It Never Rains in College Park

Notes from the Bucknell Blowout

2008-11-16T23:32:00.005-05:00

In case you missed it, the Maryland men found success in their first game of the season. They shot down the Bucknell Bison convincingly, winning 81-52.

It highlighted some of the ideas I talked about in the preview, but solidified some other issues I wondered about before everyone was healthy and on the floor. I'm going to approach this with the mindset that there is no "bad" stuff, just "not-so-good" stuff.

THE GOOD STUFF

- Landon Milbourne and Cliff Tucker had great games. Milbourne led the team with 16 points on 5 of 9 shooting. He made all of his free throws and didn't turn the ball over once. Tucker had 14 points and 5 rebounds, plus he dazzled with 2 picked pockets that just created a whole lot of excitement. Adrian Bowie deserves at least an honorable mention for a 12 point game with 3 dishes and 2 steals when Eric Hayes got in some foul trouble.

- Only 11 turnovers in this game. That's the kind of basketball the Terps will need to play to win the nailbiters.

- Bucknell was held to 31.7 percent shooting and only 18.8 percent from long range. They shot less than 50 percent on free throws, which might happily be attributable to the crowd. Overall, they put up brick after brick. Maryland had good defensive rebounding, particularly from some unexpected characters: Braxton Dupree, Dino Gregory and Dave Neal each had 6 boards.

- You had to be there because it doesn't show up in the stats: Sean Mosley looked very solid. He only made one of his 5 shots, but he dished out 4 assists, grabbed 4 rebounds and only had one turnover. Furthermore, he looked pretty passable on defense for a debut game, and he seemed to have the maturity of an older player. Mosley carries himself diffently than other rookies, and he moves and passes with confidence. Definitely look for him to earn some minutes in conference play.

THE NOT-SO GOOD STUFF

- Overall, Greivis Vasquez had a great game. I want to make that clear: 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists to go with a single turnover is friggin' great for any point guard. However, he's a leader, so he's held to a higher standard. His shooting was absolutely abysmal - 5 for 16 is just not good. It's frustrating to watch a talented player try to do it all. Greivis will drive into the lane, but instead of passing out, he'll try a hook shot 5 feet away from the hoop against two bigger guys. Those shots NEVER drop. I think his biggest problem is he goes for the big play rather than the easy play, and that's not a quality you want a point guard to have. He's the best player, but one thing he needs to learn how to do is simplify. If you don't have a good shot, don't frickin' shoot.

- The fact that our rebounding came from bench players is a little alarming, because that won't be the case in more competitive games when opponents are more physically imposing and will dominate Neal and Gregory. Neal really was the surprise of the night, but he's not going to go up against 6'8 non-athletic centers in the ACC who don't have post moves. The ACC frontcourt will be far more physically dominant than Bucknell, and the rebounding margin in this game was only three total. Where's Jerome Burney? Asleep? He managed only two rebounds and one block with no points in 10 minutes. He's sinking on the depth chart even though he could be the most athletic big we have. Gregory could be on the rise with some of his gutsy play the other night.

- People who weren't bad but didn't do all that much or not enough to leave an impression: Hayes, Jin Soo Kim, and Steve Goins (who hardly played at all).

We'll see what happens tonight to further test these observations.

Go Terps!

EXTRA: Forward James Padgett has officially signed with the Terps for next year. Welcome to the family!

The Essential Maryland Terrapins Preview

2008-11-13T11:32:00.013-05:00

Here we are, folks - on the edge of another basketball season.

We all love the pigskin, we really do. But basketball is where it's at. There's no feeling like gathering together inside the Comcast Center, screaming your lungs out while watching the fast break across court end with a hellacious dunk. Admit it, Terp fans. When the Fridge gets a ring, maybe we'll think about switching religions.

So how is basketball stacking up this year? Prepare to find out tonight when the Terps take on Bucknell in the first matchup of the season. Meanwhile, let's take a look a little further into the season:
THE 2008-09 TERP MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM PREVIEW

THE LOWDOWN: This year, we're going to find out how quickly the youth can grow up. While junior backcourt mates Eric Hayes and Greivis "Gravy" Vasquez have logged enough minutes in the last two seasons to be considered veterans, the key to Maryland's success will rest in the hands of guys like Cliff Tucker, Braxton Dupree, Adrian Bowie and Jerome Burney. And you know even Sean Mosley and Jin Soo Kim, two brand-spankin-new guys will get their shots (literally). Greivis is undoubtedly the leader, but he can't try too hard to win by himself - it was his downfall last year. Lots of scoring from different players and trying to limit turnovers will be how this team wins games. Interior offense and defense could be huge concerns.

THE STARS: No matter how much he's hated by his own fans, Greivis Vasquez can single-handedly compel his team to win or fail miserably. Therefore he's the leader. He had some amazing statistics last year: 17 ppg, 6.8 apg, 5.7 rpg and even posted a respectable assist-to-turnover ratio (1.55) despite perception that he couldn't hold onto the ball for beans. True, he gives away turnovers, but he's probably the best point guard in the conference, not to mention among the best in the country. Appreciate him. However, Vasquez's greatest problem has been trying to do it all. His shooting percentages aren't that great, and he could fluxuate wildly with his shooting and how he controlled tempo of the game. He sometimes sees opportunities that aren't there when he gets anxious, so he'll have to learn how to control his impulses.

Eric Hayes is probably a starter at shooting guard or point guard (it's really up to whatever Gary wants to do) and hopefully will actually provide his much-ballyhooed outside shooting. His defense is relatively weak around the perimeter and he has trouble creating his own shot. With the rise of sophomore Adrian Bowie, Hayes will have to really perform better than he did last year. Hayes' fan base should pray his foot injury has healed since last year. However, even off the bench, he can still provide this team with pinpoint passing and consistent shooting, especially if he can weasel his way to the foul line more often.

Junior Landon Milbourne was a solid contributor (8.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) last year if an unspectacular one. This year will be different because he'll actually get starter minutes, possibly as many as 30 per game. Add that idea to the fact his shooting and strength have improved, we're looking at a core player for this team who will hopefully gain consistency that caught on toward the end of last season. There's talk he'll start at the 4-spot in place of a bigger guy to make up for the lack of skill at that position and clear some of the crowded backcourt. If Gary chooses to do this, Milbourne will probably end up with about 13-14 ppg and 6-7 rpg. He's not as vocal as GV, but he can lead the team with improved play.

ON THE RISE: Adrian Bowie has got to be mentioned first. He captured the imagination of Terp fans last year when he showed his ability to steal and drive against bigger guards. This year, it appears Bowie's shooting is better from three and he's as quick as ever. Although Gary is loyal to a fault to his upperclassmen, I can't see a scenario with things going as they currently are where Bowie doesn't eventually eclipse Hayes in the starting lineup (unless the lineup is Bowie, Hayes, Vasquez at 1, 2, and 3).

Sophomore Cliff Tucker similarly has more confidence and is moving better with the ball. His size and speed combo will make him a great wing threat this year. Depending on Milbourne's starting position, he might make the starting roster at the 3-spot. The question is can he guard and improve his rebounding? That's going to be the weak spots of this team, and if he can do those things, he'll fill an area of great need and carve himself an integral place in this squad.

QUESTION MARKS: Let's go with every big man on the Maryland roster. Sophomore Braxton Dupree looks like he might win the starting center job by virtue of being the best offensive player in the crowd and hustling harder this year. However, he still lacks the athleticism you want to see in a scoring big man and his defense is a liability. Redshirt sophomore Jerome Burney could establish himself as heir to the Rejection Throne that James Gist left behind at graduation. However, he doesn't rebound consistently enough for a man with his size and sheer athleticism, and you would definitely love to see him score more than two points (on free throws) against friggin' Northwood University. Dino Gregory and Dave Neal don't really look like they're going to do much, and frosh giant Steve Goins is too far away from being court-ready.

Please consider this: James Gist and Bambale Osby averaged a combined 27.4 ppg, 14.4 rpg, and were the second- and third-best blockers in the ACC. Do you believe for a second this group of FIVE post players can replicate or replace those numbers this year? Milbourne might still give this group some juice, but as things are, it's not overly impressive. Can they step it up enough to at least win?

FABULOUS FRESHMEN: Sean Mosley and Jin Soo Kim, despite high school highlights or anything anyone might have seen in any sort of exhibition game, remain mostly unknown quantities. As much as fans have speculated Mosley could be a starter this year, I'd say it's doubtful given Gary's history of playing upperclassmen who have been in the system. As excited as I am personally about Kim's sensational debut, he still has a lot left to prove, not the least of which he won't injured against 230-240 lb. guys his height. They are special, and I would guess that at the very least they'll see about eight minutes each, but there are a lot of people Gary needs to give time to in the backcourt, and time can stretch thin. Also, these guys are surefire scorers, but how well can they defend? The best defenders will get the most minutes this year - everyone back there can score.

THE STRENGTHS: Guards and small forwards... offensively. We have quick athletes who can actually shoot better this year. Many of the young'uns from last year have improved confidence and will be able to take on greater responsibility. I can see about 50-60 ppg coming from this group as the year goes on, and Maryland could be one of the top scoring teams in the ACC this year if they can come up with a good mix of slashing and shooting. Between the hard drives and the threes (not to mention free throw shooting which was outstanding last game), there's a scoring machine lying in wait.

THE WEAKNESSES: Interior scoring and general defense. Let's face it. We're missing Gist and Boom like the Dickens. Gilchrist's transfer (and arguably Shane Walker's) really hurt us. There is no one who will fill the center/power forward roles who can definitely score with a variety of post moves. Dupree and Neal have limitations, and everyone else is fairly raw. Kim might see some minutes here, and he can score, but he might not, either. Plus, who's going to be the main blocker? Burney? He can do it... but he needs to actually DO it.

Also last year, the perimeter was like a sinkhole for quick guards and forwards. We were torched by Eric Maynor, Sean Singletary, Jonny Flynn and DeMarcus Nelson. Hell, we were torched by crappy fast guards too, like American's Derrick Mercer. Hayes and Vasquez are still presumed starters, so it's up to them to shore up the outside. There is absolutely no (NONE) chance of success if the back three are opening up the gates too often for drives to the hoop. The only way we can hope to win is make opposing offenses one dimensional and force them to work harder to get inside where the really weak spots are. A porous perimeter that leads into a toothless inside D won't get us anywhere, even if we average 80 ppg.

OUTLOOK: To put it briefly, we'll be lucky to make it to the NCAA Tournament.

But you never know for sure. There could still be some surprises. We'll start finding out tonight.

Go Terps!

Photos courtesy of baltimoresun.com.

Rising Stars in Terp Basketball

2008-11-08T21:49:00.010-05:00

So it's been pretty hard to get out of the negatives when it comes to Men's Basketball at the University of Maryland. However, the team gave the fans some hope today in a 104-60 win over Northwood.

Yes, OK, it was an exhibition against a crappy, crappy team. But still, the Terps operated well and executed their plays, as well as hustled hard for rebounds and tough points. If you didn't come out this afternoon, you missed a good one.

Gary Williams had to put the Terps' reputation of "playing down" to competition to bed, and they did that and more, scoring an epic 104 points on a remarkable 50.7% FG percentage as opposed to the 75 points last year against Concordia and 86 points (in just an 11-point win) against Carleton in previous exhibitions in previous years. It was a dominant offensive statement, and fans might have that to look forward to.

From my observations at today's game, here are the guys that are going to be shaping basketball this season:

-LANDON MILBOURNE: If there's one player I would bet my butter on for taking the next step this year, it's gotta be No. 1. Landon Milbourne is a hustler and a leader on the court. He's not a star, but he looked very solid today, and his game is very versatile inside and outside. He has the ability to shoot well, but also bangs with bigger guys, sort of Booth-like if you will (not to say he's close to that good). He'll be a starter at the 3 or the 4 spot, and I guarantee you, he'll hold it down. I'd predict 12 or 13 ppg and 6 rpg for the season. A solid contributor.

