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    The Neverending Nightmare of Mediocrity Continues Unabated

    I started this as a comment under Gregg’s post game entry; but I am so frustrated that it just kept going, so I decided to make it into a post of its own. What follows in an angry tirade.  If you prefer well-reasoned and coherent analysis, please scroll down and read Gregg’s assessment.  If not, you can read my screed:

    I started this blog 6 fucking years ago and just once, (ONCE!) I want to watch a team that doesn’t make me want to commit acts of violence against my fucking furniture!  In just one of those 6 painful seasons have the Terps had a winning conference record.

    The non-conference performance has been even worse!  For every Michigan State-type victory (of which there have been precious few) there have been two or three losses in which they didn’t even compete.  And yes, I’m counting tonight’s shitting of the bed among those.  At no point in the second half did the Terps have the ball with a chance to tie Wisconsin.  That is not competing.

    Don’t paint me a rosy picture please.  That talk reminds of economists who talk about the recession being over while unemployment moves into double-digits.  The emperor has no clothes!!!!!  There is nothing positive about these losses.  Nothing!  They have dug themselves a tremendous hole that is almost impossible to overcome. The schedule works against them from here on out.   If they lose to Villanova (likely), then they will need to be 10-6 in the ACC to make the Tourney.  If they lose to Indiana also (not out of the question by any means), or heaven forbid, any other non-conference opponent, and there may not be a way back into the Dance regardless of their ACC record.  They won’t have the RPI to get in.  The ACC is not as good as in years past and they won’t have as many opportunities for signature wins.  The season is in dire straits whether you choose to believe it or not.  It’s not even Thanksgiving!

    I don’t have any answers.  I just have questions.  Here’s a few to ponder as you debate whether to gouge your eyes out with a turkey baster over this abortion of a performance….

    1.  Why is Jin Soo Choi logging any minutes at all?  I get it.  Dino is out until mid-December and we need a bigger body; but Kim is afraid to shoot and his defense is atrocious. For no apparent reason, I saw him bear hug a Wisconsin player in the backcourt at one point. What am I missing?  Right now, he is worthless.

    2.  Why is Gary using a five guard rotation when one of those is guards is Adrian Bowie?   Bowie is a bizarro combo-guard.  He’s a shooting guard who can’t shoot coupled with a point guard who can’t stop turning the ball over!

    3.  What on earth is wrong with Vasquez?  He killed Maryland today. KILLED THEM!  His shot selection was terrible.  Each shot was as good as a turnover.  And they came at the worst moments possible!  The Terps are within five?  Here comes a Vasquez fadeaway three from the corner! CLANK.  UGHHHHHHH!

    4.  Where is the half court offense? It is as if these guys met for the first time on Octobeer 15th.  We returned 9 starters from last season and the Terps are averaging LESS points than last year.  I love Dave Neal as much as the next guy but you cannot tell me that he was worth that much in the half court.

    5.  There are a million guys out there who can hit threes consistently.  Why don’t we have one on our team?  Seriously, I’ll bet the dude on Chaminade would walk-on to Maryland for a chance to play.  We could use him too.  Mike Jones graduated three years ago and we have not had a 3PT shooter since.  (Please don’t come to me with Hayes either.  Yes, he can shoot but he doesn’t look to get open nearly enough.  Run off a screen or something!)

    6.  How did we get here?  Has college basketball changed that much since 2002?  Why can’t we recruit athletes anymore?  This is not supposed to happen. Maryland was an elite program.  There hasn’t been a scandal.  We built a state-of-the-art arena.  Between PG County and Baltimore; the campus should be a recruiting paradise.  Why am I watching Gonzaga from Spokane fucking Washington with envy because of the talent they have on the floor?

    This blog has always been a labor of love; but I’m not feeling the love at all.  This program is just mediocre.  People don’t write blogs about mediocre. I just don’t know how much more I can take.  I think I am at my all-time low point as a Terp fan.  I’ve gone from frustration to despair.

    Author: Jeremy |November 25th, 2009 | Tags: , , | 82 comments

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    • johnnyrhodesscholar
      I know I'm late to the game. I have been avoiding the blog, my family, and sunlight the last week. In other words, I spiraled into the same despair that fueled Jeremy's opening to this conversation. I thought about reiterating the negative statements that I wholeheartedly agree with, but instead I'm going to go with the positives, or rather the potential for this season.

      If you are like me, you fell in love with last year's team. The heart, the loyalty, the chip on their shoulder. This team, talent wise, can be better than that team. But it is going to take time for the freshmen to bring them to that level. Braxton, Dave Neal, and Dino weren't great last year, but they were "big" bodies that we have not had in the early stretch here. We can all agree we don't have a lot of front court margin. I think losing Dino in Maui cost us at least one win, but for all I know, we'll get that back in ACC play from the extra experience the Frosh have gotten.

      Now let's look at last year's tourney dancing team. Yes they had big wins against Mich st, UNC, Michigan, and Wake in the ACC tourney...but those were the ONLY four wins against tourney bound teams (that would have deserved at large bids) we had. We were also blown out in out of conference games against Gonzaga and Georgetown and lost an RPI tanking game to Morgan St. I realize it's a low bar, but 9 and 12 point losses to Cincy and Wisconsin aren't so bad right?

