Farewell Seniors

Even though it's long overdue, I want to use this blog entry to remember the eventful careers of the Lady Terps' senior class of 2008 who helped bring Maryland it's first national title and turn the program into a national powerhouse

Ashleigh Newman
Newman made her mark with the Terps as a spark plug coming off the bench. The 5-10 guard was an above average three-point shooter and could help give Kristi Toliver the occasional rest and take the ball-handling duties if need be. Most of all Newman was a team player whose experience helped out the younger players develop.



Jade Perry
Perry was a tremendous asset for the Terps... a reliable rebounder and a big body for the Terps coming off the bench. Perry wasn't a great scorer but did give the team points when needed. Early on in her senior year, Perry did a great job filling in as a starter for Crystal Langhorne while she was nursing an injury. Perry's great play earned her a spot on the preseason WNIT all-tournament team. Her size, strength, and most of all her desire will be sorely missed.


Laura Harper
Harper may have improved more in her career than any other player in Maryland women's basketball history. Coming into her career she was just a big body but she developed good post moves, a great ability to rebound and defend, and even a decent mid-range jump shot. The largest improvement for Harper was between her junior and senior seasons, when she took the team's early exit in the 2007 NCAA tourney to heart and worked on her game. The result was a senior year with 14.1 PPG 8.6 RPG and a spot on the all-ACC third team.


Crystal Langhorne
The best recruit in Maryland's women's basketball history never disappointed during her four years with the Terps. To list Langhorne's accolades would take up more than this page could fit. During her career, Langhorne had the most polished post game of anyone in the nation not named Candace Parker. With great footwork, the ability to finish with both hands, and great positioning on the boards, Langhorne was pretty much unstoppable. Langhorne was the only four-time all-ACC first team and three-time all-American nominee in school history. She is probably the best women's basketball player in Maryland history and has helped build a foundation for the program to improve on in years to come

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Why He May Leave
Many rumors have been flying around lately that Eric Hayes could be leaving Maryland for another school in the near future. With guards Sean Mosley and Bobby Maze coming to Maryland next season their could be a serious reduction in Hayes' playing time if he doesn't improve. Mosley and Maze add to an already guard-stacked team with Greivis Vasquez, Adrian Bowie, and Cliff Tucker. And all five of these guards are faster and more athletic than Hayes.

Why He Needs to Stay
Despite everything I mentioned above I think it's wrong for Hayes to transfer somewhere else. There are two things Hayes has that the other guards haven't shown yet: great instincts and a pure jump shot. Although he has yet to live up to the hype, there is a reason why Hayes has been referred to as the next Steve Blake. He's fundamentally sound, quiet and calm on the court, and a smart player (most of the time). If Hayes works hard this offseason to improve his ball-handling and hit the outside shot consistently, there will be a spot for him in the starting lineup. It's obvious that Gary has confidence in him and Hayes is just the type of player that Gary loves. Plus, if Hayes transfers now he will likely have to sit out a year as well as adjust to a new environment, something that is very difficult for anyone. To me, the decision is obvious, Eric Hayes stay at Maryland.

Academically Challenged

The Typical Collegiate Athlete in the Classroom
Most people understand that it's extremely difficult if not impossible to hold collegiate athletes to the same academic expectations as the rest of the student body. It's just not likely an athlete who spends 20-30 hours a week practicing and playing games in their sport will get above a 3.0 GPA. But what's going on with the Maryland basketball team is unacceptable and quite frankly embarrassing.

Maryland's Current Troubles
This year's team scored a 905 on the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate which barely met the minimum requirement of 900 and was the lowest of all basketball teams in the ACC. If Maryland players continue this trend, the team could face penalties as harsh as losing scholarships or even facing postseason bans.