- ADRIAN BOWIE: I underestimated him last year, and he made me look like a fool for ever doing so. On Saturday, he showed a new dimension beyond his speed, slashing and hustle - his improved shooting. Last year, both he and Cliff Tucker pretty much refused to shoot from outside the arc, like they didn't have confidence in their 3-point game. That's changed. He was 2-for-3 today on the outside and 6-for-7 total with 16 points. He wasn't shaking the world with his ballhandling and when he was called to be a point guard, but he didn't mess up either, with only one turnover during the game. Bowie won't start to begin the season, but he could easily eclipse Eric Hayes if he uses his minutes effectively.

- BRAXTON DUPREE: The big guy still has issues, but he definitely will see a bigger role this year. First of all, he lost 25 lbs. which goes a long way into improving his hops and endurance. Perhaps as an effect of that weight loss, he's hustling more and getting extra boards, even over bigger guys. Today he had 8 points and 8 rebounds in 20 minutes, but he needs to improve his shooting percentage and turnover rate, but whether he's ready or not, he's probably the starter at center given he's the best offensive threat. How long he keeps that job is up to him. Jerome Burney and possibly Steve Goins (who is actually just a giant) wait in the wings to take the spot if he can't hold onto it.

- JIN SOO KIM: Anyone who was at the game knows what the crzae is all about. The freshman, who wasn't even eligible until this week, had 18 points in the second half and finished with 20 points total in only 20 minutes. He was nothing short of sensational. He didn't have amazing shooting numbers, but he wasn't afraid to shoot. He isn't big, but he was hitting the post hard and getting fouls (he made 7-of-8 at the line). He came up with 3 hard rebounds against 6'10 guys and 7-footers. The Terps were even calling backdoor passes for him in the second half. As a disclaimer, I'm personally excited because he's the first Korean-born basketball player in Division I. As a part-Asian, I feel exhilarated by his gritty play that's going to be erasing some stereotypes about Asian basketball player - namely that they're soft and not as competitive as American players. Anyone who watched Kim will tell you he was as determined to win as anybody on the court.

Now all that said, here's where we're lacking: post scoring and defense. Although Maryland held the Northwood Seahawks to ridiculously low shooting percentages, there were some pretty bad blown coverages on the perimeter, and only 2 blocks from post players from the best-blocking team in the ACC last year. You wish like hell Gist and Boom hadn't left when you see how the backcourt and small forwards have improved. But we have what we have (Dupree, Burney, Neal and Goins), and we're going to have to pray that they suprise rather than disappoint.

Overall, I saw positive things in the Terps' first action on the court this season. Be there to see how they fare against Bucknell this week!

Go Terps!

Photos courtesy of baltimoresun.com.

This Blog is a Lie

2008-10-28T01:57:00.014-04:00

As many of my readers felt it necessary to point out, I'm a big, fat phony.

This past Saturday, it did rain in College Park. A lot. I know. I was there. My clothes are sitting in the basement next to a dehumidifier and I'm praying they don't grow mold. So sue me. Or do something constructive and think of another name for this blog.

The game itself was fairly good. Lots of running, lots of gritty play and mud - everything you want in a rainy football game. Plus, it was a win for the Terps, as they beat N.C. State with a last second field goal, 27-24.

I found it a little disappointing Maryland couldn't clobber the Wolfpack like the crappy team they are. Freshman quarterback Russell Wilson found plenty of room to run for 53 yards, and frankly, most of the time he made the Terp defense look slow. They gave up 155 rushing yards and 187 yards through the air. Luckily for them, the Wolfpack defense was worse.

Da'Rel Scott tore through like a tornado for 163 yards and a TD. Davin Meggett (who appears to be generating his own fan base) ran for a tough 34 yards and a TD carry, plus a 31-yard reception to set up the game-winning score. Honorable mention also includes tight end Dan Gronkowski, who managed three catches for 37 yards and a TD in unfavorable passing conditions. He's been a relatively consistent performer on a team bereft of consistent performers.

A win is a win, no? And even moreso, this win sets up a Terps bowl appearance and puts us in the lead for the Atlantic Division. Yeah girl.

Maryland has a real shot at winning this division, but the schedule doesn't exactly favor it. A victory over Virginia Tech next Thursday is doable, but not altogether likely. Beyond that, North Carolina and Florida State are tough games, but they will be at home. Boston College is winnable game on the road, and the Eagles always choke toward the end of the season. After that, the ACC championship.

Two wins and two losses seem reasonable to end this year, but three wins and one loss? That's potentially an ACC championship berth, depending on who loses and who gets tiebreakers.

So in short, this win puts the now-No. 25 Terrapins in terrific position for real success this season (as opposed to the fake success of the last few years). Even though it doesn't feel like a strong team and the defense is next to last in almost every category, Fridge now has some of the pressure off of him to be bowl eligible and he can focus on winning rather than saving his job (for once).

Potentially, this is a good team, it just remains to be whether or not they can live up to their billing in the tough games ahead.

Photos by Adam Fried

Dominant Defense Downs Demon Deacons

2008-10-19T11:07:00.007-04:00

Before we start: Note the alliteration in the post title.

Moving on.

Unless you were hiding under a rock, you probably heard the Terps absolutely crushing No. 21 Wake Forest last Saturday, 26-0. Grinding offense, stifling defense, another upset victory... shocking, right?

Weeeellllllllll, I don't know. I mean, isn't this kind of typical of the Terps? Win a game against a ranked team at home? Besides, it was only a matter of time before Wake started losing conference games: Last week, they only won against Clemson because of a fourth-quarter touchdown. Their offense has only scored 24 points in three ACC games. Definitely underwhelming for a ranked team. In addition, their receiving corps was so terrible, it made you wonder what else Wake could be doing with the money it takes to give those players scholarships.

I'm not hating on what the Terps did by any means, though. It was a spectacular performance. Chris Turner threw for 321 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. OC James Franklin apparently heard something about this Darrius Heyward-Bey guy, because they actually threw to him yesterday. He ended up with a career-high 11 catches for 101 yards and a TD. The defense combined for four sacks and the front seven held the Demon Deacon offense to 73 net yards rushing.

So, what can the Terps against a really terrible N.C. State team to not have another letdown UVA style? Well, keep it going - in more ways than one.

1) Keep up the stiff defense and rolling offense and the five-game winning streak at home.

2) Keep up the recent ownage of the Wolfpack. Maryland has won 6 out of the last 8 in this match up. I know it's hard to remember, but Maryland did have bigger victory than Wake Forest last year. They stomped N.C. State 37-0 to become bowl eligible.

It should be a good one, but considering Maryland killed a weak team like Eastern Michigan at home, and considering we routinely own N.C. State, I'm going to predict a victory.

Back me up, Terps.

Photos by Adam Fried

A word from Governor Palin

2008-10-05T13:04:00.004-04:00

Governor Palin, could you please explain how the Terps lost 31-0 to the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday?

Ok, we'll wait for you to get back to us. In the meantime, let's all try to forget this ever, ever, ever happened. It looks like Chris Turner is ready to forget.

Also, does anyone have a comment about this photo:

Let's have a funny caption contest. That will cheer everybody up...

Photos courtesy of baltimoresun.com

On the frontlines at DeMatha v. Good Counsel

2008-10-04T01:05:00.009-04:00

This Thursday, I attended the nationally televised high school football game between No. 10 DeMatha and No. 2 Good Counsel. I wrote this story for class:

Last night’s game between Washington-area powerhouses No. 10 DeMatha and No. 2 Our Lady of Good Counsel was sold out. The match was broadcast to a national audience on ESPN2. Recruiters from Penn State, Maryland and Syracuse showed up among other big names. Thousands showed up to the small school in Olney, Md., to watch titans clash.

However, the Good Counsel Falcons (5-0) took the air out of the much-ballyhooed contest in the first quarter by scoring 28 unanswered points on their way to knocking off the overmatched Stags, 42-21.

“I think we stepped up,” said senior running back Caleb Porzel, who finished the night with 124 yards and three touchdowns. “We showed ourselves and the nation that we can hang with anyone – we should be a nationally-ranked premier team.”

DeMatha (3-2) looked virtually helpless as its defense was shredded by Porzel’s blazing speed for touchdown runs of seven, 38 and 56 yards. Added to a touchdown off of a senior linebacker Jelani Jenkins fumble recovery, the Stags found themselves mired in a four-score deficit less than 13 minutes into the game.

If not for a miraculous 61-yard touchdown pass from Tom Chroniger to Emmanuel McPhearson in coverage midway through the second quarter, DeMatha would’ve been held scoreless in the first half entirely by a sturdy, Jenkins-led Falcons defense.

Two more touchdowns in the third quarter gave the DeMatha squad some momentum. Chroniger had a 15-yard rush for a score and found Lewis Young in the end zone with a 10-yard pass within a six-minute stretch.

But during the ensuing possession on fourth down, the Falcons faked a punt and kicker Mark Hamilton ran for 21 yards and earned 15 extra yards on a facemask penalty against DeMatha. The drive was capped by Jenkins running untouched into the end zone six plays later.

DeMatha missed another score by the slimmest of margins: Receiver Jeff Knox was stopped after a catch on the one yard line with 1:47 left in the game on fourth down. But even a touchdown would’ve been futile at that point.

It was a disappointment for the defending WCAC-champion Stags, who find themselves looking up in the division for one of the first times in a while.

“We just didn't come out and play our game today,” Chroniger said. “We didn't make a pass, I didn’t throw it right, just small things. You come out without intensity, it's hard to beat somebody."

Although Porzel was bothered during the game by calf cramps and coming off an ankle injury, his injury concerns didn’t prevent him from shining in the national spotlight, even beyond the shadow of top-10 prospect and teammate Jenkins.

“It was kind of a mental thing for me,” Porzel said. “I was kind of scared at one point, but once I hit the first touchdown, I was like ‘this is going to be a good night for us.’”

For DeMatha, by the end of the first half, the game became less about winning and more about having self-respect.

"We came out a little flat in the first half, and I felt our priority was to keep our heads in it,” DeMatha senior tight end Jeremiah Mathis said. “I felt like we came back out in the second half and we fought. If there was anything that we needed to do in the second half, it was fight for it.”

The two teams have made a habit of meeting in the WCAC championship. Good Counsel senior quarterback Tyler Campbell, who completed all of his seven passes for 177 yards, said he had witnessed the last two championship losses to DeMatha, and although he savored the revenge, he acknowledged it’s not over.

“I can’t tell you how badly we want to win a championship this year,” Campbell, a senior, said. “We beat them last year in the regular season, but they beat us in the championship. We want to win it this year.”

The rival teams always seem to be looking ahead to the next matchup between the two schools. DeMatha receiver Michael Milburn was already thinking about it after the loss.

“If we play ‘em in the postseason, we’ll get ‘em,” he said.

Tell me what you think. For a REALLY great story, read Josh Barr's recap. I'm an amateur, but he shows himself to be the pro in this story.

Also, some notes:

- Porzel is as fast as anyone, but you can't help but notice he's probably 5'5 or 5'6. At Maryland, he'll probably return kicks, but we'll have to see if he grows.
- Jenkins is an absolute manbeast. He was a dominant force on defense. You can see why the schools want him. His speed and power were on display as starting fullback as well. I think he's well outside of Maryland's league.
- Fridge was at the game. Whether he was looking for new recruits or trying to hang on to the ones he is up for debate.
- Some receivers on DeMatha actually looked very good. Milburn has great size and leaping ability and McPhearson just tore through the middle. They both could've shown softer hands at times, though, and drops were actually a big factor in the game.

Signing off...

Photos from gazette.net, rivals.com

Also, you should probably know...

2008-10-02T14:04:00.002-04:00

Maryland got their first 2009 commitment for basketball, assuming of course that Jin Soo Kim is considered eligible for this fall.

James Padgett, a 6'7 power forward out of New Yawk, chose the Terps over West Virginia, Pitt, Tennessee, St. John's and Florida, so that's a nice pool to be picked from!