      Looking at the rest of the Non-Conference schedule...The Terps should be pissed off about their performance in Maui. Hopefully they'll take it out on Indiana. Then it's time to get fired up for Villanova. If there is a top ten team in the country we have a good shot at beating, it's them. If we can win that game, erase Maui. If we lose, let's get Dino back, win out out of conference, and go compete for an ACC title.
    • Wheels
    • mightyterps
      my thoughts, ecg i agree but neither of our qbs are competent to handle the off. with a good tandem of rbs and wrs.We still need to block to give them time and stop the run on def.I was at the game and watched anthony wiseman shy away from slamming somebody named Harris and he has been like that since he has been here and i watched him in youth league and like the kid.
    • ecg
      For football I lay most of the blame on the staff. There is talent but the schemes do not maximize that talent. Fundamentals are also weak, look at the penalties and lack of tackling skills. I constantly see more original play calling from lesser teams.
    • idkwid
      Isn't his more or less a repeat of almost the exact same mistake we made in an earlier game? There was something about going on 4th and one late 4th quarter, if we missed the first down, the other team is in field goal position?
    • Wheels
      I think Ralph and Franklin both stay. Watching the game right now, it really hits me just how poorly coached MD is at this point. BC has the talent year in and out of a Dook or Wake. Yet they're on the verge of another 8 win season. They get it done with better schemes and better discipline. BC's about to score before half. MD's defense continues its trend of giving up plays of 25 yards or more. Turner should never have started this game. MD's offense is so much better with Robinson in there. Well, at least if they lose 10 games this year, a 7 win season next year would be a nice turnaround. When you're at the bottom, there's only one way to go.
    • idkwid
      When you are on the bottom, you need to put down the shovel and stop digging.
    • Wheels
      Yeah, and going for it on 4th and 1 from your own 30 with 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter down 16-10 is the epitome of keep digging. BC kicks a 42 yard fg, MD scores to make 19-17. Game. Prudence, especially with 3 timeouts remaining, would dictate that you punt the ball in the situation.

      Well, at least part of my Md-related agony has ended. Now hoops agony begins for me in earnest.
    • eddienj
      I just realized the BC game is on ESPNU. We might've broke the record for worst team ever to be on national TV the most. Outside of Notre Dame I guess. I think I've seen at least 6 Terps football games this season including today.
    • Harry
      Agreed Ricks, you never know with Debby Yow.
      I think overall we have higher expectations of the B-ball team. Since we have been to two final fours in the last ten years, we can envision being there again.
      The FB team has a 100 year record of .522% ball, so not quite the rich tradition of basketball. I can't really see a path to a FB NC in my lifetime, and I hopefully have a lot of years left.
    • DiamondbackRuss
      That 100 year record winning percentage is exactly why I never get too excited or too bummed about Terps football. I hope they win every game but it's just not in me to get all depressed when they lose.
    • Ricksterps
      I wasn't real high on Gil anyway. I always saw him as a role player at best.
    • Harry
      I only saw one de-commit, Delic. For reasons Russ outlined, but I can't help but think that the instability played a part, if nothing more than Kentucky coaches planting seeds in the kid's head.
      Oh well, Off to Byrd in a few hours. I think Ralph gets the stay of execution and has one to two more years to straighten the ship. I say this given the well discussed financial situation, his decent recruiting class for next year and the young team that should only get better. He is also a big donor to the school (like Gary but not as big as GW) and as a loyal alumni probably deserves another year.
    • Ricksterps
      I agree, seems to be a large amount of apathy about the whole situation. If this was BB, different story but we seem to be more tolerant of poor play with our football team.

      Having said that, I don't think firing Ralph is off the table. Yow moves in mysterious ways.
    • DiamondbackRuss
      NYMETS txt me last night that 2010 recruit Gil Biruta verballed to Rutgers yesterday so cross him off the list. Doesn't seem like there's anyone at St. Benedict's HS that is encouraging players to take a legit look at UMD, which is interesting.
    • Gregg
      Zagoria was just reporting a story. Who knows who asked Scheyer the question about race. Was Zagoria there? Did he ask it? And honestly, I don't care. Zagoria didn't give his opinion or anything. It seemed like a legit story to me. Some folks are just too sensitive. (no offense Jer!)
    • Gregg- Zagoria created this story by asking all these questions to the Duke players in an effort to create something out of nothing. He took a Doug Gottleib quote on ESPN and decided to try and turn it into a story because Duke was in NY for the Preseason NIT and Zagoria had access to the players and coaching staff. It is completely irresponsible to bring up race. It exposes his own bias.

    • Gregg
      I'd like to think that's not true, but it would not be the first time.
    • http://www.sny.tv/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091127&content_id=7724044&oid=2&vkey=21

      Adam Zagoria disgraces himself. Coach K even calls Duke unathletic in the article, yet Zagoria tries to define this as a race issue? I am embarrassed that I link to this guy's site off of Turtle Soup. He provides good recruiting info, but I really don't want any association with him after this.
    • eddienj
      A ridiculous article. Did Scheyer really proclaim himself one of the smartest players in college basketball? What are his credentials for making such a statement?
    • TERP
      Coach K was being sarcastic, as was Nolan smith. Look at the article, Coach K was mad about Doug Gottlieb hating on their supposed lack of athleticism.
    • I never said anything about Nolan Smith's quote which was obviously sarcastic. Coach K said his team wasn't as athletic as Connecticut. What's sarcastic about that?
    • Gary Williams latest tweet: Just got done watching our 3 games from Maui. Everyone better be ready to go tomorrow morning during practice.

    • Wheels
      Interesting...Top 10 games of the decade...Gone in 60 Seconds among them...but I appreciate the caveat provided by this guy: the run started with a bogus 5th foul call against Blake.

      http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/The-10-best-NCAA-basketball-games-of-the-decade;_ylt=AhL35C5eX84dw98crw5ZfxrevbYF?urn=ncaab,204755
    • okaybowler
      The guy who writes those posts (Chris Chase) is a local guy, although he went to Wake. I think he likes MD, tho he is often very critical of the program.
    • chiterp
      It's taken me 3 days to come over the shock of Maui. I am still licking my wounds. Had to check in real quick, tell myself that in the large scheme of things, these are only some college kids playing b-ball...there are more important things in life. There; said it.

      Still licking my wounds though.

      SMH.
    • eddienj
      They are just kids playing ball. Absolutely right. Sure doesn't seem that simple though. Terps basketball just gets me riled up like nothing else out there. It's agonizing watching these games while your stomach is churning possession by possession. I am a 40-year old man. I should know better than this. But it was good to read what you said. Reality check.
    • Wheels
      Rick...I saw that the kid from GA (Delic) decommitted from the football pledge...but you alluded to multiple. Who else?