Recurring Theme
The academic problems for Maryland basketball players is nothing new. Maryland is known to have one of the worst graduation rates in the country among their players. Many fans remember the sickening feeling in 2006 when Chris McCray became academically ineligible, which may have been the reason the Terps fell just shy of an NCAA tourney berth. Now many teams have players leave early for the NBA, but when you have players stay for all four years and don't come away with a degree it makes the program and even the university look bad. Of course a lot of the blame can be put on Gary Williams, who doesn't seem to instill in the minds of his players the importance of academics. It would be one thing if the team were playing well, but it seems like each year they fall short of their potential. Maybe if Gary forces them to do better in the classroom it will give them the discipline they need to perform better on the court as well.

Where's the Recruiting?

Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay... What do these players all have in common? All of these guys came out of the Baltimore-D.C. area but none of them played at Maryland. Instead these guys were recruited and played for national powerhouses around the country. Missing out on big name recruits from the area has brought on many questions about Gary Williams ability (or lack there of) to recruit.

After Maryland's national championship in 2002, it looked like Maryland was going to become a national powerhouse for years to come. What followed was a series of promising recruits that never turned out for the Terps. Travis Garrison was a McDonalds All-American out of high school who was a formidable power forward in his final two years at Maryland, but never came anywhere near to the expectations placed on him. What most people don't know about Mike Jones is that he was the #2 overall recruit behind Lebron James in 2003. However his lack of defense and poor care with the ball overshadowed his athleticism and pure shooting stroke. Other guys like John Gilchrist, Nik Caner-Medley, and James Gist showed flashes of brilliance but none became the go-to player the team desperately needed.

A lot of the blame has been placed on Gary Williams for not being able to get the big recruits out of Baltimore, one of the three best hotbeds for basketball talent. But with all the major schools in the country competing for these players, its not easy for Gary to get them to commit. It seems like Gary is looking for the hard-working, character guys instead of the highly touted players anyway. But the Juan Dixons and Steve Blakes are hard to find these days. More than ever, Maryland needs to pull in a player that can change the program just like Len Bias or Joe Smith did before. But with other nearby teams like Georgetown, George Mason, and West Virginia emerging, it's going to become even harder for Maryland to land the big names.

I'm not one of those fans already calling for Gary's head. I mean the guy has over 600 wins and two final fours under his belt. He has single-handedly turned this program around and made it one of the elite. But I will say that the calls to have Gary fired will be justified if he doesn't do something soon to turn things around. That will all come down to recruiting.

What's the Future for Maryland Basketball?

Now that the off-season is here I thought it would be a good time to look at the Terps roster and probable starters for next year. Here's a preview of what to look for in the 2008-09 season.

What was Lost
The Terps will lose senior starting big men James Gist and Bambale Osby, leaving a huge void in the paint. Gist was a go-to scorer who was the most important player on the Terps last year. Despite the great play of Greivis Vasquez it was the play of Gist that determined the Terps fate. The Terps will miss Gist's athleticism, shot-blocking and scoring next season. The Terps will miss Osby also, but for entirely different reasons. Boom was the Terps most reliable rebounder and the most intimidating physical presence for the Terps. He wasn't as prolific a scorer as Gist and could be turnover-prone but his offense was still very important to the Terps. Most importantly Boom was the spark plug for the team. His hustle and intensity on the court is irreplaceable.

Who's Coming In?
The Terps have at least three new freshman coming next year: Gus Gilchrist, Sean Mosley, and Bobby Maze. But it's very unclear what kind of impact the three will make at Maryland. It is believed by many that Gilchrist will come in and start right off the bat. With Gist and Boom gone there will be starting spots open and none of the current post players have shown anything to distinguish themselves as a starter. At 6-10 and 235lbs. Gilchrist should have the size and post moves to be successful right away. Mosley is recognized as the #11 ranked shooting guard in the country but may not see much playing time with Vasquez, Hayes, Tucker and Bowie all playing both guard positions. Maze is a junior college transfer who put up gaudy numbers at Hutchinson Community College, but may also struggle to find a spot in a guard-filled lineup.

Season Outlook
Right now it's hard to say where the Terps will end up next year. The Terps will be very young and only have one senior on the roster (rarely-used Dave Neal). The team should be strong and deep in the backcourt with Vasquez and Hayes starting and Tucker, Bowie, Mosley and Maze coming off the bench. The key in the backcourt is finding a consistent outside shooter. Vasquez and Hayes both showed they could hit threes but couldn't make 'em day in and day out. Look for teams to sag and defend the drive if the Terps can't knock it down from behind the arc.