As always, Matt Bracken of baltimoresun.com sports has the scoop on the Brooklyn big man:

Padgett averaged a double-double as a junior (“probably 11 and 10,” [coach Dwayne] Morton said), helping Lincoln to the New York State Class AA Federation Championship. He stood out on a guard-oriented offense (led by five-star shooting guard Lance Stephenson), giving the Railsplitters a much-needed presence in the middle.

His role, Morton said, was to rebound, contribute put-backs and play tough defense. That unselfish play as a junior, and during the summer on Morton’s AAU team, the Juice All-Stars, convinced Morton that Padgett had a bright future. Morton said Maryland’s a good place for him to realize his potential and continue his development.

And so on and so forth.

Inside presence is the name of the game right now for the Terps, and they need size like no other. Padgett is a good add. A four-star athlete on Scout.com and a three-star guy on Rivals, he's a project player (like we haven't had many of those in recent years) with high rebounding and defensive skills, but little variety on offense. According to scouting reports, he needs to develop a post face-up game (meaning facing his defender and the basket, for basketball tenderfoots). He might grow a little extra for all we know as well, maybe stretch to 6'8.

So Maryland frontcourt guys in 2009 include 6'10 Steve Goins, 6'9 Jerome Burney, 6'8 Kim, 6'8 Braxton Dupree, 6'7 Dino Gregory, 6'7 Padgett and 6'6 Cliff Tucker. That ain't tooooooo bad, but gosh, wouldn't you just love to bag a top-25 6'11 guy sometime? Just one?

The one obvious thing this post lineup lacks is offense. Last year, all the people I just mentioned averaged a whopping 9.3 ppg for the Terps. The incoming players that will play this season or next aren't necessarily known for their offensive prowess (besides Kim, who is more of an outside shooter anyway). Dupree was known as a scorer in high school, but thus far hasn't been able to show it (although it appears he may have shed weight, which will go a long way).

So the pickup? Overall good, but it doesn't seem to address our main problems. Sooner or later, we'll have to find a big guy that can score.

Photos courtesy of rivals.com, baltimoresun.com sports.

A True Test

2008-09-27T16:09:00.005-04:00

Clemson came very, very close, but they just couldn't beat the Terps.

You could see the frustration on the faces of Clemson fans as soon as Cullen Harper came up short on a QB sneak. I pitied them for a few brief moments before I realized that my team was going to win today.

I can understand their frustration - Clemson probably should've won today. They had more offense and more consistent defense. However, they coughed the ball up three times, and that won't win you anything. Sorry Tommy Bowden, you're just not going to have an easy week.

For their part, Maryland capitalized, capitalized and capitalized. They turned turnovers into points and basically did just enough to bag the win. One Chris Turner pass, one Da'Rel Scott run, and two Obi Egekeze field goals turned out to be just enough. Also, gotta shout out to Darrius Heyward-Bey for making what I consider to be one of the game-changing plays: a 76-yard reverse. I swear to God that reverses never ever work for any team I root for... unless it's Heyward-Bey, who somehow always makes at least a 30-yard gain out of those.

I love the win. It puts us at 4-1 (better than I would've expected this season thus far) and that much closer to bowl eligibility. Heck, it might be ambitious, but the Terps are certainly in the race for winning the Atlantic Division. So far, Maryland has only played one conference opponent so there's a long way to go, but it's feasible.

Next week is a good start: Maryland head to face the Virginia Cavaliers, who were just stomped by Duke of all teams, 31-3. Duke, by the way, wins its first ACC game in the last 26 attempts.

However, Jeff Barker notes in his Tracking the Terps blog that Ralph is not taking Virginia at all lightly, and considering the rivalry the two teams have built, that sounds like a sensible mentality. Virginia has bested the Terps in 12 of the past 16 matchups, which is kind of domination, or as my two new favorite bloggers would say, dominasian (yes that was an off-topic shoutout by the way).

Also, the injury report isn't looking good: Adrian Moten is out for awhile, and Danny Oquendo, Nolan Carroll, Scott and others are questionable.

But lets hope the Terps have enough juice to pull it out. To be honest with you, I think they do.

Photos by Adam Fried

Reality Check - Going to Death Valley

2008-09-22T17:57:00.005-04:00

Don't get me wrong, I love to celebrate wins. I think it's great that we're 3-1, and that's really the best we could've hoped for in the first four weeks of our schedule. I think it's great that we just put up 51 points on Eastern Michigan. I think it's great that every College Park resident gets 12 free toppings on their pizza at Papa John's.

But just look on the schedule: Next up, Clemson. I hope that name makes you wince.

They crushed the Terps last year. They blighted them. At home, no less. It was a miserable game. I left at halftime. The final score of 30-17 didn't reflect how horrific the game was.

When thinking about going on the road against Clemson, the home pummeling of Eastern Michigan doesn't give me that much comfort. The Tigers are ranked No. 20 in the AP poll, and for good reason:

- They're scoring 34 points per game and only allow 15 points per game.
- They have the third-best red zone offense in the ACC.
- They have the second-best passing defense and fifth-best rushing defense in the conference.
- They have Cullen Harper, one of the most efficient passers in the ACC (and who kind of looks like a tool on the Clemson site), and James " I guarantee it" Davis and C.J. Spiller, two of the most explosive backs in the ACC.

I think the best way to react to the Maryland victory is to think about all the positive things we learned and apply it to how we can beat Clemson. So let's take a walk on the positive side...

- Maryland has the ACC's most efficient passer. No, it's not Chris Turner. No, it's not Josh Portis. Answer is: (dun dun dun) Danny Oquendo! All he does is throw 43-yard touchdown passes!

- Morgan Green is finally doing something. Green was spotted actually running into the end zone, not once, but twice! He finished with 40 yards on the day to go with his two scores. Now he only has to rush for 3,883 more yards and score 50 more touchdowns and he'll finally prove he was worth taking over Steve Slaton!

- Da'Rel Scott is still the ACC's leading rusher. Hilariously, he hasn't moved from the top spot after missing a week of work, and his YPG looks even better.

- Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a kicker. Obi Egekeze came out of a coma and went 3-for-3, shattering his season-high mark of zero field goals in a game.

Ok, ok, ok - I know none of those observations are helpful at all.

However, Maryland can beat Clemson. Da'Rel Scott is expected to return this week, and James Franklin seems to be getting a spark out of this offense. Between 51 points against Eastern Michigan and 35 points against Cal, there's promise here yet.

Turner did throw two interceptions this week, but also had two touchdown passes. Josh Portis once again didn't complete a pass, but he did rush for an astonishing 98 yards, which is more impressive when you consider teams know he can't throw the ball. The running game overall was still fantastic without Scott: 231 yards ain't bad at all, and we're still the second-best rushing team in the conference.

The biggest problems we face are on defense. The Terps are just giving up waaaaay too many passing yards. Cal quarterback Kevin Riley skinned us to a near-comeback, and the Eagles' Kyle McMahon still threw for over 275 yards, which is a good total by any standard.

The return of Terrell Skinner will help, but Kevin Barnes and company have to play some tight ball. Harper can toss the ball on a defense and at least keep them honest enough to set up the run. James Davis and the Clemson o-line will test Maryland's undersized front seven.

In order to be successful, the defense has to be able to penetrate the pocket. Against Cal, Maryland had five sacks. They'll need that kind of pressure again to really bring the heat to the hot-handed Harper. Should Clemson choose to run the ball straight at the defense, the Terp linemen and linebackers have to finish their tackles. If you allow James Davis and C.J. Spiller to run at your secondary, they will end you.

Really, there's little room for error in this ACC dogfight. The last two years, this has been a game for the road team, and Maryland will hope to keep that particular streak going on Saturday. Should they succeed, a national ranking might be in the works for a tough Terrapin team. Should they fail...

... well, let's not worry about it.

Photos courtesy of baltimoresun.com sports.

Jin Soo Kim has arrived

2008-09-18T14:14:00.006-04:00

I get star-struck. I really do. Sometimes when I see athletes, I know better, but I still feel kind of a rush, knowing that I'm going to be cheering for them at some point or will see them on TV. It's just kind of exciting.

I've worked to get over this, but I couldn't help myself yesterday afternoon in South Campus Dining Hall. There are reasons for this:

- I had written about this person, but I had never met him before.
- The person was not someone I was expecting to see on campus.
- This person was a 6-foot-9 Korean man in basketball warmups.

I knew immediately who it was: Jin Soo Kim, a small forward who hopes to play basketball this fall for the Maryland Terrapins. He's going to be the first Korean-born DI scholarship basketball player in the country.

Of course, I followed my immediate impulse to introduce myself, and the results were terribly awkward:

SCENE: SoCo Dining Hall

BLOGGER approaches KIM slowly and creepily.

BLOGGER: Hi, are you Jin Soo Kim?

KIM: Yes.

BLOGGER: Hi, I'm **********. I write a blog called It Never Rains in College Park. I've written about you!

KIM: Oh...

BLOGGER: Are you enjoying classes?

KIM: It's OK...

BLOGGER: That's good. Are you playing basketball this season?

KIM: I hope so.

BLOGGER: I hope so too! Nice to meet you!

KIM: Yeah...

-END SCENE-

So hopefully that gives you an idea of how awkward I am, but also, it should make you say, "Wait, why haven't I heard about this yet? I read INRCP religiously, so I've heard about the guy, but I didn't know he was coming this year."

The answer is you probably shouldn't know about it. Every news outlet is completely quiet because no one is talking about it: not Gary, not athletics, not anyone. He's unofficial so far. Maryland is still waiting to hear a ruling on his eligibility for this fall.

We might not know for some time whether Kim will be on the court this season, but he hopes so, I hope so, so if we all hope, maybe it'll happen.

If you need to jog your memory:

Go Terps!

Da'Rel Scott - Best Back in the ACC

2008-09-16T14:48:00.011-04:00

When the season started, more than a few questions were raised about how the Terps running game would go on without the tag team of Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball that basically carried the Maryland offense on their shoulders in 2007.

Da'Rel Scott, a sophomore with blazing speed, had been a hero against Boston College the year before, but would he be able to do it with a full load of carries?

Although it was not a foolish question given the lack of evidence, it does seem rather foolish now: Da'Rel Scott is the ACC's leading rusher at week three. And he's leading by a lot.

Scott is averaging 135 yards per game. That's almost 50 YPG more than the guy behind him, Josh Nesbitt of Georgia Tech (who's the quarterback in a triple-option offense). Actually, he's the fifth-leading rusher in the country in YPG so far.

As a result, Maryland is fourth in the ACC in rushing, just six yards behind Virginia Tech's season total. That's fairly impressive considering that quarterback Chris Turner is immobile and Scott's backup is a true freshman.

Also, you have to consider that he only ran in half of last week's matchup against the Golden Bears. He had already had accrued 87 yards and two touchdowns. If Davin Meggett still went on to gain 82 yards in Scott's absence by running at defenders, imagine what Scott could've done with his speed and agility running around defenders. It's hard to doubt he would've easily gone over the century mark for the third week in a row.

This week against Eastern Michigan, Scott is questionable because of his shoulder injury (from the Cal game), but his running ability will be needed to set up the passing routes in James Franklin's offense. Meggett is serviceble, but no one confuses him for the guy that could take it to the house on any given hand off. Scott gets that kind of respect - he's the best back in the ACC (for now).

Photos by Adam Fried

Terps Topple Golden Bears

2008-09-13T18:08:00.013-04:00

So that's pretty crazy, right?

One week ago, let us recall that we were rehashing the Terps latest disappointing letdown against MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE. And today we beat... a No. 23-ranked Cal?

WHAAAAAAAAAA?!?!?!?!

I don't know. Nobody knows. Not even the Schmuck. I'm not even going to pretend to understand how different this team looked today. I suppose you could attribute some of that to jet lag. You could say that Cal couldn't play defense. But you have to give the Terps some credit for an amazingly efficient offensive performance, and good defense for three quarters. Props as well to the fans who were dedicated enough to stay the whole game through the sunburn and dehydration (I wimped out early to be honest).

I mean, let's look at some areas of statistical weakness we talked about last week:

- Chris Turner bounced back from a three-interception performance last week with a 15-for-19 showing with 156 yards and two touchdown passes. Not stunning numbers, but the kind of numbers Maryland needs to complement their rushing game.