      What's worse...a losing (albeit young) team or the speculation on coaching in terms of recruiting?
    • Ricksterps
      The blurb I read said something about the second decommitt in a month. I defer to you and DBR on football related recruiting news.

      I'm with ya Wheels, losing and coaching uncertainty are both bad. I still say the options are get rid of Franklin and keep Fridge for another year or fire them both. I don't see Yow doing option one since it puts her in a very poor light for giving him the 1 mill option to begin with.
    • DiamondbackRuss
      Oh no, don't defer to me on football related recruiting news. I get a nugget once in a while but I'm too busy annoying sources for b-ball recruiting info LOL
    • DiamondbackRuss
      Wheels...I'm not 100% sure but i don't think his de-commit had anything to do with the speculation on the coaches. I belive the primary reason Delic decommitted was because his family wants him to play closer to home so they can see more of his games. Having said that it's always a bummer when a kid you wanted in your program opts out after opting in.
    • Ricksterps
      EH has to start right now. No one else can hit a 3 to save their life.

      The reality is this, Gary sees these guys every day at practice. He knows everyone's talent level better than we do. What we see is how they perform when the lights come on. Maybe Gary needs to look a bit more at that. At the end of the day, all that matters is what you do in the game.

      What this team needs is some confidence. I will take any win but a blowout would really help the morale. Gary's teams get better, he will have this team firing on all cylinders when the real bullets start flying.

      On the bright side, I think the new bigs have played pretty well. I didn't expect that sort of production from them. They need to do a better job on the boards but they have some nice moves around the basket.

      The one guy that I think has played well pretty much every game is Mosley. He needs to cut it loose even more. That guy can score.

      Last year the one thing that kept us in games was our FT shooting. This year we seem to not be able to hit any of them. 65% as a team? As Liz Lemon would say..What the What?
    • cjazh
      I agree on the confidence issue. That is a huge factor in college basketball. Why is it that they are lacking this, especially early in the season? Cincy seemed to surprise our team with their intensity, and then the Terps looked somewhat deflated (or tired) against Wisconsin.
    • DiamondbackRuss
      Methinks Cincy's size/strength/toughness wore some of the Terps down and it carried over to the next day. Hopefully they'll recover and can go into Bloomington and get a much needed road win. Wins against quality foes build confidence but wins away from home help the confidence even more.
    • GERRY
      Wheels- Good posts. I have some comments but have to run. Will get back to you.Got some important errands. Ricksterps and Ecg too.
      Doesn't make sense that GV "has his head into the NBA" etc. However he may have performed in the first 3 games would most certainly not be factored into any NBA scouts eval against the cupcakes. The last two games probably.

      Wheels he has gone to the hole, he has dished some assists in the lane including a spectacular one to Hayes under the bucket. There were others the receivers dropped, mangled etc. He has had a few (not enough) driving layups and scoops.

      I am not in the "GV can do no wrong" crowd. I know some of you may doubt that. I am
      looking at the "chemistry" of this team and the lack of synergy. Sorry, but BB IQ and
      "stupid" is not part of the equation. Please re-read some of my posts on those items.

      Look at the faces of the players and their actions. Tucker is afraid to make a mistake or miss a shot and when he does it's painfully apparent. To GW's credit he doesn't immediately yank him. Same with Bowie.

      Difficult to believe no one commented on my startiing lineup of JW, JP, DG, GV and LM.
      Go with them as long as you can at the start of the game to (A) present a bigger presence down. That will allow us to be more aggressive on perimeter D, which is the most glaring deficiency. We are getting killed out there. This would also give us better targets (assists) in the hole and increase our offensive rebounding. (B) Bigs down low on offense opens up our half court game (if you want to call it that) for better shot selection and better results. Whether it's GV and EH or GV and LM or EH and Mosely doesn't matter. What combo works better? Notice I left out GV in one of those scenario's.

      In short, until the synergy develops the frist 5 I mentioned earler seems to be the fundamentally sound (er) thing to do. Of course we ain't calling the shots but it would be interesting (if not more effective) if GW did that.

      More to follow . Got to run.

      I think these particular discussions are theraputic for all of us that want a ACC and
      National champions right NOW.

      It's been said that the "road to the Palace goes right through the dump"

      Comments?

    • cjazh
      Let me provide a perfect example of why GV often hurts more than helps. Terps cut the Wisconsin lead down from 12 to 6 early in the 2nd half. Terps posession. GV hoists a fade away 3 pointer from the corner off the inbounds pass. Air ball (again ... our 3rd or 4th of the game ... see my point above about not having shooters)! Wisconsin gets an easy bucket on the other end and runs off 6 points in a row, including GV's man dribbling right around him for a layup (GV is slow, harkening back to my unathletic comment). Terps back down by 12.

      This type of play that is back-breaking and GV's been doing it for 4 years. Gary should sit him down when he starts doing that in games, but he won't. Any other player and GW would have them immediately pulled out of the game (hence my comment on drinking the kool aid).

      I agree with Jeremy on mediocrity. We've been ranked less than a handful of times over the past 5 years ... not what I expected from a Maryland program, especially post a national championship only 7 years ago.

      I'll be at the Indiana game on Tuesday and will get to see it firsthand for myself. I'll see if it changes any of my observations (not opinions).
    • ecg
      I am starting to believe that GV has his head too much into the NBA and is trying too hard to prove what he needs to help his stock rather than letting go and helping the Terps. I know it is still early and hopefully he will wake up to the fact that he helps himself more by helping the team first, otherwise it will be a loooooong season.
    • DiamondbackRuss
      Happens to alot of players. I recall it ruining Exree Hipp.
    • Harry
      An article written today in the WaPost outlines a quite possible scenario regarding the status of Ralph Friedgen and James Franklin. This sort of split the baby in half strategy may be the best solution given all the moving parts of this situation.

      http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/26/AR2009112601566.html
    • Ricksterps
      I just read that we had a couple more decommitts. That is the problem with that strategy. It will kill us in recruiting, the next coach will have absolutely nothing to work with.

