammate, no ability to drive and kick to an open shooter, little court vision and game situation awareness. It is painful to watch this group.

Will Bowers came off the bench and provided some lift for the offense, but the 5 man combination of Bowers, Garrison, Caner-Medley, Strawberry and Ledbetter was badly outplayed in the first half. He had only a single rebound in 14 minutes of play and along with Garrison gave up a number of offensive rebounds to the Seminoles.

It is a broken record, but the perimeter defense was terrible once again. The guards gave up six 3-point baskets in the first half alone. That, along with Maryland's aversion to using the 3-point basket in its own offense, doomed the Terps.

They will need a few days of fantastic practice and hard work to have a chance of beating North Carolina, who, after thumping NC State in Raleigh last night, is playing excellent basketball.


McCray on senior night
I have a few thoughts on Gary Williams comments in the Washington Post that he would allow McCray to participate in the ceremonies honoring the seniors before the Miami game. I feel that he should not be honored before the game for a couple of reasons. First, this isn't punishment for McCray. Senior night is a privilege and an honor given to those who have earned it, McCray has does not deserve this perk. Let's all be clear, denying someone a perk isn't tantamount to punishment. Second, while McCray has had a decent career at Maryland the team that won the 2004 ACC title has already been honored. I don't imagine anyone has much interest in flying John Gilchrist back from Israel to get an ovation either. Third, I'm not sure what kind of reception McCray would get from the crowd. There will be a mix of boos and cheers from the fans. Why risk a potentially embarrassing and unpleasant scene?

I know Gary Williams is showing his loyalty to Chris McCray and his players by saying this to the press. At the same time all great coaches who demand perfection from themselves need to hold their players and assistants to the same level. That has been the downfall of more than a few great coaches over the years, they stopped holding those around them accountable for their failures. McCray's selfishness has cost his coach and teammates dearly this year and he doesn't deserve the privilege of senior night.

Terps on life support

I was out of town this weekend and didn't get a chance to write my normal postgame. I'll do my best with this late and abbreviated version.

Any sort of win in this season with this team is a good thing, but until the wins start piling up it only keeps Maryland alive until the next game. The overtime win against Georgia Tech kept the Terps alive for a few more days. Maryland will likely need to finish at 8-8 in the ACC and possibly win an ACC tournament game depending on who they are matched up against. Getting to .500 against Georgia Tech was essential with three remaining road games. The Yellow Jackets had been playing better of late with a win over NC State and nearly upsetting North Carolina in Chapel Hill. They were not a pushover. Still, there is a reason they are 3-10 in the ACC. I'm not sure there is a solid reason to be excited going forward as this team is still filled with glaring holes.

Maryland did their best to give the game away with another 26 turnover day against a Yellow Jackets defense that is physical but not adept at pressuring the basketball. There were a number of stretches where Maryland could have put the game away in the second half but frittered away leads with sloppy ball handling. Georgia Tech amassed 30 points off Maryland turnovers, which explains how Maryland shot 55%, out rebounded their opponent, had 20 assists, and made 25 free throws and still had to win in overtime. Without Mike Jones electrifying block as time expired Maryland could very well have lost.

The defense wasn't great in spite of the low shooting percentage of Georgia Tech, it was more about them just not hitting open shots. Tech's shooters missed at least 3 or 4 wide open looks from 3-point range. There has been no cure of the porous perimeter defense and it likely won't get much better since there isn't a single defender on the team right now who can deny the opponent's 3-point threat. Mike Jones had a great night but probably gave up 13-17 points on the defensive end where he really struggled.

Maryland would have lost the game had Ekene Ibekwe and James Gist failed to snap out of their funks and each post a double-double. To have two frontcourt players do that in a game is pretty rare. If they can build on this game Maryland will be in a much better position. Gist was more aggressive and has the best ability to pass out of the post, as evidenced by his great feed to Mike Jones for a huge 3-pointer with 5 minutes left in the game, of any big man.

Jones had a career night hitting 8/10 shot attempts and scoring 21 points. He also showed some nice ability to work off screens and get some curls on the paint. His big body and quickness help him score in the lane. He isn't just a 3-point sharpshooter. He struggled badly on defense and with turnovers but Jones is still growing into his position and learning with every game. Last night his offense was on but his defense and ball handling was dreadful. As he gains seasoning he'll be able to put all them together in the same game.

Nik Caner-Medley struggled on offense but played 42 minutes and showed some great on the court leadership. While he wasn't able to contribute much to the stat sheet he kept his teammates motivated and rallied them when things were going south. For a senior who has never had that role in the previous three years it is impressive.

Sterling Ledbetter and DJ Strawberry didn't play horribly on offense which is about all you can hope for in Ledbetter's case. His defense is still horrendous and he got burned by a Georgia Tech duo of West and Frederick that wouldn't exactly strike fear into opponents. Strawberry was sloppy with the ball, again, but this time he hit his foul shots. This game and the Clemson fiasco are proof to me that if you live and die by these two, you'll lose more than you'll win.

Travis Garrison was his normal jump shooting, reverse layup when a dunk was available, turnstyle low post defense, marshmallow self. He has stopped even trying to look for an open teammate or a better shot when he comes off the bench. He took a bunch of jumpshots and had only 1 rebound in 15 minutes of play despite with Georgia Tech missing 43 shots and giving him plenty of opportunities.

I think Florida State is actually a team that Maryland matches up with well. They don't have dominating low post game and rely more on a high tempo pressure style to score points in transition. In the half court they are fairly shaky. Al Thorton can score a ton of points but they rest of the Seminoles are really more complementary players. Forward Alexander Johnson is one of the bigger whiners in the ACC and has taken on a thug role in the last few weeks. He'll try to intimidate Ibekwe and Gist with very physical play, which saw him foul out in the Duke game after a hard foul and double technical with Sheldon Williams. It will come down to which team is more disciplined: on defense, rebounding and with turnovers. Florida State can't outrun Maryland like they have some other teams this year, but if Maryland turns the ball over 26 times they won't have to. If I were Gary I'd actually try to slow the tempo down and play in the half court with FSU. Interestingly FSU has already played three overtime games in the ACC and except for a blowout loss to NC State most of their recent losses have been competitive. They have not beaten a top 50 RPI team all year and are only 4-2 at home.