- The offensive line looked better, but Turner was still sacked four times. We need to improve in this area. But on rushing plays, the line was hitting their blocks very well against a seemingly toothless Cal defense.

- On the other side of the ball, the defensive front seven finally had some pressure... most of the game. The team had five sacks today, with two from Moise Fokou and one-and-a-half from Rick Costa. It was a big improvement from zero total sacks in the first two games. Beyond that, the line and the backers ate up the run. The Golden Bears finished with 38 rushing yards, the Terps had eight tackles-for-a-loss, and Dave Philistin had 13 total tackles. Like a champ.

- Obi Egekeze still stunk it up, to put it lightly. He missed a 27-yard attempt. Ugh. Right now, Obi is 0-for-5 on the season. I'm thinking about camping out on my roof until he does it. Anyone with me? Anyone?

The biggest problem is a classic Maryland characteristic: We have a hard time holding a commanding lead. The secondary was torched for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, which is simply inexcusable, and I expect Friedgen to say as much this upcoming week.

It was a problem last year against Boston College, and the Terps routinely come down to nail-biting finishes. The best teams in football take commanding leads and hold them. We need to play a full game. The offense did a great job of this, especially considering Da'Rel Scott went down for the game in the first half (he seemed OK at the end and was on the sidelines). The defense was blown away.

We'll see if perhaps Maryland treats Eastern Michigan the same way they treat Cal. EMU just lost to the Toledo Rockets and is currently 1-2, but I think a good lesson the Terps learned a week ago is to not take opponents lightly.

But today, way to go Terps, and good win!

UPDATE: Also, good hit Kevin Barnes! You know how when an announcer says that hit made him spit out his breakfast? Well...

Photos courtesy of baltimoresun.com.

Middle Tennessee State? Ouch...

2008-09-08T20:27:00.004-04:00

The people have spoken: The blog is back. And we're talking Terps.

Unfortunately.

For those of you that don't follow too closely, Maryland was embarrased Saturday night by the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. Also for those of you who don't follow too closely, I don't blame you. Who wants to watch this team?

There are good points, but the bad news is that the two good points are only two players - Darrius Heyward-Bey (an 80-yard TD) and Da'Rel Scott (123 yards and a 63-yard TD).

The bad points are team problems:

- QUARTERBACK PLAY: Many Maryland students spent a lot of their time during the first three quarters of the Delaware game booing Jordan Steffy and calling openly for Chris Turner. First of all, I hate when people start chants against their own team, especially when it's about someone ON THE FIELD. Secondly, don't you feel foolish now? Turner showed an inability to make good throws on Saturday, but beyond that, he showed a shallow understanding of offensive plays by locking on to receivers with his eyes and forcing throws to receivers who weren't open. Hence, three interceptions for Sunshine.

Similarly, backup QB Josh Portis showed poor decision making by tucking and running Tavaris Jackson-style every time he had to stand in the pocket for more than one second.

This is speculation, but it seems as though the three-headed quarterback battle backfired. No one seems to know new coordinator James Franklin's playbook. This isn't going to correct itself before Maryland plays Cal this Saturday (and look what they did in their game this week).

- PASS BLOCKING: Perhaps I'm not being fair to the quarterbacks given that they had to scramble so often in the backfield. I'm referring to the fact that it seems as though our offensive line doesn't know how to block on passing downs. Any offensive lineman will tell you run blocking is much more "fun" because the big uglies can just run at the defense and push them out of the way, creating running lanes. So far, we've done well with this aspect. However, the tables turn when the O-Line is forced to stop pass rushers from getting to the QB. It's a much more difficult aspect of the game, one the Terps are not very good at.

The Blue Raiders racked up 3 sacks during the game. On one specific play, the defense bull-rushed Chris Turner (meaning they just charged trying to push the offensive line over). Three linemen missed their blocks almost completely, and Turner got taken out by a linebacker who was going one-on-one with either Edwin Williams or one of the guards. Not very good at all.

- PASS RUSH: On the other side of the ball, it's pretty sad when your D-I line can't manage a single sack at all against a mid-major opponent. It comes down to girth. Last year, Dre Moore (who went on to be drafted and subsequently cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) created an inside presence at least some of the time with his 305 lbs. Our best defensive tackle this year is Jeremy Navarre, who weighs 280 lbs and used to be a defensive end. Ick. I love Navarre's hustle and motor, but he isn't big enough to be the anchor in the Terps line, at least in the middle. We've recruited bigger bodies, but they're all probably a year away from seeing playing time.

In addition, the linebackers (Adrian Moten, Dave Philistin, etc.) seem unable to find the gaps in the blocking scheme or let QB Joe Craddock (doesn't he look kind of like a serial killer in the photo?) escape their grasp. Even against Delaware, Maryland didn't ring up one sack in the stat column. On the other hand, there were five tackles for a loss in the MTS game, so maybe some hope exists that the Terps can get more punch inside.

- OBI: Really? 0-for-4 on the season? Who misses 4 field goals in a row? I know Obi Egekeze is better than that, and he's really got a lot of leg, but hitting the crossbar multiple times is simply not acceptable, and the Terps don't have another suitable kicker on their roster (I believe...). Sooner or later, the Fridge is just going to go for it every 4th down, Tommy Bowden-style.

Big problems. Unfortunately for the Terps, the Golden Bears aren't going to wait for the Terps to be ready. It could be bloody when all is said and done on Saturday. I'm going to be there, but if I were Testudo, I would hide in my shell.

PERSONAL NOTE: Glad to be back, thanks for all the encouragement. In particular, I'd like to thank Viqui Dill, Karen Goldstein, Andrew Zuckerman, Melissa Weiss, Adam Fried, Kevin Robillard, Dewey Hammond and Jeff Amoros for specifically telling me to get off my butt and start the site back up.

Also, stay tuned for a possible URL change. The Terps may not be all that great right now, but I'll be here, typing away. Thanks a lot, loyal readers!

Photos courtesy of baltimoresun.com sports

Holy Crap, Go See Dark Knight

2008-07-21T01:00:00.002-04:00

I try not to make ludicrous claims about movies. I don't think I generally buy into movie hype, especially those with the most hype of all: summer "blockbusters."

But if there's one movie that should be overblown this summer, without a doubt, it should be The Dark Knight.

The second film in the Christian Bale era is totally deserving of all its hype, unlike just about every superhero film ever. It's clear that the makers of the film sought to elevate the genre into something more than CG stunts and oversimplified central themes.

Let's talk about what separates DK from the rest of the pack:

- FULLY DEVELOPED CHARACTERS. In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne was really given the most attention and detail. Most of the other people in the film believed in singular principles and more or less followed them. Not the case in Dark Knight. In fact, Batman seems to often take a backseat to other characters in the film - Harvey Dent, Commissioner Gordon, Rachel and even Alfred are pushed into difficult situations and face choices that make them seem more real. An emphasis on what the common person can do in the face of evil is prevalent throughout the film, making it more relatable.

- COMPLEX AND VARIED THEMES. One of the most annoying things about superhero films to me are how their scripts seem to want to beat you over the head with one singular lesson. Whenever I hear "with great power comes great responsibility," I want to scream. Even Batman Beginswas restricted by this universal code. However, Dark Knight probes a few different issues - not only the powerful justice v. mercy theme from the first installment, but also about the government's ability to maintain semblance of authority in chaos, personal desires v. civic duty and the burden of responsibility. There are a lot of layers in this film, and the character arcs are dynamic, creating fascinating case studies in any number of issues that great films ponder.

- HEATH LEDGER'S JOKER. I can't tell you enough how I'm not just saying this because Ledger died. I'm saying it because this version of the Joker is not only the greatest superhero villain ever, he ranks with great villain performances in all film, such as Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates, Bill the Butcher Cutting and other great ones. This is not the Heath Ledger you know and love, nor is it the Joker we're all familiar with. This Joker combines the sick madness of a Hannibal with the unstoppable energy of a Jason Vorhees or Michael Myers: He is disturbingly creative with his twisted calculations and you feel like he just can't be stopped, no matter what. I have a problem with the sadistic Saw movies, but I think this villain is a perfect balance of perversion and awe-striking power. He personifies anarchy, and he's more of a force of nature in the movie rather than a character. Best supporting actor without a doubt, and I don't even need to know who else is nominated.

Beyond length and some overly ambitious Batman gadgets, this movie has few flaws. They got rid of Katie Holmes, which was a dramatic improvement. Here and there, you might disagree with some of the logic of certain decisions, but overall, the choices are necessary to advance the plot.

The Dark Knight is more than just a great superhero film, it's a amazing drama as well. When I say it's deserving of an Oscar, I really mean it. Beyond the fantastic nature of some of the action, there's a load of really deep perspectives and ideas hidden in the relationships and choices characters make in this film. I would call it the Crash of the superhero genre, but I actually like this film more than Crash.

I don't care if you're waiting for it to go out on video: Don't wait. I don't care if you don't like superhero movies. Give it a chance. I don't care if you won't go because you don't want to go alone. I'll go with you. I'll even drive you there.

I went in expecting Batman Begins II, but Dark Knight is something wholly different. Hopefully, it will encourage filmmakers of the perennial superhero hits to aim high in areas other than profit.

James Gist taken in the NBA Draft

2008-06-27T00:21:00.003-04:00

I just have a few small wishes in this world, and several of them have to do with Maryland alumni making it at the professional level of their respective sports.

This spring, I was denied this privilege when linebacker Erin Henderson, the defensive star on Maryland's football squad, went undrafted due to injury concerns. Last night, I was surprised to see this wish fulfilled when James Gist was selected 57th overall by the San Antonio Spurs.

I was pleased enough to even overcome my marked distaste for Tony Parker (because they apparently don't know how to shave in France), Bruce Bowen (because he's dirty) and Manu Ginobilli (because he's just plain annoying).

Nonetheless, I'm happy for Gist and I think all Maryland fans should be. He put a lot of hard work into the last couple months, managing to boost his draft stock in workouts while still being able to graduate. I remember seeing him around on campus a month and a half ago thinking, "Shouldn't you be running drills right now?" But to his credit, he got his education finished off in his four years (unlike most other recent Terps) and the NBA was still there for him. It's an achievement I'll admit that even I undervalue sometimes.

Also, let us not forget that Maryland basketball can use a few bright spots.

Obviously he still has a long way to go before he can make the Spurs roster, but I'm looking forward to reading up on him and following his success. Congrats James Gist, and keep it classy.

Blog Returns - Quick Hitters

2008-06-18T21:47:00.005-04:00

I'm back, but don't get used to it. It's just that I've been quiet for too long and there's such a rich landscape of sporting events right now, I can't hold it all inside. Instead of take the usual time to look at in-depth issues, we're going to tackle them quickly and sloppily. You know, real professional-like ...

TIGER WOODS: I'm not the kind of guy who encourages someone to play through serious injury, but you have to admire the gutsiness and greatness of what Tiger did. Sometimes, pride can be a good thing in sports. He won the Open because Tiger believes he's the best, and he won't accept less from himself. Even if he misses the rest of the season, it's worth it, because the U.S. Open win will be the signature victory of Tiger's career. I guarantee it.

CELTICS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS: I was leaning softly on the side of the Celtics this series because I always felt it would be a crying shame if Garnett had to retire without a ring, not to mention the other aging superstars on that team. Boston clearly dominated throughout the series, and even in games they lost, you still felt like they were the better team. I don't feel bad for the Lakers because next year, Kobe will still be Kobe, and Bynum will come back, plus they can try to sign a savvy vet at small forward. They're the hands-down favorite for next year's title.

THE STATE OF MARYLAND BASKETBALL: Someone isn't doing their job. I expect to see some kind of firing very soon. Maryland is the favorite in the ACC next year ... to finish in dead last place.

THE STATE OF THE RAVENS: I'm pleased with the changes Harbaugh has made. Despite my previous support of Rex Ryan for head coach, I have reassessed how he has handled the team - with discipline. So far the players seem to be responding well. It certainly isn't Camp Cupcake. My ideal Ravens team in August has Troy Smith at QB and Maryland alum Jared Gaither anchoring the line at left tackle.