      I would have Ralph come back and pay Franklin to walk now. No matter what we do next year, no way do we want to give him a five year deal worth about 13 million.
    • Ricksterps
      Wow...just wow. Has everyone on here been watching sports for more than this year? It is way early. We lost two games to two teams that have a good shot at going to the dance...IN NOVEMBER. We played poorly for two days, yes, guilty as charged. But this ain't football, this season was always going to be won or lost in conference play.


      The offense is struggling, really struggling. The shot selection is really bad. How many easy buckets did we get? Not many.

      So let's talk about the 500 pound gorilla in the room...the General. We have some people that think he can do no right and some think he can do no wrong. He has been playing poorly. You can't blame everyone else this time. He is not working within the offense. He is jacking up way to many threes.

      Gary loves this kid, LOVES him. After Gary is watching from the stands I bet he lists him as one his favorite player he has ever coached. The problem is I think he is giving him way too much latitude. If anyone else made some of those decisions they would get yanked out in a heartbeat. Not GV, he gets to stay in there no matter what he does.

      We need him to step up and be the senior leader we all know he can be. Watching him get into it with BR and then the Wisconsin guard, who took him to school, was very disheartening. It makes it look like he is more concerned with his own game and not the team. Time to grow-up GV, now.

      We have talent on this team, guys who can score. This isn't last year's team, GV doesn't have to put up 25 points for us to win. Having said that, we need GV. We need his scoring and his play making. Be the play-maker you can be. Drive and create. Don't drive and pull up. It's not your game, never has been, never will be.

      Indiana is up next. A game on the road in the big ten will matter come Selection Sunday no matter who the team is. Then there is Villanova. A win there is better than those two wins. The committee wants to see you beat good teams. We got in last year because we beat Mich State and UNC. That is way more important than losses to Cincy and Wisc.

      This week was disappointing, I agree. But let's keep it all in context boys. This team will get better, hopefully much better. Seasons aren't won or lost in November. But you guys know that right?

    • Wheels
      Gerry, I don't think that a baseball analogy works too well...it's too apples and oranges. Besides, in baseball there's not much at the plate that happens that takes into account the volition of a player. Greivis has a choice of when to shoot. It's not like A-Rod has a choice of when to hit a HR or not.

      I don't think the scoring or the number of shots is really the issue. The issue is of when and where. When does he decide to take a shot and from where? FG shooting percentage is not equivalent to batting average.


      Let's think of a basketball scenario that is more equivalent. Take a look at the Lakers post-Shaq. Kobe, like Greivis, is clearly the best player on that team. Yet when Kobe goes bonkers on shooting the ball, the Lakers don't win as much as when he makes better decisions about when and where to take over a game. Once he learned that, the Lakers won the championship. The problem with Greivis, as it has been since he took the prominent role in the program, is that he still doesn't know the right time...and for the that matter the right way...to take over a game.

      He has so many ways to get his fingerprints on the game beyond just scoring. He hasn't gotten to the lane much at all this year, which creates passing opportunities as well as his scoring. He hasn't gotten to the FT line much this year. He seems content to shoot 20 foot jump shots. The direction of his game isn't flowing toward the basket. Even if his teammates aren't that good, if he gets into the lane and draws defenders, he'll have open people within 10 feet of the basket. From the 3 games I've seen this year, he seems very confused.
    • mightyterps
      lets change our attention to our football team, for a moment. let's back the terps.

      GOOD LUCK RALPH AND OUR COACHING STAFF GOOD LUCK TO OUR SENIORS AND TO ALL OUR TERP FOOTBALLERS.

      GP TERPS GO
    • DiamondbackRuss
      Great post.

      Hopefully they can get a win.
    • GERRY
      I still think the baseball analogy makes sense comparing GV's (or any other proven scorer) that it's not the number of shots that matter. Babe Ruth held the record for home runs for over a quarter of a century but he also struck out more than almost every other player in his time.

      I like TERPBUGMAN"S remark. GV is in a slump. Would you bench the batter that was 3 for his last 36 at bats but perennially hits 323 B.A. Of course not. It's ok to have a slump in baseball but not BB? Let's get off his case. He's not striking out. He's putting points on the board, many times more than most.

      The teams FT shooting is taking us out of some games. Padget, Bowie and JW need to take 200 FT every day. Padget's FT have too much arc and Bowie's doesn't have enough.

      We could critique this to death and it wouldn't change the results. We will improve. No doubt we drop off the top-25 chart and that should be added incentive. It may be easier to get back on than to get in for the first time. Most of these kids have been winners -all their lives, in winning environments, on winning teams and winning championships. You don't lose that, it's now part of you. Individually it some times get mis-placed, players lose focus , they start "thinking" to much and abandon the instincts they acquired. That doesn't make the stupid. You don't achieve the things they have done before they arrived at CP with a low BB IQ or by accident......it's done on purpose.

      Yes they are in a 'different BB environment " now, the competition just gets tougher. They have to go to the next level or Jeremy's might be right i.e. mediocrity sets in. I would respectfully challenge Jeremy's header "The Neverending Era of Mediocrity......unabated." He's frustrated like the rest of us and he may want to rethink that "header" and talk about it. Now MD football might be closer to his point. We were'nt mediocre last year nor overall in the last 8 years either. Let's get off that bus.

      Sure would like some of you to challenge my last 4-5 posts. If only for the sake of re-orienting our thoughts and discussions.

