My guess is that as time goes on, Lucious will become a Jeffrey Maier type.  A name that is more or less forgotten by the victorious fan base, but reviled by the vanquished fans.  Only time will tell.

Football season gets underway this week so be a lookout for a season preview.

So, all-in-all, a fun day. Some of the things I noticed from the day’s happenings:

• A lot more flip cameras and stuff among the reporters who were there. This prompted me to buy my own pocket camcorder, which is coming in the mail tomorrow. In other words, I will now be posting interview videos and pictures to this site when I cover games, which should be pretty freakin’ cool.
• A.J. Francis is a gregarious guy, and I definitely regret interviewing him. That being said, some of the more entertaining guys to interview on the team are Demetrius Hartsfield, Da’Rel Scott, Alex Wujciak and Nick Ferrara. I would imagine there are plenty other characters on the team that we just don’t know about because they’re not good enough at football for anyone to care if they have a personality. I’ll definitely try to talk to those guys as much as I can over the course of the season though.
• Will Yeatman, who if you don’t know, is a two-sport (lacrosse) transfer from Notre Dame, is a cool guy. He’s from San Diego, and we had a little chit-chat about him bringing some Cali flavor to the locker room. Next time I talk to him I have to ask him if he beefs with any of his teammates over east coast-west coast rap. Also, he said hadn’t put on pads in 22 months, and it showed his first time in practice. He looked a little lost and had to ask what was going on in a drill once.
• Practice is weirdly run. Each drill only lasts 5 minutes, and every player only goes through once or twice sometimes. After the 5 minutes, a horn sounds and everyone drops anything they’re doing and switches stations. It was weird to watch as a first practice, but I’m sure I’d get used to it really quickly.
• Torrey Smith said he’s not going to be on the field for quite as many plays this year, since he’s trying to avoid the nagging injuries that slowed him down the stretch last year. He put it as “less plays, more production,” which all sounds well and good, but it sounds to me like we’re taking our most explosive (by far) offensive player off the field more often than we did in our 2-10 season, without having added any new talent behind him. Ugh.
• Da’Rel Scott said he’s 100% healthy…about 7 or 8 times. He sounded genuinely excited to play again and I think he has a ridiculous year. Everyone outside of the (ever-shrinking) Maryland football fan base has forgotten that he was first-team All-ACC in his only full season so far. He spent the winter with the track team and said he brought his 40-time down down sub-4.3. I don’t need to tell you how fast that is, especially for someone as freaking built as Da’Rel. He looks like a linebacker, and he now runs and under 4.3 40? That’s reason for optimism if nothing else is – another Terp workout warrior for the draft.

That’s really all that came out of it, other than the stories I’m writing over at Turtle Sports Report from the interviews.

P.S. – I promise the next thing I write will be about basketball

As promised, I’m going to do a list of all the relevant non-stars as the third part of this series. Each individual analysis will be shorter, but the list will be more exhaustive than the previous ones. Let’s get started.

Adrian Moten and Demetrius Hartsfield – Each of these guys are worthy of their own section, but considering they’re a tag-team OLB blitzing force to be reckoned with, they belong together. Moten lead the team with six sacks last year, and Hartsfield, a freshman, pitched in 3.5 of his own in an injury-shortened season while playing the second half with a cast/club on his hand. While these two don’t have the stat-stuffing and star power of colleague Alex Wujciak, they are just as important to the Terps’ defense as the wild-haired ILB. They will spend their Saturdays in the fall attacking the quarterback relentlessly from the edge, and will be the keys to Don Brown’s blitzing scheme.

Cameron Chism - The junior cornerback will return as the Terps’ top non-linebacker defensive player. After leading the team in interceptions with four last year, he will be counted on to lock down his side of the field while safeties Kenny Tate and Antwine Perez come up to stuff the run. Chism may be the key to the Terps improving their pass defense, ranked dead last in the ACC last year. He should improve on his interception totals, and will be called upon to lead an inexperienced group of DBs after losing seniors Terrell Skinner, Anthony Wiseman and Jamari McCullough.

Adrian Cannon and Ronnie Tyler – Another double-barreled section, this time the remaining two skulls that complete our three-headed monster at wideout with Torrey Smith. Cannon possesses fantastic size (6-2, 204) and has the potential to breakout this year as an elite possession receiver. He compiled 44 receptions this year, and I expect that number to climb above 50 this season with Robinson’s arm stretching the field and opening up the underneath slant routes and button hooks that Cannon has perfected in his previous three years. Tyler is a shifty slot receiver who occasionally loses focus on balls (he has a propensity for drops on easy passes), but is capable of making breathtaking catches. At 5-11 185, he has ideal size for a slot man and should be productive in his junior year.