See, that wasn't too bad. Hope summer is going well for all of you!

INRCP proudly uses Baltimore Sun photos.

The Problem With Evans

2008-05-24T01:14:00.002-04:00

Hey all, I haven't found a lot of time lately to post, but I thought this particular news item merited attention for basketball fans out there.

Today, Tyree Evans, the guard Maryland offered a scholarship over Bobby Maze a mere six weeks ago, announced he will not be coming to Maryland.

It's hard to imagine how things could be worse at this point - all told, Maryland has lost 3 players for next season: Maze, Evans, and Shane Walker through a transfer. There will be, by my count, two open scholarships next year, and only four post players available when the season starts.

It's kind of unbelievable that recruiting was so bungled this year, much in part due to Gary's silence on Evan's criminal record. He blew off Maze for Evans, and now Maryland has neither, and lost another guy from the roster. I actually have a hard time conceptualizing a more botched recruiting job by anyone ever.

I hate to say it, but for most other coaches, this is probably a last mistake. One tournament visit in the last four years, a disappointing class after the national championship, and now Gary can't even give a scholarship to a JuCo player? Maryland basketball has fallen on hard times - I'm surprised someone like Sean Mosley would even consider coming here.

If Maryland has another disappointing finish to this season (and I'm 90% confident that they will with the lineup they'll put out), expect the Gary Williams era to come to an abrupt and shameful close.

Photo Credits: Baltimore Sun

I'm Going To Stop Paying Taxes If This Continues

2008-05-15T21:58:00.004-04:00

This is my elected representative, Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), sitting on a Congressional hearing listening to Roger Clemens. Guess who I'm not voting for?

This is Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) talking about Spygate and calling for an independent investigation of the incident. He also threatened Congressional probes.

If they don't [act], I think it's up to Congress to investigate and take corrective action.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of this. I think its wasteful and plain silly for Congress to be sticking their overly large noses into sports like this. I'm not ready to fund some senator's overindulgent "investigation" into professional football's integrity. It honestly ticks me off. I'm tired of Spygate, and furthermore, I don't think we, as a people, should give Congress reign over anything they want. Roger Goodell and Matt Walsh don't have to "report" to Specter at all - no one made him World Police (warning about link: language).

I'm bordering on being serious here: If I keep seeing Congress take these silly ventures into sports and try to control every aspect of our lives, even our leisure interests, I'm going to stop paying for it.

Ridiculous. Be ashamed of yourselves and mind your own business ... like, say, ending the war.

AP Photos

Blogging and Sports Journalism - Can't We Get Along?

2008-05-10T05:21:00.009-04:00

I guess that I must be the last person weighing in on this issue, and I'm not carrying much weight to throw in. However, I feel like I'm one of the people caught in between the sides of this suddenly hot issue.

For those of you that haven't heard about the craziness of Bissinger v. Leitch, here's the video. Anyone who is interested in how sports are going to be covered in the future should watch it. As well as anyone who loves to watch a profanity-laced argument on TV. Isn't it ironic that Bissinger accuses bloggers of vulgarity by whipping out the bleepables?

I feel like Costas was a good moderator, but I also felt like both sides were misrepresented. If you're going to do a debate, do it right. Get a roundtable of bloggers and writers - not just the poster boy for sports blogs, an irate Pulitzer winner and a random athlete who has a vague understanding of the topic (no offense, but Braylon Edwards was beyond out of place in that debate).

BLOGGERS LOOK LIKE: Young irresponsible jerks who live in Mom and Dad's basement and take out their youthful angst on sports stars through a series of personal attacks.

SPORTSWRITERS LOOK LIKE: Ancient, arrogant grumps who love the smell of their own flatulence and fight their fear of the younger generation with outright animosity.

BRAYLON EDWARDS LOOKS: Articulate, but unprepared to talk about blogging specifically. Sorry, buddy. Do your homework.

All of these perception beg the question: What is the real deal about blogging? Is it the next thing in sports journalism? Is it just a bunch of kids making up stuff on their computers?

The answer: It's a movement of culture. It doesn't have to make sense by our traditional standards - it just is.

The confusion lies in perceived overlap of fields. The media feels threatened because people increasingly get their news from blogs. The bloggers feel like they have to "fight the power" of traditional media, either because their coverage doesn't satisfy them or because their voice isn't being heard.

I wouldn't say blogging is the same as "journalism," partly because they don't have the same standards, but also partly because the word mentally confines the movement to journalistic functions. It's a battle of semantics, but really, they don't have to serve the same functions.

If ESPN were to shut down for one day, how would the bloggers get their news other than from people who were actually at sporting events anyway? And although the media can technically function without blogs, where is the outlet for a fan's opinion? I think in a way, traditional media and the blogosphere can form a weird harmony, even if they're bashing each other, because they don't necessarily do the same things. Think about it.

I also would like to defend blogging on a personal level, because in my experience, most people I've met in the online domain are perfectly nice, and some even strive to create a more responsible environment. Leitch is right - it really is a meritocracy. Among other bloggers, you're responsible for what you write. People get a reputation for reporting false rumors or being overly judgemental, although I think people on the Internet are given a lot more leeway.

Also, I think critics should take into account that while athletes are dismayed when their drunk pictures are displayed online, they are also embracing this trend. Yardbarker is one online forum where athletes are starting their own blogs. And not just no-namers, guys like Donovan McNabb and Baron Davis - yes, really. And their are ones who actually talk back to you: Where else is an NFL fullback like Ovie Mughelli going to talk to a dopey college kid like me? Blogging is calling to a market demand for sports coverage on a more personal level. We still get our info from the sports media moguls, and guys like me still want to read the paper every day, but we get to add our own spin. And you know what? People respond to that. They actually like to read it.

About content: I try to be mindful that my subjects are people and they could read it, but it is also a basic tenet of journalism in general that athletes are public figures and they know what they're getting into. Even Joe Newspaper Writer can agree with that. I try to avoid swearing and innapropriate references just out of decency, and to maintain a degree of professionalism. Many bloggers don't really have that standard, and on some level I feel that a lot of web content is trashy and immature, but I can't help that - I just try to produce my own work at a respectable level of quality.

One of Bissinger's valid points (and Michael Wilbon said this to me as well) is that bloggers don't have the experience of a professional writer and they aren't close enough to the game to know the intricate details and true nature that goes into being a great writer. If someone is going to write their opinion they should know these things.

I've tried to take this to heart and not overstep my bounds: I go to games and I cover the access I get. I make it a point to say when a guess is a guess. But in the same breath, why does blogging have to be held to the same standard as newspaper writing? Is it possible that sports media just feels a threat to their industry? I think that blogging can have its niche in the sports world, as traditional coverage can have its niche. One is fan opinion, the other is insider opinion - is it so bad that we should allow both? I don't think so, and I think they overlap less than people realize. Plus, we honestly have no idea where this technology is taking us.

We're stuck in the standards of our conventional systems: Sports media are caught up in the idea that blogging will replace them, and I think a lot of bloggers have it in their heads that they will. But take an example: When someone invented a home phone with a camera in it (so you could talk and look at someone), a lot of people thought they would replace regular phones. It didn't happen. Instead, we have online video chat that we can use on computers (which has come in very useful for business conferencing), and home phones are being replaced by cell phones simply for convenience reasons. No one uses home phones with cameras. Why? Because they don't conflict as much as we thought they would. You don't talk to someone on the phone necessarily for the same reasons you see them face-to-face.

Hopefully that analogy makes a little bit of sense. I see why there's so much strife between these parties, but at the same time, it seems overblown. I think we should do a media v. blogosphere part two, but do it right with more individuals who will represent a broader spectrum of their fields, rather than just representing, in effect, themselves.

It shouldn't be confrontational - it should be constructive. Old media and new media are blending together whether we like it or not, and sooner or later we're going to have to learn to be cooperative, not to mention work in both strata at the same time. There's a lot of shaking up to be done, but just trying to tear each others' throats out on national TV isn't going to make this stuff go away.

Photo Credits: Deadspin, Business Blog Consulting, RetireSloan.com, 700level.com, CBS Local

Evaluating Flacco - Part I

2008-05-02T00:48:00.007-04:00

The honest truth about the NFL Draft is that it's a crapshoot. Even Mel Kiper and Todd McShay will tell you that. Guys rise up from nowhere (Willie Parker) and guys trip over their own shoelaces (Cedric Benson) when they finally get into the NFL.

Lately I've been reading up on the huge draft busts of the past to see what they have in common, and so far, I've seen that maturity can be a big factor in how draft choices pan out.

Classic example: Peyton Manning was the senior QB at Tennessee that had a good arm and was considered more grown-up, but athletically limited. Ryan Leaf was the kid out of Washington State with the actual "rocket arm" that Manning talks about in his commercials. At the time, Leaf was considered to have higher upside, while Peyton was the pro-ready prospect. No matter what Colt GM Bill Polian says, he was on the right side of a lucky guess. One is going to be a top-3 greatest QB ever when he retires, the other is the most epic flameout of the league ever.

Two other prospects that represent the maturity theory:

- Brian Bosworth: Just watch this video segment. His cultural celebrity eclipsed his NFL playing ability.

- Tony Madarich: Reading this SI article, how could people not know this guy was going to be a bust? He's a jerk!

So after my initial reaction of "Boller: Episode II" to the Joe Flacco selection, I cleared my head and began to look online for more about the guy. Knee-jerk thoughts are not the way to evaluate how scouting departments select the marquee picks of their drafts.

Luckily, people have done most of this work for me.

Dewey Hammond, who is one of the greatest blogging advocates and enablers today in my opinion, has developed his reputation behind the Yardbarker Network to the point where he's treated like a legitimate news organization representative. He gets interviews with athletes and direct-to-audience content like no one else does. Thankfully, he's also a Baltimore Ravens fan.

He somehow got in touch with Joltin' Joe Flacco and did this interview.

Reebok is trotting this man out, because he also did this interview with Keith Van Valkenberg of the Baltimore Sun, of whom I've become a fan in recent weeks.

Maybe I'm just being optimistic, but I feel like the general impression of Flacco is that he's a sharp guy that isn't afraid to be a little light-hearted. Ravens coaches apparently drafted him because of his physical tools and "coachability" or the way he actually executes what he's asked to do. Reports are that when he completed his workouts for the Ravens, he listened carefully to their suggestions and vastly improved over the course of the few days he was there.

This represents to me a kind of maturity that is a promising sign in a young prospect. Not every first-round draft pick has the character or the demeanor to work hard and do things a different way, even if it's difficult.

Furthermore, I've watched some of his video. On YouTube, it's a two-part series:

Part One

Part Two

What I see in these videos that the guy obviously has a big arm - he makes 40-yard throws with ease. But everybody already knows that. His accuracy is fair to middling; he'll have to work on his short-range accuracy. But he also has great poise and pocket sense. He stands in to take the hit, but he also knows when the hit is coming. He also doesn't have the bad habit of stutter stepping when he feels the heat, like Boller would do. I think we're dealing with more of a Jay Cutler than a Boller, hopefully.

From a personal standpoint, I'm warming up to the guy. I fully recognize that he was drafted as a project player and has a lot of development to do before he sits behind center in a real game. But even knowing these conditions, I feel better about the pick than I did before (similar to Rick Maese in this column). For a project, he seems to have everything you could reasonably hope for, and someday he could come out as one of the better QBs in this draft.

I'm not saying he's our savior, and I'm definitely not saying he's the best option we have this year, and I'm most definitely not saying he should win the QB battle out of training camp. The Ravens made their choice with the way they drafted this year - the organization is retooling. New coach, new personalities, project players warming up to their roles: that doesn't measure up to a winning season this year, especially when the Browns and the Steelers are going to be so competitive.

Flacco is an investment, something for next year or the year after that. Hopefully folks like Ozzie, Rex Ryan, Ray-Ray, Derrick Mason, Terrell Suggs and all the other vets are still around when it starts paying dividends. But for the organization, this could be - and I stress could be - the turnaround pick for this franchise.