      Go Terps.
    • terpbugman
      Hey, this is not a time to over-react or so quickly think the ship is lost at sea. It's not lost. True, they didn't play well, and I don't need to repeat the obvious problems. I'm a Gary Williams fan, and I'm confident he's going to get the ship on the right course. This team will take a little time, and it might take some time for Vasquez to get out of his slump, but let's be patient. The team is good enough to take care of itself and will probably finish the season somewhere between the 20th and 30th ranked team in the country.
    • GERRY
      ooops. My 3 players were actually 9-15. I said I wasn't a mathmetician.

      Regrets
    • GERRY
      An afterthought - Gv (somehow) scored about 20 pts against Wisconsin. Not a mathmetician but doesn't that equate to about 32% of the team total production?

      Let's change the venue. We have a baseball series for the pennant.
      Three players have a productive night at the plate. One goes 2-4, another 3-5 and another 4-6 with a combined total of 2 rbi's. Those 3 players combined for 10-15 with 2 rbi's. However, going into the bottom of the ninth the team find themselves with 2 outs and behind 4-3.

      Now comes a player that is 0-5 in the game. Yet, in the bottom of the ninth with
      2 outs and 2 men on base he hits a walk-off homer to win the game and the pennant
      6-4. Just who was the most productive player in the game?

      If your're looking for balance, you might not get it. If your looking for results then look no further. Let's put some reality to the notion that we win or lose with GV. He's not going to be the reason we win a lot games but he rarely will be the reason we lose any game.

      Comments?
    • terps96
      He actually scored 18 points still in the lead for the team...but how many shots did he take? More importantly how many of those did not leave you shaking your head? Granted nobody else was doing anything so what is he supposed to do, but still if he starts taking and making the right shots the team plays better.

      I think what is lost here is the impact Dave Neal had on this team last year. Nobody has replaced his leadership yet and nobody is setting the picks for the guards. I noticed a couple of times during the game where Williams didn't set himself properly for the pick and EH, or GV couldn't shed their defender. For EH specifically he just isn't quick enough to beat an avg defender on his own, and he doesn't get the elevation needed to shoot over the guy.
    • GERRY
      Cjazh- Sorry pal but nothing you said could be further from the truth. I simply can't buy into the notion that our guys are "below average athletes, non shooters and below average BB IQ". Also, the notion that "GV kills our team more often than he helps is not supported. The evidence is overwhelming when you look at last years team progress and advancement to the NCAA's, in spite of "overwhelming" odds. Not that I am an expert, but I did present a rational expose' on this years team that gives us promise of a future this year.
      Did you even read my post? Not that I am entirely correct but tell me where I am wrong!
      "Drinking the GW cool-aid" really puts you in a dim light. Tell me and the Soupers where I am wrong.

      To the Soupers- For our own sanity....I appeal to you to respond to Cjzah and myself on this issue. As always, silence is often construed as tacit approval. Not seeking to split the
      uprights here but lets present a "fair and balanced" outlook.

      Comments?

      Go Terps.

    • cjazh
      Somehow we're always in the "no need to panic" mode ... and that's the point isn't it! Cincy's not panicking. Gonzaga's not panicking and neither is Wisconsin. Why? Because they win ... and we don't. Our record the past several years is built on beating cupcakes to pad our win/loss record ... and we've even lost to a few cupcakes.

      The fact is that we have below average atheletes, no shooters, and key players with absolutely low basketball IQ. I'm sorry, but GV kills out team more often than he helps. For every game he goes crazy, he has 2-3 that are horrible. His poor shot selection, turnovers, etc. kill momentum and destroy teamwork. He should be benched, but we have a coach that has drank the GV kool-aid for some reason. I don't get it.

      If you aren't prepared for another mediocre season, you are delusional. They will win 1-2 games they shouldn't, they will lose several games they should win and will be another bubble team this year. End of story.

    • idkwid
      at best

      10-4 non conf
      9-7 conf

      19-11 and on the bubble

      or, at worst
      10-4, 7-9, 17-13, outside the bubble and losing in the NIT

    • Terps_R_Us
      I think GV's seeming poor decision-making is a direct result of the rest of the team vanishing on offense. He tries to compensate by doing too much (taking stupid shots and making crazy passes). It's the same year after year because he's had no supporting cast year after year. Give him a few people to rely on, and the bad shots vanish (I hope!). Happy Turkey Day.
    • I can't say I agree. Yesterday, I saw that we had balanced scoring early on and then fell apart as GV decided to "take control" or the offense. Perhaps a better term would be "take un-control" since the offense fell apart when he started jacking up ill-advised shots
    • JohnE
      Happy Thanksgiving Soupers! We have a lot to be thankful for! Keep the faith, and go Terps!
    • DiamondbackRuss
      It's early no need to panic. In 2000 we lost two of three games in Maui and I think we lost the following game in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, we finished the season in the final four. Not saying this is a FF team, just that it's early and Gary's teams typically improve.

      Dino will help as he's probably our quickest big guy, will bring energy and his on court presence will help the freshmen. BUT Dino doesn't cure all that ails the team right now.

      I think EH needs to move back to PG until Greivis is out of his slump. Let EH steady the team and get us into the proper sets to run the half court offense, that will take some pressure off of Greivis.

      Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and remember it's still early in the season.
    • kaze
      There's nothing like the Soup when times are tough. A great Thanksgiving to all of you guys, and especially Al V, wherever he sleeps.
    • mightyterps
      to eddienj, how can say forget a ratio stat when it is held highly. How would you rate a guard if not by assists. GV brings the ball up because gw gives him the right to break off and originate if he wants to. And that is what it should be. The team is smoother with hayes in the game with gv.
    • eddienj
      I don't mean to say that the stat is totally irrelevant. I do see your point. But each team is different in its makeup. I think you would agree that GV's role as PG of Maryland is vastly different than the standard PG role. Well then how can you compare his stats to the PG for another team? I think individual stats are the least relevant in basketball compared to any other major team sport. It's played with 5 players and interwined roles. To rate a players performance by numbers is arbitrary. If you shoot more you points total will be higher for the most part. If you're the PG you will almost always have the most assists. If you're the best inside player you will most likely have alot of rebounds and shoot alot of FT's.
    • GERRY
      Wheels. Your logical and that's not all bad. There are other factors to consider in no certain logial order.