Davin Meggett – This fan favorite might just be the antithesis of his famous father, Dave (a personal Jet hero of mine). While the elder Meggett was known for his quicks on returns, Davin is known for his ability to run between the tackles and punish defenders, kind of like Thomas Jones. He won’t break many big runs, but he rarely is stopped for a loss. He’s an even more key part of the backfield now that Caleb Porzel is officially out as a Terp. He’ll be needed to spell Da’Rel (not an easy task, there are random capital letters and even an apostrophe!) and keep chains moving. One of the strongest players on the team (fourth highest strength index on the team), he’ll be key to any ground success the Terps have this year.

No word yet as to where in Spain Hayes will ply his trade. I don’t think it much matters.  The kid is going to be a professional basketball player and that is an accomplishment in and of itself.

No word yet as to the whereabouts of Landon Milbourne.  I hope the kid lands somewhere but that is far from guaranteed.

In other news, the Terps are slated to play University of Illinois at Madison Square Garden (where else?) in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.  Pitt and Texas are also going to be in NYC for the mini-Tournament.

UPDATE 8/4 9:22PM

There is now a rap song about Greivis Vasquez and not surprisingly, it’s awful.  Listen to it here.  Be careful.  Once you hear it; you can’t “un-hear” it.  It will be with you forever.  The horror.  The horror.

Yeesh.  I knew it was bad; but I didn’t know it was THAT bad.  My guess is that she must have held up so many scholarships over the years that Gary blames her for the downward slide the last 8 years.  I think we all suspected something like this; but Gary giddiness confirms our theories.

My favorite part of the article is where Goodman says that Gary has had a very busy July.  To me, that means Gary thinks he can now land recruits that used to be off limits due to Yow’s interference (or her tougher-than-necessary academic requirements).  Regardless, I suspect a more active Gary Williams will lead to a more competitive team on the court.

Javarie Johnson – Unfortunately, after taking all of two weeks to switch his commitment from Miami to Maryland and quickly enrolling in spring classes, Johnson has left the school. I can’t say this is is a huge shocker. Rather, it’s a huge disappointment. Johnson was the headliner in the class, a stud four-star recruit, the top-ranked player in DC and a legitimately terrifying pass rusher that looked capable of starting right out of the gate. However, the reason he switched his commitment to UMD in the first place was academically motivated – his grades weren’t good enough to enroll early at Miami, so we let him. Then, he couldn’t handle his first semester of classes, and dropped out, or the more politically correct way of saying that when discussing athletes, decided to transfer. It’s a shame, but this was sort of his destiny from Day One. Hopefully he’ll get his head on straight eventually and figure out a subject that motivates him.

David Mackall – Described by his coach at Fork Union in Va. as a “Merriman type,” Mackall has

He looks ready

the chance to be an instant impact player as a pass rusher. Although the Terps were fourth in the ACC in sacks, led by Adrian Moten’s six, a well-known football mantra is you can never have too many pass-rushers. Mackall at the moment is a little undersized for a defensive end, but that was his position in high school and he wreaked havoc, piling up 12 sacks in his final season. He enrolled early for spring practices, so by the time the season rolls around, he should know the playbook and be a contributor from the get-go. Don’t look for him to crack the starting lineup this year, though, with a logjam of the best kind at linebacker and him still being too small for the line. 2011 should be Year of The Mackall, wherever he plays.

Titus Till – I had a chance to talk to Titus a few months back around the signing deadline, and I immediately took a shine to him. First of all, his phone’s ringback is the Maryland Victory song, which was awesome. He’s from PG county, has rooted for Maryland his whole life, and as soon as Maryland offered him a scholarship, he took it and never looked back. Regardless of how well he plays, he will represent the Terps with loyalty and pride, so we have that to look forward to (how rare is it nowadays?). What else do we have to look forward to? A punishing safety with great size and a nose for the ball. At 6-1, 190 with a frame to add more muscle, he’s ideally suited for run support, but is also an asset in the passing game. He provides much needed depth in the secondary, and can back up either Kenny Tate or Antwine Perez right away. He should see double-digit tackles this year, and more than a few absolute de-cleatings.