The reason this post is labelled Part I is because everybody knows that draft picks cannot be evaluated for some time until they're actually in the game for awhile. I anticipate coming back to this selection several times over the next few years and seeing how he's progressing. This only counts as initial reaction and observation - nothing is written in stone.

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun, The Tide Druid

Greivis In, Walker Out

2008-04-29T21:56:00.003-04:00

The moving and shaking is not done yet for the Terrapin men's basketball team, and it doesn't look great right now.

THE GOOD NEWS: Greivis Vasquez is coming back. Some people may groan, but he's the best returning player on the Maryland squad. Hopefully another year in college might mean another year of maturity. Now he needs some coaching (hint, hint, Gary) to stop forcing plays and turning the ball over.

THE BAD NEWS: Forward/Center Shane Walker is transferring from the school. Before the announcement, the frosh figured to earn significant minutes at least in the early part of next season until Augustus Gilchrist becomes available. He could've been a starter depending on how much Braxton Dupree weighs in the fall. This is why I'm surprised he left - perhaps there was a personal issue that made him decide to move elsewhere. I'm also disappointed: He was one of my secret favorite players, the ones I like for silly reasons. C'mon, he's British! How cool is that?

THE UGLY REALITY: Maryland now has four (4) players that can play the 4-spot and the 5-spot when the season starts next year. Gilchrist will give a great boost when he's allowed to play in December/January, but until then, think about this rotation:

Greivis Vasquez/Eric Hayes
Sean Mosley/Adrian Bowie/Tyree Evans
Landon Milbourne/Cliff Tucker
Dave Neal/Dino Gregory
Jerome Burney/Braxton Dupree

That's not a good team folks. It's crowded in the wrong places and shallow in the wrong places. We don't have a standout frontcourt player to speak of (no offense, Jerome and Braxton), and with the departure of Walker depletes the already-dangerously low depth in those positions. I honestly have no idea how we expect to rebound with any regularity, and our guards are not sharp enough shooters to run a perimeter-oriented offense like Duke did this past year with four guards in at a time.

It will be, to say the least, a challenge to make it through the first part of next year. Gilchrist is the wild card that could help make or break this squad. It's a long time from now, and people will get better from year to year, but a lot of other ACC recruiting classes will make a big impact (Duke, Wake, UNC) that Maryland's incoming class probably won't. It's very discouraging when you look at NCAA prospects for next season.

Also disturbing: The transfer leaves zero players representing the United Kingdom next year.

Photo Credits: Baltimore Sun

What Happened to Erin Henderson?

2008-04-27T19:22:00.002-04:00

I don't understand what happened today at all.

Erin Henderson was a top-rated outside linebacker by pretty much EVERYONE.

- 3rd best OLB by ESPN
- 8th best OLB by NFL Draft Countdown
- 2nd best OLB by The Football Expert
- 5th best OLB by About Football
- 3rd best OLB by Walter Football
- 4th best OLB by KFFL

So why did Henderson not get drafted this weekend? I can't say for certain. Look at all the linebackers that were drafted! Why was Henderson not one of them?

It's true he has an injury history, but he also has a reputation for playing through them. When something like this happens, you have to check either medical records (ACL) or police records (doubtful, in this case). However, if there was something hidden in those reports, wouldn't we have heard about it already? There must've been something that scared everybody off. Maybe he isn't going pro after all? I have no idea.

If anyone knows anything, please let me know. I'm terribly disappointed at this outcome - I was looking forward to hearing his name on TV and knowing he would sign a big-time contract.

I guess he can still make it on a team by trying out free agency. But really? The best linebacker in the ACC? A potential Butkus Award winner needs to bust his butt in camp just to make the roster? That saddens me as a Maryland fan and just a person, thinking about how Henderson watched TV for 9 hours today and kept his eye on the phone just waiting to see if maybe today was the day his name would be called.

Not cool.

Photo Credits: Baltimore Sun, Press Box

Terp Prospects in the NFL Draft

2008-04-23T19:30:00.009-04:00

Since this weekend is a huge holiday to football freaks and geeks everywhere, I thought it might be prudent to write some more about the NFL Draft. However, for the Maryland folks out there who don't even know how to spell Vernon "Golstin," here's a breakdown of how players from Maryland will do this Saturday and Sunday with their '07 stats, various other projections - and a little INRCP spin, of course. I also called resident draft expert Kyle Miller, who did our mock draft, to help me out.

Hint: many of these projections will say "undrafted."

Let's go:

ERIN HENDERSON

Position: Linebacker
Key 2007 Stats: 133 tackles, 11 for a loss despite missing time with well-documented injuries
Biggest Plus: Has an instinct for the run and always seems to know where the play is going to be
Biggest Knock: Not terribly well-rounded in coverage or pass-rushing and has an injury history
ESPN Projection: Round 3 or 4 pick
NFL Draft Countdown Projection: Round 3 pick, possibly round 2
INRCP Take: Henderson was everyone's darling this past year and the face of a team that lacked great leadership. Unfortunately injuries prevented him from having a Butkus-worthy season. His combine results did little to move him up boards, and most scouts consider his speed very average for playing outside linebacker. A detailed catalog of nicks and tears on his body causes many teams worry as well. Kyle Miller says, "He can fit in a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense, but he's not really special in either. He's not great in man-to-man coverage but decent in zone. He probably won't be asked to do much more than clog up the run in the NFL." It's also our opinion that Henderson would probably thrive in the middle linebacker position, where he would be asked to stop the run more than drop back into coverage. The guy can tackle like nobody's business, but today's linebacker prototype is asked to do more than what Henderson is good at.
INRCP Projection: Round 3 or 4 pick, and could slip further

DRE MOORE

Position: Defensive Tackle
Key 2007 Stats: 63 tackles and 6 sacks (led the team)
Biggest Plus: Ideal size, strength and speed
Biggest Knock: Questionable motor, plays when he wants to
ESPN Draft Projection: Round 2 or 3 pick
NFL Draft Countdown Projection: Round 2 pick
INRCP Take: Moore is a guy that I just can't get excited about. Statistically, he had a good senior season, but on the field, he hardly dominated. Maryland had the 3rd-worst rushing defense in the ACC and consistently got run over by backs like James Davis and Yvenson Bernard during the season. You would expect a team with a top-five tackle and a top-five linebacker to squash the run game, but Moore never got it together like Glenn Dorsey or Sedrick Ellis did. He screams "Workout Warrior" to me. Kyle Miller says, "He'd probably be a good fit in a 3-4. We'll see how he adjusts to the NFL in terms of being more consistent, but he could dominate." I personally believe he should only go to a highly disciplined team that believes they can corral him and make him dedicated to becoming all that he can be.
INRCP Projection: Round 3 or 4 pick, but likely will go in round 2

ANDREW CRUMMEY

Position: Guard
Key 2007 Stats: Missed 5 games with a broken fibula
Biggest Plus: Versatile, anchor of some great lines in '05 and '06, technically sound
Biggest Knock: Not big enough and not strong enough in any one area
ESPN Draft Projection: Round 6 or 7 pick
NFL Draft Countdown Projection: Round 6 or 7 pick
INRCP Take: How the mighty have fallen - once a pre-season All American, Crummey slid doooooowwwn draft boards after breaking his leg. Although he played in the Emerald Bowl, his stock took another hit when he had to leave to NFL combine because his leg had not fully healed. However, Crummey is a sound blocker who was greatly respected before his injury, so he has upside, even if he is not as athletic as the ideal NFL guard. Kyle Miller says, "He was a first-day talent before he caught a bad break. He's a good run-blocker and has good size, and he would've intrigued teams." Crummey, if he heals, could be a steal on draft day.
INRCP Projection: Round 6 pick

JOEY HAYNOS

Position: Tight End
Key 2007 Stats: 30 receptions (2nd on the team) for 318 yds (3rd on the team)
Biggest Plus: Absurdly tall (nearly 6'8), a hard worker who was a walk-on
Biggest Knock: Not athletic, fast or overly strong
ESPN Draft Projection: Round 6 or 7 pick
NFL Draft Countdown Projection: Round 7 pick or undrafted
INRCP Take: Haynos took a step back this past season, mostly due to the unstable situation at quarterback. The guy was clutch in '06 with Sam Hollenbach at the helm, but mostly due to his size and modest receiving ability. He's worked hard to get where he is today, but in the NFL, I can't see him breaking beyond special teams. He doesn't fill a niche role and his frame needs to fill in as well.
INRCP Projection: Round 7 pick or undrafted

ISAIAH GARDNER

Position: Cornerback
Key 2007 Stats: 69 tackles, 10 passes broken up
Biggest Plus: Uh ....
Biggest Knock: Doesn't know how to play coverage even though he's a corner
ESPN Draft Projection: Undrafted
NFL Draft Countdown Projection: Undrafted
INRCP Take: Gardner is the kind of player that every team has who only seems to be highlighted by his mistakes. I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to throw up after one of his blown coverages was exploited. Passers intentionally threw to his side of the field because they knew he would be out of position. He ran a decent 4.41 forty time and had a great 42.5-inch vertical, but what does that matter if you can't play your position? If your team drafts him, it's a good sign that you might be a Jets fan.
INRCP Projection: Undrafted, possible CFL candidate

KEON LATTIMORE

Position: Running back
Key 2007 Stats: 900 all-pupose yards, 13 TDs
Biggest Plus: Elusive and instinctive runner
Biggest Knock: No elite speed, balance or strength
ESPN Draft Projection: Round 7 pick or undrafted
NFL Draft Countdown Projection: Undrafted
INRCP Take: Lattimore has some decent NFL skills, and there is a small chance he could find a team that needs a back. However, the RB class is too deep and Lattimore's measurables and pro day workouts were hampered by injuries. Even though Kyle and I are fans of Lattimore and think he could make it in the league, he'll find it tough, especially since he split so much time in college.
INRCP Projection: Undrafted

LANCE BALL

Position: Running back
Key 2007 Stats: 856 total yds, 12 TDs
Biggest Plus: Tough, gritty runner who performs consistently
Biggest Knock: Small, slow for NFL game
ESPN Draft Projection: Undrafted
NFL Draft Countdown Projection: Undrafted
INRCP Take: See Lattimore, Keon. Ball is another Maryland hero who potentially could find himself on an NFL roster if he really keeps working. However, things like his height and his lack of speed won't help him. There are just too many backs who have a better chance of getting on to an NFL roster.
INRCP Projection: Undrafted

J.J. Justice and Christian Varner are also players that have an outside chance of being drafted as safties, but I doubt it and no major site has them listed as draft prospects. They are both average college safeties, and the NFL is the best of the best. They may have an easier time finding a spot on a roster than Lattimore or Ball, but don't hold your breath waiting for them to be selected.

Cheer for your Terps on Saturday - there's a good chance we could see at least two go by the time the first day is over.

Photo Credit: Washington Post, UMTerps

Spring Recruiting Notes

2008-04-22T20:19:00.008-04:00

Hey guys, today I'm basically going to rehash some stuff I've seen recently on Recruiting Report and give my own spin. Don't mistake that for me taking credit for the work (good work, Matt Bracken).

FOOTBALL

Maryland picked up a 2009 commitment from QB C. J. Brown from Pennsylvania last week. He hasn't shown up in an position rankings yet, but it's still early. The good news is the kid has lineage - his father Clark was a QB at Michigan State. He's got 4.65 speed as well, which is nothing to sneeze at. See the full story on Recruiting Report.

Also, I can't end this section without somehow mentioning Michael Campanaro's decision to attend Wake Forest in 2009. All I can say is that someone from River Hill would go to such a WASPy school - one where a friend of mine who attends there admits, "The only black people who go here are athletes." Obiviously, that's an exaggeration, but still:

Wake Forest University rankings in Princeton Review:
- No. 7 for least race/class interaction
- No. 18 for least diverse
- No. 8 for "jock schools"
- This classic student desciption (a must-read)

Boo Wake, boo River Hill (That's just high school loyalties, sorry). They do have really nice landscaping, though.