The obvious question surrounding the Terps is how effective will they be in the post Assuming that Mosley comes in and starts at center, there will be some serious competition for the power forward spot between Braxton Dupree, Shane Walker and even Jerome Burney. I'd give the slight edge to Dupree who saw some starts last season and has the best post moves by far out of the bunch.

The final and most important factor for the Terps next season will be the play of swingman Landon Milbourne. Milbourne has shown glimpses of stardom in his first two years and he certainly has the talent. He can jump out of the gym, knock down middle and long range shots, and play stingy defense. However he can sometimes get lost in the offense and struggles to create his own shot. With Gist gone, Milbourne will be the focal point of the offense and the first man Vasquez will look for. It easy to picture the Terps being near the top or the bottom of the ACC but I'd expect them to be somewhere in the middle around 4th or 5th, right on the bubble line of getting into the tourney. What's new, right?

Another Terrapin Disappointment

A trip to Tampa and maybe even a second national championship in three years looked like a very good possibility for the Maryland women after their 3rd round dominance over Vanderbilt. They had the experience (four players from 06 championship team), an inspiring coach, and something to prove after their disappointing 2nd round exit in last year's tournament. It looked as if they had all the elements of a championship-caliber team. However they just ran into a steam-rolling train in Stanford that had maybe even more motivation going into the regional final.

Candace Wiggins and the Cardinal and not been to the final four during her tenure at the university and this was their final shot to do it. There was even extra incentive for Stanford to beat the team that arguably stole the final #1 seed away from them on Selection Monday. Wiggins just wouldn't allow her team to go down, scoring 41 points and the Terps had no answer for her and the rest of the Cardinal's lights out shooting.

The game showed that the Terps lacked the defense to be able to win a championship. You're not going to win when you allow your opponent to drop 98 points and shoot 50% from behind the arc. This was one game in which the Terps may have needed to slow the pace down to get the forwards involved. However Stanford's game plan of collapsing on Langhorne with double and triple teams whenever she touched the ball prevented the Terps from dominating the post. Turnovers at inopportune times and missed free throws by the Terps ensured that there would be no comeback.

For Frese and the Terps it'll be a tough loss to swallow especially for seniors Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper who gave so much to this program and helped build into one of the national powerhouses. There is still a bright future with stars Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman returning next year. But with the loss of two dominant post players, it seems as if this may have been the best chance for the Terps to win a title for awhile. If next year's team is going to win a title, it may take a little magic from Coach Frese.

Did That Really Happen?

How can something that looked so promising just completely slip away? How can the butterflies of an exciting season so suddenly turn into a downright sickening feeling when that season comes to an abrupt end? This sums up yet another disappointing season for the Maryland basketball team. Every Maryland basketball player, coach, or fan has this same feeling and probably will for a while.

The last three weeks of the Maryland basketball season was a horrifying time that was a classic example of how a talented team's overconfidence and lack of heart put an end to a season. There is absolutely no reason the Terps should lose a 20-point second half lead at home and then proceed to lose to two of the worst teams in the ACC ( Virginia, BC). First off the Terps are better than that. But more importantly and a bigger concern is the fact that nowhere during this downfall did the Terps wake up or gain any sense of urgency. It didn't matter how many times Gary yelled at them (not to say Gary's not at fault in all this), how many boos they received from the crowd or how many embarrassing mistakes they made on the court. They just continure to look flat out uninspired on the court. When I look at the blank expressions on the players' faces I sometimes wonder if the team even cares that they aren't in the tournament.

There is no doubt that it will be a long and unbearable offseason for the Terps players who have the same feeling of nausea that all of College Park has. After missing the tourney 3 of the last 4 seasons the Maryland basketball program is in a serious slump. It's up to Gary Williams to turn things around quickly or he may find himself in a position he never thought he'd be in... on the hot seat.