Official Maryland Terps Thread 2.0

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Regardless of how this season turns out, this Maryland team overachieves. They know how to win close ball games.

Vasquez almost has to go round 2 in the draft.

[P'Oed]

WOOOOOOO!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??????????? I NEVER expected this win in a million years!!!! This is the NEW Maryland! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

[Donkey McDonkerton]

that was a nice game...NICE

[lupin]

Ranked #22 now. Vasquez also got his 4th ACC Player of the Week (I think), and Jordan Williams was Freshman ACC POTW. Duke up next for all the marbles.

[doclinkin]

We'll have to agree to disagree, doc. While I think the pre-draft tests are overrated, the fact that he was dead last of all participants backs up the eye test that he's not athletic enough to play the point - especially when you combine that with the fact that he's a poor ball-handler for a PG (completely opposite of Blake) and makes a few awful plays most games. On the positive side, he's improved his offensive efficiency dramatically from the beginning of this season - and those head-scratching plays he makes have declined. Lately, he's almost been winning games by himself, so I think some of us have forgotten the awful shot selection he's had in his previous 3 seasons.

The best player to compare him to imo was Blake's biggest college rival (with all due respect to Jay Williams) - Julius Hodge - skillswise, sizewise, athletically, and emotionally. Blake was an ubertough no-nonsense pure PG at MD who had to be encouraged to shoot more and was fine with other players being the stars. This was a guy who was regarded as a top HS player while averaging less than 10 points a game - that's how good a pure PG he was. He had to redefine his game to play for the Wiz - becoming a shooting threat and less of a pure PG - because he didn't have the physical ability to penetrate against most NBA PGs.

I'll admit a failing (evidenced by Greivis) that I tend to overvalue attitude and intangibles when it comes with high level production. I've just seen so often that athleticism wither and prove useless when attached to an unmotivated numbskull. Contrast against players who are smart and play with passion and you'll often see surprises in players overlooked. I don't expect Vasquez to run in an allstar game, but I know he can make a roster and improve a team. Yes he's less athletic than most at his position, he's also a better passer than many, he's an active rebounder in open space, he sees the situation quicker than most, anticipates well.

Will he have to shoot less at the next level? Yes, he'll have to be more efficient. He won't attack the interior as often, will rely on that outside shot more, will have to dump the ball to the more proficient scorers. He'll have to do these things in order to see any playing time. But that's the key. I think this kid will do anything possible, steroids, surgery, assassination, nothing excepted, in order to be allowed to play. And those are the type of players who get better.

He can hit an NBA three, against Kobe and DWade (went 3/6 from three against team USA, with 5 rebounds, 2 steals). He can make a smart pass with few miscues. Yes, he'll need to put in work to improve strength, conditioning, reflexes, to be able to approximate NBA positional defense. But on any roster he'll be the guy who cares more than everybody else on the team. That means he'll earn benefit of the the doubt from most coaches, which should earn him the time needed to make those improvements and adjustments.

If not, Europe will be happy for the NBA's loss.

[Ruzious]

Good stuff, Doc. I know I compared Greivis to Julius Hodge, but there's another comparison that might be better from a dozen years ago or so (feels like longer) - Miles Simon from Arizona. He was in the same backcourt as Jason Terry and Mike Bibby - but Simon was the heart and soul and demonstrative leader - oozing charisma - of that team - that won the NCAA championship. I think he led them in scoring, assists, and mopping duties - like Greivis. But while Terry and Bibby have had long and successful NBA careers, Simon was the tweener guard who didn't make it in the NBA.

Too bad Maryland doesn't have a Bibby and a Terry, but Hayes and Mosely ain't too shabby.

[miller31time]

Monumental game tomorrow.

The Dookies are going down.

[P'Oed]

Like always, it's gonna be fun....Even better because there's really not a whole lot to be lost here. We took care of business and now we can treat this as a tuneup for tournament time. F DUKE

[Ruzious]

Monumental game tomorrow.

The Dookies are going down.

it's a great test. I think we either win or lose big. Duke's got a real imposting front line and very efficient guards, but they're not particularly athletic, and they don't have a creative player that can take over when the offense stalls - like Greivis. Maryland always has trouble with Duke's defense. With the game at MD, it should be competitive - meaning MD will win. If not, we'll see that there was a good reason MD hasn't been ranked until this week.

[closg00]

I hope the game tonight lives up to the hype. Props to Greivis, the guy is a winner and he certainly will be taken in the 2nd round now.

[mzaretsk]

WOOOOOOO!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??????????? I NEVER expected this win in a million years!!!! This is the OLD Maryland! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

fixed

senior night
incredibly sad to see these guys go
thanks for getting terps ball back on track

one last game
against dook for the acc
how it should be
lets do work seniors

[P'Oed]

WOOOOOOO!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??????????? I NEVER expected this win in a million years!!!! This is the OLD Maryland! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

fixed

senior night
incredibly sad to see these guys go
thanks for getting terps ball back on track

one last game
against dook for the acc
how it should be
lets do work seniors

Excellent call. This 5 or 6 year run of mediocrity almost made me FORGET about the way we were...

[Donkey McDonkerton]

BDubs in Rockville TC for the g ame!

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Senior night for the league lead. What could be better than that?

Terps WILL win this game.

F Dook

[LyricalRico]

Senior night for the league lead. What could be better than that?

Terps WILL win this game.

F Dook

Haven't watched a game all season but I will be tuned in for this one.

[miller31time]

Such a great first half....until the last 3 minutes....

[verbal8]

Wow this is a great game. It keeps going back-and-forth. It almost makes up for the stinker of a game the Wizards played.

[yungal07]

Senior night for the league lead. What could be better than that?

Terps WILL win this game.

F Dook

[miller31time]

Holy crap....what a game!

Very, very, very happy for Vasquez, Hayes and Landon. They deserve a night like this.

So, barring a loss next game, we'll have an ACC banner hanging at Comcast Center, wow.

[NbdyBeatsTheWiz]

Vasquez's swag is phenominal.