      # 1 - GV's Court vision, passes and TO's - Got to conclude he's got superb court vision. Does he make bad passes? Some. All too often they seem to be spot on but in years past some players were'nt ready to receive and if they got swallowed up, it's easy to conclude "maybe he shouldn't have made that pass."Are they bad mistakes? The tapes will show show otherwise.....overall. In the open court he is quite formidable. He's taller and quicker than most defenders. He can drive to the hole with ease. Against Cincy he had a superb driving scoop layup,nearly uncontested. Remember it? Conclusion. See # 2.

      # 2 - Yes, "you have seen this before". Let's face it. If GV were playing for most other ACC teams- get this- G. V. would also have orgasmic games against MD. I am just not convinced it's about being smart. In a game like BB, the guy with the ball often doesn't waste time thinking. It's instinct and execution. It's also critical to have a cohesive supporting cast. Surely you would agree, in his nearly 4 seasons, we haven't enjoyed a cohesive starting 5. You could have given some of our post players (B. Dupree for example) the perfect pass and he would have screwed it up. Great passes turn into mistakes, bad passes and TO's, if the recipient isn't in the right place at the right time.
      # 3 - Situational awareness- Unless we're playing a cupkake that's not a factor. Whatever GV's shortcomings are, the rest of the team has the same, if not more. EH can't decide to shoot or pass. Bowie can't decide to pass, slask or shoot. Tucker looks indecisive. Mosley, although seemingly improved still makes bad decisions around the bucket. Choie was touted as a "6'9' outside scoring machine" but the ball won't drop for him or did he really miss the shot. Dave Neal was not a 3 pt shooter but man did he step
      up to the plate. Know you will agree you either take what the D gives you or create something or let the shot clock take your shot away.

      No doubt you think I would defend GV to the end. I might. In reality, it's not a stretch
      to believe he's trying more to help Gary mold the newbies and develop 7-8 productive players from this years supporting cast.

      Again, to properly evaluate GV's effectiveness and value, place him on most other ACC
      teams playing against MD......what's the result?

      That one question should alter some opinion, incite others on this blog but overall create some healthy dialogue.

      Mightyterps - No substantive disagreement. However, Hayes (or anyone else) doesn't always get a chance to "run the play the coach calls". That works in a half court but not in transition.

      Appreciate your contributions

      Go Terps

    • Wheels
      I think you're right to consider the context of this. However, wouldn't a smarter player adjust his game to fit the team? No doubt, if Greivis played for UNC, his skills would lead to different outcomes. Totally agree. But he plays for MD, so I alway hope that he adapts his skills to fit MD players. I know my assessment of him is tough. I think the guy has tremendous skills, and without a doubt he is our best player. It's not even close. It just seems to take him longer to figure things out. I can only attribute that to his IQ.
    • JohnE
      Guys, like all of you I'm quite frustrated right now. I agree w/ Jeremy that we have dug ourselves a hole with the Maui non-results, however--here comes the cliche--it is still early. we're in an RPI hole, not necessarily a developmental hole. The team has talent, but it needs development during THIS SEASON. GW has a track record of developing some 3/4-star players into 5-star like players, e.g. Baxter, Dixon, Blake.

      Let's take a chill pill. Let's eat some turkey today and forget about the turkey play of Maui. Here's a couple of positives I took away from watching the tournament. You guys elaborate as you see fit.

      Mosley is a legit 2. Yeah he'll clang one here and there for the time being that makes you go"just WTF was that," but if GW can pull the potential out of him, look out ACC. Padgett is the best looking 4 we've had in awhile. I like him even better than James Gist because I think he'll be more of a constant presence in the paint and not a fader. Yes, Padgett is real raw right now, but his energy and hops are more than adequate; best I've seen in a maryland front courter since Wilcox. Williams might (notice I said might) be the second coming of Lonnie B. Yes I know we all said the same thing about B. Dupree, but I don't see J-Dub flaming out on us development-wise like BD did. He's obviously got better hands and actually seems to have soem sort of feel for the game BD NEVER showed. My fingers are crossed that when Dino comes back, we get an even better version than the Dino we saw emerging last year. We are going to need Mr. Gregory to come through BIG TIME. The frosh, while talented, are still frosh. We've got to have one front courter we can rely on every night to bring it, especially on the D side of the court.

      Ok, that leaves the rest of the roster. WTF is going on with them? GW and staff have got to do their best coaching job getting GV, LM, EH, AB, CT, SG, JC to contribute what we need from each one of them. And we shouldn't kid ourselves, if this bunch does not get it going, we're sunk.

      As all of you have articulated one way or the other, they have issues right now. None of them seems to have the same issue. GV is a shell off himself from the past three years. LM is either going to "get it," or he'll end up being another James Gist--teasing us with flashes, but never quite fulfilling his potential. Actually, LM will be more of a poor mans version of JG. AB has potential, but his hoops IQ needs to rise quite a bit. He is a disjointed performer at best, and dreadful performer when he is at his worst. Doesn't make sense to me. The kid is our quickest talent on the floor, but more often than not, leads to some disappointing WTF result, especially on the offensive end. CT is a step above Bowie in his development, but still unreliable. I have no friggin idea game to game what we'll get from CT. SG and JC are mysteries to me. They are either going to play themselves into total irrelevancy or they are going to develop into something we can count on; what exactly that is I have no idea yet.

    • NYMets9631
      this is from Jimmy Dykes' Twitter Account - Maui wrap:Maryland will be a different team when they get Dino Gregory back in mid December.Terps r better than their 1-2 Maui record
    • eddienj
      Guys it's still early. I think Cincy and Gonzaga will have great years. Much better than predicted in pre-season. It won't hurt our RPI as much if that happens.