Sal Conaboy – Yes, we’ve reached the offensive line. Conaboy is a highly-rated guard prospect (Scout’s #12, Rivals #17, ESPN’s #21 guard), with great size (he’s 6-5) but needs to add some bulk (only 255 lbs.). The guy is an absolute beast in the running game, with great feet, a knack for pulling, and hits like a mofo. Scout.com described him as having a “bit of a nasty streak,” which sounds like exactly what we’ve been lacking on the line. He’s still a year away because he needs to pack on the weight (eating the Maryland dining hall food will certainly help), but when he gets his shot, I doubt he lets it go. ESPN said he has the size to play at major levels of competition, so ACC football should be a piece of cake for him (zing!).

Desmond Kearse – If his name is familiar to you, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. He’s cousins with Jevon, otherwise known as “The Freak.” Much like his cousin, Desmond is a pass rusher extraordinaire. He accumulated 41 sacks his last two years at Dunbar HS in Florida (thank you Don Brown), thanks to his ridiculous speed. As a defensive end, he relies entirely on his 4.5 speed, which is lucky since he only weighs 180 pounds. There’s no way he ever plays in the trenches in college, and there’s talk they might push him all the way back to safety. That could work, but I see him more as a pass-rushing specialist on third downs from the OLB spot.

Rahsaan Moore – Although a highly-regard high school defensive end at Henry A. Wise HS in Upper Marlboro (teammates with Till), Moore will play fullback at Maryland. It’s hard to imagine a fullback going anywhere and feeling pressure, but Moore will come in with a chance to win the starting job outright, trying to replace the departed Cory Jackson. He has some competition in the form of junior Taylor Watson, but even if Moore loses out initially, he will eventually start for the Terps. He hasn’t been playing fullback for long, but he has great size and instincts. Being a former defensive end means he will have no fear in blocking defensive linemen and opening up holes for the armada of Terrapin running backs.

Next time: The returning role players…

My passion for the NBA has waned over the years, but I will always root for Greivis. Always.

Since the summer is pretty much the worst time ever to be a college sports fan (though if you’re a soccer fan, the past few weeks have been pretty sweet), it’s time to start looking ahead to the fall, and of course, football season.

I would discuss last year as a point of reference for this one, but any mention of that atrocity makes me vomit on my screen, making blogging a tad difficult. Instead, I’ll just review the individual performances from last year that inspire hope for 2010. Next time: the recruits, no longer starring Javarie Johnson.

Alex Wujciak - We all know about the wild-haired linebacker, who last year racked up 130+

Uh-Oh, Alex can't feel his face, à la DeShawn Stevenson

tackles for the second straight season. On a game-to-game basis, he was by far the most consistent performer on a defense that was much better to watch than on paper. The offense was so atrocious that it gave Wujciak plenty of opportunities to bring down ballcarriers, and the rest of the defense plenty of opportunities to feel their legs turn into cement. If the offense improves significantly, Wujciak may get fewer tackles but the defense will also improve.

Wujciak plays like a poor man’s Brian Urlacher, chasing the ball from sideline to sideline, rarely missing a tackle. In two full seasons (he has an unfortunate injury history) he was voted onto the second and first All-ACC teams. Since he’s a known commodity, I think he easily finds his way onto an All-ACC team again in 2010, and will generate some buzz for All-America status and some of the major defensive awards, especially if Demetrius Hartsfield, formerly Cinquante Neuf, and Adrian Moten help occupy blockers and pressure the QB.

Torrey Smith – Already Maryland’s second all-time all-purpose yardage…gainer after just two years, Smith is the most explosive player in the country that nobody outside the ACC knows about. He would have broken the ACC single-season all-purpose yardage last year had C.J. Spiller not beaten him to it. He’s an electric return man, and is improving constantly as a receiver. I doubt he sticks around for two more years, considering Al Davis is still the owner of the Raiders.

Baller

This year, I expect Smith to become only the second Maryland receiver in history to net 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He’s only been playing receiver for three years, and flashed some incredible ball skills last year, and should only improve by leaps and bounds. Considering the chemistry he showed with Robinson in the last two games of 2009 and in the spring game, expect a full-fledged breakout from the guy on the team with easily the best dreads. Easily.

Da’Rel Scott – Remember him? Last year, the Terps’ lone first team All-ACC selection in 2008 broke his wrist, missing the part of the schedule where they, uh, lost every game, coming back at the end when the season was already lost. He’s a senior this year, and the ringleader in a crowded backfield that also includes Davin “Son of Dave” Meggett, D.J. Adams and Caleb Porzel. I think he’s poised to return to form, and should be helped by a (slightly) more experienced offensive line and a wrist that’s not fractured. He’s immensely talented, gifted with good size and quick feet, and I’d be surprised if he, Smith and Robinson don’t form a lethally fast three-headed monster.