BASKETBALL

I'm not sure how up to date you guys are about Bobby Maze, but it seems like he's officially a no-go for Maryland, which makes sense when you consider how many freakin' guards are still on the team. A Wichita State blog has an article about Maze possibly becoming a Shocker (trying not to make an inappropriate reference here, but young people, smile while you read "Shocker"). That's a tough fall from ACC school to Missouri Valley Conference, not to mention from Terp to Shocker. But he might get more floor time - he could be a star there.

The Maryland women also picked up a recruit, but this one is coming here in 2008: Jackie Nared, a swingwoman from Oregon. Her dad, Greg, played basketball here in the 80s. The one troubling thing I find is that Nared only had one other scholarship offer at San Diego State, so it's possible that Nared might've earned a ticket here partially on a "legacy" basis. But she sounds good, so we'll see how she develops next fall. Check out the video:

Overall, the class is not looking as strong as the classes of the last three or four years, but there is plenty of reason to feel good about it: One is a Parade and McDonald's All-American, another was JuCo Player of the Year and only lost one game last year, and Nared rounds out the class. This group, along with Drey Mingo, will hopefully replace some of the production in the frontcourt lost by the graduation of Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper. And trust me, that can be a steep drop if they don't adjust their games to the college level quickly.

Also worth mentioning: Kat Lyons, a freshman guard, is transferring schools after this semester. That's what happens when people don't play, and underclassmen hardly played at all last season. Lyons averaged 9 minutes per game in the 24 contests she played in last year, but that might be misleading - her time was cut as time went on. Overall, I don't think Maryland should be terribly hurt by her loss.

Fun fact: In the seven-player rotation this past season, composed entirely of juniors and seniors, six of those players played more minutes than all freshmen minutes combined, and the other player, Jade Perry, was pretty close to that mark.

That's recruiting for ya. Keep it real and keep it current.

Photo Credit: Scout.com, DCBasketCase bloggers

Yes, Kevin Love is Ready to Go

2008-04-19T01:41:00.005-04:00

I've been saying this around for some time now, so I decided to consolidate with a post.

Kevin Love is ready for the NBA. Now all of you know.

Wait ... You're asking why? Well he should marinate another year in college, he won't be a good pro, he's not athletic, he's white, blah blah blah, etc. I've heard these lines of reasoning plenty of times each.

Here's the deal: The kid is good. Pac-10 Player of the Year award-good. First team All America-good. This past season, he had spectacular averages: 17.5 points per game, 10.6 rebounds per game, 1.44 blocks per game and even hit about one three per game. How many freshmen average a double-double that aren't named Michael Beasley or Kevin Durant? And unlike those guys, he was the best player on a team that made it to a Final Four. Plus, although his outlet passing is already much-ballyhoed, you can't discount that it's a marketable skill that no one else has. Plus, who else can make full-court shots like it's their job?

Right now, ESPN has him as a lottery pick, and I believe this is a fair evaluation based on Love's success in college and his array of post moves and ways to score. The draft profile right now basically says the same stuff that most people are saying (good, but can't jump, not big enough, etc.).

Look, just say Kevin Love isn't going to be a good pro. So what? What more reason does he have to stay in college? Win a championship? I can't blame the guy for turning down a "college education" for lottery-pick money. These days, you have to protect your body like its an investment - you can't afford to get injured.

In addition, Love had an incredible season. Incredible seasons are followed by raised expectations. Why should Love subject himself to increased scrutiny by people trying to poke holes in his game? What if he already has hit his ceiling and doesn't improve? Let's not forget just how special a guy like Tyler Hansbrough is, who vastly improved statistically by staying another year (He should go, too - you don't do better than Player of the Year).

What if he hits a sophomore slump? Does he go the way of Josh McRoberts and drop stock like it's goin' out of style? It's not good business. If you have a good season, go and get paid! How can anyone hate on that?

Kevin Love is one of those guys that will work hard on his game and always try hard to make it in the league. In terms of attitude and maturity, you can't ask for much more of a young man, especially when there are so many Pacmans running around. The adjustment will definitely be hard, but another season in college probably has more risk than reward.

So smile, Mr. Love, when you get that paycheck. Smile when you sign that shoe deal. Don't hide it - it feels good. Even if you don't turn out in the NBA, either way, you're gonna get to spend that money.

It didn't take four years of college to make that no-brainer.

Photo Credit: AP

What Will Men's Basketball Look Like Next Season?

2008-04-18T11:04:00.004-04:00

You didn't deserve this, and I owe you all an apology. I'm sorry for not posting for almost 10 days. I'm a bad person.

Now that I've apologized, here we go. We've got to talk about:

BASKETBALL RECRUITING

Maryland signed guard Tyree Evans on Tuesday, bringing on board a troubled young man but a prolific scorer. He'll play shooting guard for the Terps. Evans came out of high school in 2005, but his college career was torn asunder by a statutory rape charge that was later dismissed. Classy. He's been drifting in junior college ever since and now has two years of eligibility left in College Park.

Evans' signing raises at least three questions for next season's squad:

1) Is Maryland still recruiting Bobby Maze? My understanding is that the scholarships are full right now, so unless someone else is leaving, it would appear not. However, sources say Maze's people seem to think things are on track, which leads to the next two questions ...

2) Is Eric Hayes transferring? The simple answer is that no one knows. This rumor has been circulating for at least a month, and The Sun's Don Markus has been addressing it recently. Markus says that if Maze signs, Hayes will go somewhere else, possibly Loyola. Personally, I think he can bring control to the game, and perhaps his injury during the season was worse than we thought. However, if he wants to go, Gary Williams should let him. He didn't take the next step this past year - his defense and how he creates shots on offense (or lack thereof) leaves much to be desired. He might just be ill-suited to ACC competition.

3) Is Greivis Vasquez leaving for the NBA? I hope not. I've feared this possibility since last fall. The honest truth that everyone knows but no one likes to admit is that Vasquez is the Terps' best player. He's good for at least 13 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds every night despite his inconsistency. He could be better next year if he slows down his game, but I don't know if Gary has that kind of control over him. However, ever since he played in Las Vegas against Kobe, it seems like Greivis has thought, "Gee, I can guard the best player in the NBA," (if you want to call what he did against Kobe "guarding"). It is my personal belief - although I emphasize I have no evidence to prove this - that Greivis believes that he is ready for the NBA. I think there will be a lot of people telling him to stay in school, but Gravy is the type of guy who does whatever he wants to do. If he genuinely believes he's ready, he'll bolt in a second.

It's a tough prospect when you consider that Evans and Mosley are both considered good enough to start right away - some experts believe that both are better than anyone who played guard last year, even Jason McAlpin. Hayes might be facing a lot of bench time, and Vasquez might be reluctant to subject himself to the criticism of the Maryland crowd (even though some of it is deserved). Whatever happens, I think it's safe to say that we're in store for an interesting season next year.

Terps Taken in the WNBA Draft

2008-04-09T20:44:00.003-04:00

They did their school proud, and now they get to go pro. And like Juan Dixon several years ago, one Maryland alum will still be local.

Crystal Langhorne was drafted 6th overall by the Washington Mystics, and Laura Harper was drafted 10th overall by the Sacramento Monarchs. Candace Parker went No. 1 overall to the L.A. Sparks, as expected, and Tennessee and Rutgers both had multiple selections in the top 10 as well.

Langhorne and Harper were both drafted higher than any other Lady Terp before them (the previous highest position was Jessie Hicks in 1997). There is still some speculation that Langhorne and Harper may also play in Europe (to make more money), but a lot of female players do that in the offseason of the WNBA.

This could be one of the greatest draft classes in history: Candace Parker is considered by many to be the best female player in all of basketball, and her dunking ability is much ballyhooed. Sylvia Fowles and Candice Wiggins are considered sure things. Then you have players like Langhorne and Essence Carson who will probably thrive in the league. Read the ESPN take.

Congrats to Lang and Harp (as Marissa Coleman calls them) and go ahead and get that money.

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun

Is Kansas a Historic Team?

2008-04-08T01:30:00.003-04:00

Mario Chalmers forces overtime with a spectacular shot that will surely be remembered in title game history, and in doing so helps Kansas and Bill Self finally win it all. But does that make Kansas a historic team?

In the Final Four, I would argue that Kansas was the most anonymous team left because it is bereft of major stars: UNC has Hansbrough and Lawson, UCLA has Love and Collison, Memphis has Rose, CDR and Dorsey. Kansas has ... Rush and Chalmers? Will those faces last the test of time like Laettner, Hurley and Hill? I'm not sure.

No one's arguing that Kansas didn't have a great season or a great title game, but they were relatively under the radar all year. Will their lack of media attention relegate them to just another team that you have to check on Wikipedia to remember?

Please leave your opinion/thoughts/comments.

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun

Classic Time for Sean Mosley

2008-04-07T17:28:00.006-04:00

Maybe some of you were lucky enough to make it to Towson for the Charm City Classic. If you weren't (like me), take peace in the fact that the Baltimore All-Stars crushed the U.S. competition once again (although they don't seem to be much competition). Yes, they play a watered-down roster every year, but don't take away my Baltimore pride.

Sean Mosley continued to add to his accolades of Baltimore Sun POY, Gatorade's Maryland POY, and a Baltimore Catholic League Title by making the all-tournament team. He contributed 15 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Plus, he reportedly pleased the crowd with some eye-opening alley-oops and dunks.

Now, the time is coming up when you - yes, YOU - can see Sean Mosley for yourself. Get out your calendar and get a pen: Sunday, April 13th, is the Capital Classic when Mosley and team USA take on the All-District team at Comcast Center at 5 p.m. It also features the D.C. City team vs. the Suburban All-Stars at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 (for students for the two games) or $5 at the door (for the nosebleeds). How can you afford not to?

If you recall, last year was an opportunity for fans to see future Terps Adrian Bowie, Shane Walker, Dino Gregory and (unexpectedly) Augustus Gilchrist, last year's MVP. While the only Maryland-bound player in this year's game is Mosley, I can assure you that it will be worth the price of admission. I'm desperately trying to see the guy myself, and finally he's coming to us.

Mosley had a spectacular senior year, and I project him to enter the starting lineup somehow, even with all the backups (more on that later). He'll be an impact player, and the impact starts now: giving Maryland fans reason to hope.

Go forth and get in the stands on Sunday. See you there.
Special thanks to Recruiting Report and Matt Bracken for the updates and links.

EXTRA LINKS:

"UM Looks To Get Faster, Stronger" - The Baltimore Sun
"Season In Review" - UMTerps.com
"The State of Maryland Hoops" - The Baltimore Sun

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun

Gist Gonna Get His Dunk On

2008-04-03T11:26:00.004-04:00

As reported by the Diamondback this morning and other news sources, now ex-Terp James Gist will participate in this year's DiGiorno College All-Star Game, the most unheralded all-star basketball game on any level because it is for college seniors only, A.K.A. the kids who got left behind.

He'll be playing for the American squad with all your favorite players from Brian Butch to David Padgett. Lining up against him will be Duke's DeMarcus Nelson (very deserving) and Clemson's Cliff Hammonds. The game is on at 6 p.m. on Friday on CSTV, and you know what that means:

No one is going to watch it.

However, the more exciting news is that Gist is also registered for tonight's dunk contest at 9 p.m. on ESPN. You actually should be watching this. It should provide answers to questions we've had throughout Gist's college career, questions like: Can Gist go between the legs? Can he jump from the free throw line?

Actually, the answer to both of those questions is "no" (I say with 99% confidence), but it still should be interesting. Gist is one of my favorite power dunkers. Whenever I see him go for it, he reminds me of Dr. J because he just cruises through the air gracefully but comes down like a freight train:

He'll be going against Will Bullard (TA&M - CC), Patrick Ewing Jr. (G-Town), Brian Randle (Illinois), J.R. Giddens (New Mexico) and Deron Washington (VaTech). I'm not familiar with Giddens or Bullard, and I didn't know that Randle and Ewing were any good at taking it to the hoop like that. Washington, however is definitely someone to watch:

The "Paulus teabag" dunk is one of my favorites ever.