      One thing about Born Ready. Tied game Cincy vs Zaga, less than 2 minutes left, Cronin runs a 1-4 set on offense. Basically a clear-out for Born Ready. When I saw that it broke my heart. It absolutely broke my heart. The kid drove in the lane, pump-faked then made the bucket. He's a DIFFERENCE MAKER. Stats mean nothing guys. He's less than 10 games into his freshman season and their coach gives him the ball with the game on the line. They have an upperclassmen in Vaughn who has plenty of ability yet it's Born Ready who gets the call. We could REALLY use a guy like him.
    • mightyterps
      The last 2 years Hayes had the best asst/to ratio on the team by far. and was ranked highly in the acc. I think he does make the passes for baskets that you mentioned.
    • eddienj
      Forget about ratio. That is a useless stat when it comes to Hayes because he's not the point guard. If Hayes brings the ball up against pressure every possession that ratio would not look nearly as good. If he was the one with the ball with the shot clock winding down needing to create something then he would turn the ball over more. He does not handle the ball in the most pressure situations. The reason is because he can't. He's been here 4 years now. If he could handle all those situations don't you think our coach who has won 600+ games and actually played the PG position would've seen that by now?
    • mightyterps
      my take, I only question the Hayes comment. Hayes can only run the plays the coach calls. but we all agree he is our best 3 point shooter and most accurate passer.
    • eddienj
      Hayes is our best shooter for sure. I'm not sure about most accurate passer though. If I just throw the ball to the guy next to me that's open, my turnover/assissts stats are gonna be pretty good because sometimes that guy will just shoot it and make it and I'll have an assist. Hayes rarely makes a pass that DIRECTLY leads to a bucket. I don't mean the rulebook definition of an assist. I mean making a pass which leads to points that wouldn't have happened otherwise. Making those passes are more risky and leads to more turnovers. I would describe him as more of a conservative passer.
    • Wheels
      Gerry...I agree with you for the most part. It's way too early to pronouce this season DOA. It's a long season, so let's see where things go in the ACC season.

      Gerry....you also asked me on the last thread why I was saying that Greivis wasn't too smart. Is it just frustration? Was I just lashing out? My response, no and no (for proper lashing out, see Jeremy's post!). As I watched Greivis play the last couple of games, it hit me that I have seen this before from him. In fact, I've now seen it 4 years in a row. He makes the same mistakes over and over, from year to year. Look at the history of The Soup since Greivis came to town. Our comments have all been the same: The kid has talent but he makes the worst decisions.

      So, here we are...his senior year. After playing so minutes in the toughest league in the nation, after playing in tournament games, after playing hundreds of minutes in international Olympic qualifying games againt professionals from around the world, here's Greivis making the same mistakes over and over, year after year. Doesn't this strike you as odd? Don't you normally expect players to learn from such myriad experiences? Yet, why are we all all like "Geez, here we go again with Greivis." He has no situational awareness on the basketball court at all. If you kept making the same mistakes over and over, year after year, wouldn't someone call you stupid?

      Look, I know it's a harsh assessment to say that the best player on the team, the face of the program, the person by which the season will swim or sink isn't too smart. I know that using the word stupid or phrase 'low IQ' isn't really a nice thing to say. I get that. But look at what's been going on for 4 years? At what point do you call a spade a spade? Imagine the stats that the kid would have if he played smarter? It'd be off the charts. But...he rarely plays smart, does he?

      I forget who said it 2 years ago (2 years ago!), but Greivis starts runs for our team and the other team. Same as it ever was. And that's not stupid? Stupid is as stupid does, over and over, year after year. But he's the best we have.

      Happy Turkey Day to all...gobble, gobble, gobble...
    • GERRY
      Let's give the turkey a stay-of-execution. I know you expected that from me.
      Since we don't currently have "THE ANSWER" we go with what we have. I sense GW is gambling on developing the tools he has and not dreaming of what we lost (possible recruits) but it's as you say....a work in progress.......again. We got hammered in the post last year but still found ways to win and advance. We are going to desparately need Padget and Williams in the near term and with Dino arriving from his sequestering things might change rather quickly. You're all correct when you highlight our weakness. These weakness are brought about by having to draw our perimeter D close-in to help with rebounding. Hell, GV and Hayes have collected bunches of rebounds the past few years, Mosely too. That's from 3 players under 6'6". As a result, the other teams 3-shooters look orgazmic draining 3's and J's. We are sacrificing perimeter D to help with the horses (ponies) in the barn. Don't you see that? Opponents 3 shooters % goes way up against MD. That can change but we will need - get this--- Williams, Padget and Dino on the floor at the same time. That produces a dilemma . Do you then go with Milbourne and GV? Hayes is off the bench if our "bigs" can hold their own. Picture those 5 on the floor together before you post.

      Hasn't Gary always got the most from the least. Look at our Nat. Champ'ship. Who would have thought Lonnie Baxter would become the beast ? Who would have thought Dixon would be MVP? When Blake arrived he looked like the little basketball guard from the Catholic League across town.

      "It's not the color of their skin, it's the content of their character"

      Yes, it's great to celebrate success but it's more important to learn from failure. During the Cincy game I opined that we were close discovering " what we can learn from this loss". I sense Jeremy is not a quitter because if he was he'd have pulled the plug long ago. Thinking negative is repulsive to winners. We got a lot of winners on this site. You can feel it in their productive diatribes. I'd like to think our Terps haven't gotten much sleep the last few nights. We just haven't had the luxury or good fortune of luring the
      Born-Ready players to our campus. Maybe it's the curse of "Moses Malone".

      Look what we have done over the years with kids that we did get. Were'nt they "overachievers" and some with bad attitudes? John Gilchrist was a great example. Too bad "he needed a check-up from the neck-up". Dixon and Blake, on the other hand were certainly over achievers. The difference is they had "character" and a fire in their belly.