Jamarr Robinson – Though he only played in two games last year, Robinson established himself as the front-runner for the starting job in 2010. He solidified himself with a strong showing during spring practices, showcasing an improved ability to read defenses that he lacked last year, as well as his quick feet and the ability to stretch the field with an arm that can fire perfect spirals 60 yards downfield with apparent ease. The man I like to call Jamarrrrrrrr should plunder some yards from opposing defenses next year. As long as Franklin calls as many running plays for him as he did for Turner last year, we should be OK.

I’ll pick up where I left off last time: basketball. Greivis Vasquez is likely going to be the only Terp to hear his name called on Thursday at MSG, and it’s been speculated that he’ll be going anywhere from the late first round to the late second.

We at The Soup already know what Greivis brings to the table: terrific court vision, above-average shooting, improved defense, great size for a point, questionable decision-making, a bit of an ego, below-average athleticism, and leadership out the wazoo.

However, what we and pretty much nobody does know, is what team will draft him, when, and why? The picture has become more and more clear in the past few weeks, as teams with picks in the bottom of the first round have taken harder and deeper (*insert that’s what she said here*) looks at The General.

Recent reports have come out of Memphis and Orlando, keepers of the 28th and 29th overall picks respectively, that both are high on Vasquez, particular in team drills, where he can flaunt his jaw-dropping passes. Via the Memphis Flyer:

Vasquez has uniformly been down in the 50s in all mock drafts throughout the process, but I included him on my most recent Grizzlies draft board because his name comes up frequently in discussions about players the Grizzlies plan to look at. The team likes him and apparently that information is starting to get out, as Draft Express has moved Vasquez all the way up to the team’s #28 pick.

…

Vasquez looked pretty ordinary in initial solo and one-on-one drills, but when the team moved into three-on-three play, he began to stand out. More than anyone I can remember seeing in past draft workouts, Vasquez consistently made smart, effective passes to set up teammates for shots. He also talked to teammates and directed traffic – offensively and defensively – more than anyone I remember. He had a strong presence on the floor and backed it up with results. He also shot the ball fairly well in shooting drills, showing form that suggests that – with work – he can emerge as a viable three-point shooter.

In other words, people are just now realizing what we knew all along – Greivis’ greatest strength isn’t something that’s going to come out in a highlight reel or a solo workout. Greivis is a winner, he makes his teammates better, he’s a flat-out leader, which is why the Legend Gary Williams has some serious guy love for him.

SLAM Online pegs Vasquez one spot lower, going to the Magic at #29 in their mock (though, to be fair, their “Memphis GM” forfeited his #28 pick for missing a deadline, so who knows what could have been). The Magic are a team without holes on the floor, except for a backup point guard with size…oh, and a player besides 6-foot-nothing Jameer Nelson who is mentally capable of winning big games. Enter The General. I honestly think that this could be his best fit. Get on a winner, get playing time, be humbled when he’s forced to guard Nelson, Mickael Pietrus and Vince Carter, and maybe rub off on them (no homo).

To all you Wiz fans out there hoping Vasquez will fall to #30, I don’t see it happening. I mean, it’s probable that Vasquez will be available, but after Wall and Arenas, even if they pick Vasquez, I doubt he sticks. Those are three enormous egos all fighting for the same position. No offense to Greivis, but when it comes to talent and athleticism, one of those three is not like the others.

If he slips past those three spots, it’s not even worth the conjecture of where he might fall in the second round. The second round of the draft is like winning fourth place in a cereal box sweepstakes. If you didn’t get the trip for 4 to Universal Studios, a PlayStation or an autograph from that month’s “It” athlete, who gives a crap.

UPDATE: Fanhouse just released their latest mock, and it’s the highest I’ve seen Greivis, going at 25 to the Grizzlies. Here’s their explanation:

It seems the Grizzlies are trying to give O.J. Mayo a shot at point guard, which means Mike Conley is disappointing the front office, which means depth at PG is an issue. The Venezuelan Vasquez is a big guard who loves to control the ball and take jumpers. Which means he’ll fit right in with the Grizzlies.

Greivis backing up O.J. Mayo on a team that also houses Zach Randolph? I don’t like that situation for GV mostly because I don’t think that he’ll be given a chance to be a leader in a locker room full of cancer. But, I’d be happy for him for securing a guaranteed contract after a first round pick. I still think it’s far from a lock that he gets picked in the first 30, but we shall see on Thursday.