      I don't see that in Tucker and Bowie and glimpses of it in Hayes. Mosely has it. GV has it.
      Milbourne's getting it. WIlliams and Padget should have it after the first 5 ACC games.

      When and "if" that synergy arrives these guys will be better, play better, work together better, get better and play better. Mark the tape.

      I feel your pain, but take this in the spirit it's given. It's wasted time. It's like in golf after a quadruple bogey. Leave it at the green because the most important shot......is the next one.

      Let's leave these two games behind because the most important game is also the next one.

      Go, the sermon has ended.

      Happy Thanksgiving. I am happy for the team we have. We could be "bottom dwellers" but it's not in our character. The sun will set today and rise again tomorrow.

      Go Terps

    • CT
      I think my expectations were elevated by what I considered very solid, steady performances in the first four games of the season. We faced sub-par competition, yes, but the team looked confident, and there were noticeable improvements in critical offensive areas - namely Hayes' seeming renewed 3-pt shooting touch, Mosley's emergence as a legit scorer (to go along with his hustle, defensive ability and willingness to bang), and respectable showings by the new bigs. Well, for those of you who cautioned against drawing conclusions before the meat of the non-conference schedule, you were onto something. We learned in Maui that the aforementioned improvements were at best still very much works in progress, and at worst, totally counterfeit. It's still too early to tell, I think.

      But as we ponder how good we could be, let's not lose sight of the fact that, with the exception of Williams and Padgett, this is the same team that put us through hell last year. There are no new shooters, no new uber-athletic score anytime slasher types, no new dominant inside players. So the question becomes, how much can this team truly improve? Vasquez is by far our best player, but there's some weird cloud hanging over him right now; I wasn't worried early, but it's becoming a bit disconcerting. If he plays poorly, we lose, period. Mosley has a lot of room to grow and played extremely well to start the season, but he regressed in Maui (completely disappeared, really). Hayes has retained the "best shooter" label despite having struggled his entire career to put together a consistent, fear inducing 3-pt weapon. Can he hit the shot consistently this year, or has he reached his ceiling? Milbourne is the glue; he may actually be our best shooter, at least from 15 ft in, and he's a warrior. But can we count on him to take over games offensively? Tucker and Bowie show flashes -- Tucker from long range and athletically, Bowie with an ability to get to the basket off the dribble -- although still inconsistent. Dino would'ved helped against Cincy and Wisconsin, no doubt, but on the glass and defensively, not as a scorer. Are the other guys even worth mentioning? Jin Soo's clearly not ready for prime time. Goins? Who's Goins?

      I don't know what the answer is, but I do know that THE ANSWER isn't walking through that door anytime soon. This is our team, and Gary's gotta figure out a way to win with them. It's a long season.
    • jadams5214
      Glad to see Jeremy eloquently expressing the frustration that so many knowledgable Terp fans have been feeling for years.

      Once again the Terps are fighting from behind to start a season. Winning 1 of the last 2 games would have been enough to call it a successful trip. Now the Terps have 2 out of conference losses on a neutral court that will most definitely come into play on Selection Sunday.

      It was painfully obvious even in the Chaminade game that this team has glaring deficiencies. Of course there are always the blind optimists that couldn't see it but after these last 2 games the problems are too much to ignore...

      GV is not performing up to expectations. He usually thrives in big games but is definitely off right now. Is he trying too hard to show people he should be in the NBA? Not sure but his draft stock is dropping with each passing moment.

      Landon Milbourne is the other senior leader. He scored tonight but think about this, in over 85 minutes of action he has a TOTAL of 4 rebounds! How can a 6-7 forward total only 4 rebounds in 3 games???

      The Terps have struggled for years to score in their half court offense and things haven't improved this year. They don't have anyone that can consistently knock down shots. Is it really that hard to recruit a couple of guys that can shoot? The "best" bench players are Bowie and Tucker who combined for a whopping 3 points tonight.

      This years Terps are a team that can't shoot 3 pointers, can't make free throws and can't score consistently in their half court offense. Their star player is struggling and the other senior leader has been marginal at best. The bench is non existent especially when trying to score.

      Gary Williams once again has a monumental task to turn this team around. Many of us thought the program was past the point of eternal struggle but it's now painfully obvious that those days have returned...
    • Samster
      Choi is completely worthless.
    • PC
      Jeremy your point #5 boggled my mine all last year and again the past 2 games. It's almost inconceivable that of all the guards/small forwards they have that none are that reliable from the 3. JSC only played 4 minutes according to the box score but it seemed like he played a lot in the first half. He tries but he's just not ready for this level. AB really has to improve otherwise it's all on Stoglin next year which could be ugly if the only PG is a frosh. I'm speechless on GV's game this year.

      Until T Ross and M Parker suit up next year, Cliff Tucker is the best athlete we have and has the potential to score from the outside and driving to the basket. It won't happen but I wish GW would give him 20+ minutes a game. He has his bad moments, but no worse the GV or any of the other guys this year. I just think he has the most potential to contribute to the team and needs the playing time to get into the flow of the game. If Mosley, GV, or Hayes isn't in the game then Cliff should be.
    • gbx79
      5 mins into the second half I got a frantic all to replace a water heater in a house I'm renting that was dumping hot water into the basement. hell of a mess, took all night to clean up. Missed the rest of the game.

      And my stress level dropped by 50%.



    • Raj
      We were all thinking Sweet 16 about 2 or 3 days ago. Now we have to beat a top 5 team on a neutral court to even think about getting to the dance. In typical Terp fashion, we dug ourselves a huge hole... now on Dec 6 we'll see if the kids have any intestinal fortitude at all.
    • Chrs0049
      I don't care how, I just want to win. That is all
    • In case you haven't been following, Gus Gilchrist is averaging 19ppg and 8 rpg for South Florida. He is shooting 85% from the FT line.
    • Dirtman
      Are the NCAA violations worth it?
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