So remember to watch ESPN at 9 tonight and support Gist as he throws it down with the best ... of whoever the NCAA could scrape together.

Go Terp alums!

(Here's more dunks:)

INRCP's Mock Draft

2008-04-02T11:19:00.006-04:00

Ed. Note: This mock draft is brought to you by Kyle Miller, a guy who scans web material all day about the draft. I personally trust his judgement, but if he's wrong, I claim absolutely no responsibility. Seriously. So don't whine.

The NFL Draft is coming up this month on the 26th. Besides being a thrilling TV spectacle (I fell asleep before the Raven's first pick last year), the draft is a great opportunity to celebrate young athletes. Unfortunately, I hardly know who they are past the top 10 prospects, so I did what any sports blog author would do: Made my roommate make a mock draft for me.

Here's his take and explanations:

1) MIAMI - DE CHRIS LONG: Other than Jake Long, C-Long is the most polished player in this draft. He’s no L.T., but Bill Parcells can use this kid in multiple positions in a weak Miami defense.

2) ST. LOUIS - DT GLENN DORSEY: Drafting Adam Carriker last year was a step in the right direction for the Rams on the defensive side of the ball. Now with Dorsey on the roster, Carriker will be able to move back to his defensive end position. Dorsey is the best 4-3 tackle in this draft with a rare blend of size, power, and athleticism. He could be the next Warren Sapp ... seriously.

3) ATLANTA - QB MATT RYAN: This just needs to happen. Joey Harrington is their starting quarterback right now ... Are you f***ing kidding me?

4) OAKLAND - RB DARREN MCFADDEN: Chris Long and Jake Long may be the most polished, but Run DMC is the best talent and given Oakland’s lack of real depth at running back, McFadden is a great prospect. If he runs in the NFL like he did in college, say hello to The Juice part II.

5) KANSAS CITY - OT JAKE LONG: Larry Johnson is personally flying this kid to KC if he falls to them. He is the kind of guy you can build a line around. He has a nasty demeanor, great push in the running game, and is a very solid pass blocker. Not as good as Joe Thomas of last year’s draft, but he is bar-none the best O-lineman in a deep tackle draft.

6) NYJ – DE/OLB VERNON GHOLSTON: This won’t take but about 2 seconds for the Jets to think through - he is the best pass rusher in this draft. He made Jake Long look average in the Ohio State - Michigan game, registering two sacks. He also possesses a rare blend of size (6’4-265) and athleticism (45 inch vertical, 37 bench press, 4.6 speed). Just the guy they need to get after Brady.

7) NEW ENGLAND – CB LEODIS MCKELVIN: This makes sense on a lot of levels. One, he is the best cornerback in this draft. The patriots lost key players in their secondary. Also, he is a big-time return man. Has great ball skills and can run with anyone.

8) BALTIMORE – CB DOMINIQUE RODGERS CROMARTIE: Yes, they need a QB (ed. note: I'm pretty certain Troy Smith is the answer, but maybe to be safe ...) but there is no quarterback worth this pick. Chris McCallister is getting old and they need to start grooming replacements for some of those playmakers that made that defense great.

9) CINCINNATI – DT SEDRICK ELLIS: Some believe he is the top DT in the draft. My mock obviously begs to differ. However, this would be an amazing pickup for the Bengals who have essentially had the Brokeback Mountain technique run on their defensive front seven for the past few years. Ellis provides an interior pass rush as well as the ability to make plays behind the line of scrimmage against the run.

10) NEW ORLEANS – LB KEITH RIVERS: It sucks for the Saints that Ellis went to Cincinnati but Keith Rivers is the best linebacker in this draft. Reliable tackler, good cover man, and with John Vilma next to him, that looks like a linebacker corps to take seriously. The Saints are going in the right direction in terms of rebuilding the defense.

11) BUFFALO – WR MALCOLM KELLY: When Lee Evans is your top receiver, you’re in trouble - he is not as complete as a No. 1 receiver should be (ed. note: and he kills your fantasy team). Malcolm Kelly is 6’4 230 pounds, can make all the pro catches, and has some wheels on him to go deep. Plus, his presence could make the Lee Evans go route more deadly.

12) DENVER – OT RYAN CLADY: This is a definite need pick for Denver in order to get younger up front. In addition, Clady himself said he felt more comfortable in a zone-blocking scheme.

13) CAROLINA – DE DERRICK HARVEY: Mike Rucker is gone. So is Kris Jenkins. Derrick Harvey is an animal in terms of rushing the passer (MVP of BCS Championship: 3 sacks on Troy Smith). If Julius Peppers even bothers showing up on the field, Harvey can get a lot of one-on-one matchups.

14) CHICAGO – RB RASHARD MENDENHALL: They made a mistake letting go of Thomas Jones and leaving their running game in the hands (or lack there of) of Cedric Benson. Mendenhall has great strength, size, and speed. Hopefully he works out for them in order to put Ceddy the Human Teddy on the bench.

15) DETROIT – OT CHRIS WILLIAMS: He is one of the more highly regarded left tackles in this draft and too good of a prospect to pass up. He pass blocks like no other (only 2 sacks his last two seasons at Vanderbilt) so Detroit’s QB can actually stay vertical.

16) ARIZONA – CB MIKE JENKINS: They wish Keith Rivers fell to them but they still get value in Mike Jenkins. Playmaker at the corner position. Has good ball skills and timed well at the combine. Can instantly help Arizona’s defense.

17) MINNESOTA – DE PHILLIP MERLING: One of their defensive ends unfortunately came down with a career threatening disease. Phillip Merling is a playmaker, a very hard worker, and while he may not have eye-popping measurables, his game film definitely shows a DE that has all the tools to have a successful NFL career.

18) HOUSTON – RB JONATHAN STEWART: They don’t care about his injury. He will be healthy by the start of the season. Running back is one of the easiest positions to play in transition from college to the pros. Ahman Green is getting old and they need a back that can handle the 20-25 carry load in the future.

19) PHILADELPHIA – OT JEFF OTAH: They could go with DeSean Jackson here but Andy Reid is the kind of coach that loves to build the trenches in the draft. He can step in immediately and give Winston Justice serious competition. He is raw as hell, but is a mauler and has decent pass-blocking skills. Could be a starter within the next year or so.

20) TAMPA BAY – WR DESEAN JACKSON: Joey Galloway is like 60 and Garcia had no one else to throw the ball to. Jackson is small but he is a playmaker at the receiver position and in the return game. He is deadly in the open field. Tampa can use him a million different ways.

21) WASHINGTON – WR LIMAS SWEED: Santana Moss, Chris Cooley, and ... my point exactly (ed. note: Brandon Lloyd really worked out, didn't he?). They need another receiver to help compliment Moss and help bring along young Jason Campbell. He has breakaway speed, can win 80% of jump balls, and can make all the difficult catches necessary to be successful in this league.

22) DALLAS – RB FELIX JONES: Perfect complement to Marion the Barbarian. He can catch balls out of the backfield and has some burners on him (4.45 speed).

23) PITTSBURGH – OG BRANDON ALBERT: This is just too easy. Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin tear their hamstrings running to hand in their selection to Roger Goodell. He projects to play LG immediately and LT in the near future. He is nasty with excellent pass-blocking skills(something the Steelers would’ve killed for last year). He also gets great push in the running game. In short, he’s a freak of nature.

24) TENNESSEE – LB JEROD MAYO: They wished Limas Sweed fell to them but Keith Bulluck is getting old and this kid would be a great addition to an already good defense. Mayo can flow through traffic, making tackles in the trenches, and has a ridiculous motor.

25) SEATTLE – TE DUSTIN KELLER: They do not have a good tight end . They could go with Fred Davis but Keller is bigger, better blocker and a more versatile tight end. Hopefully he can make Seahawks fans forget about that asshole Jerramy f***ing Stevens (ed. note: who raped someone in college).

26) JACKSONVILLE – DT KENTWAN BALMER: Had a pretty productive career at North Carolina. Can help the Jaguar’s interior and step in where John Henderson was.

27) SAN DIEGO – CB AQUIB TALIB: Not only did they lose Drayton Florence, this is way too good for the chragers to pass up. Talib is a top-10 caliber corner. He can make plays in the secondary, has great ball skills, and he is not afraid to take risks, which isn’t terrible when thinking about the Charger’s pass rush.

28) DALLAS - WR DEVIN THOMAS: He can provide another big strong weapon for Tony Romo in that offense. Good return man, good speed and fluid athleticism.

29) SAN FRANCISCO – DE QUENTIN GROVES: This is more of a luxury pick for the 49ers since there are no O-lineman worth taking here. Nonetheless, he is one of the best pass rushers in this draft. He's got great timed speed and great strength to beat big offensive tackles off the edge.

30) GREEN BAY – CB BRANDON FLOWERS: They need a corner and all the top corners are taken. Brandon Flowers is polished and experienced. Plus he would be playing with two of the better corners in the league (Al Harris and Charles Woodson).

31) NEW ENGLAND – Canon EOS 5D Digital Camera.

32) NYG – S KENNY PHILLIPS: He is the best safety by far in this draft, and the Giants need a safety to put in the secondary. He had a disappointing junior season, but he has all the tools necessary to be a starter in this league. Excellent range, hard hitter, and he’s a safety from the U. What more do you want?

Thanks for your perspective Kyle, and readers, leave a comment.

Reflections on INRCP

2008-04-01T19:02:00.006-04:00

Well, we struggled against it, but basketball season at the University of Maryland is over. No more watching the Terps on the court - even when they play badly, that's sad news.

Basketball at UMD officially ended last night when the Lady Terps lost in the Elite Eight to a Stanford squad that featured a 41-point scorer, Candice Wiggins. I had a feeling, and I mentioned it last week, but I still thought that the Terps were the better team. It was simply a matter of who was hot and who was not last night, as the Cardinal hit 14 three-pointers in the game and were 66.7% from long range in the first half. It was tough to see Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper end such storied careers so close to a second national championship, but I take rest in the fact that they did at least win one, and not many players can say that.

The men's season ended some time ago against Syracuse when the Orange basically decided to school the Terps. To their credit, they did beat Minnesota and played potentially the most individually talented team not to make the Big Dance.

It was a very disappointing season - the worst since 1993. I fail to see why it was a "rebuilding year," because in midseason the Terps did show that they had the salt to beat a top team in UNC. The wheels came off.

However, despite the disappointment and the heartache, I'm most upset that basketball is done. More than anything in sports, I love the thrill of being in the stands, watching the game unfold, seeing the coaching adjustments, watching players take their game to the next level. Even though this men's team broke my heart and I wanted the women to win it all one more time, they gave me much more joy than pain.

Really, that's what this project has been all about. The future of sports writing is about the fans - catering to what they feel and think more than what they see. I've tried to create a fan's eye view of this team, tried to share with you why I love being here, what I perceive and what I take from my observations.

You know, all that junk.

Again, I would like to thank you all for the support and making this site bigger than I imagined. Writing is in my future, and this project - started as a hobby - has helped me express one of my passions and helped me get positioned for a career in the field.

Now, we have something important to discuss: Now that basketball is done, what's happening to INRCP?

The quick answer is that I don't know. As you might know, I've been slacking off a bit. I want to keep writing, but I also have other commitments and I don't want to give any readers false hopes. So here's what I can promise:

- NFL MOCK DRAFT brought to you by NFL insider Kyle Miller, the best draft expert that lives in my suite.

- MEN'S & WOMEN'S SEASON REVIEWS to take a look back on the season that was.

- RECRUITING UPDATES and a look at the starting basketball lineups.

- SPRING FOOTBALL and position battles as that unfolds.

- MILDLY AMUSING VIDEOS for your convenience. Like this one.

- JEROME BURNEY HIGHLIGHTS which will be starting now:

Also, we have crowned a new People's Champ - BAMBALE OSBY. Too bad he's graduating. Second place was Greivis Vasquez, so I suppose he's now People's Champ. If you have a problem with this, leave a comment. But the third place champ is Earl Badu, who graduated several years ago (and is the in the People's Champ Hall of Fame), and fourth place is DAVE NEAL, the reigning champ. So we'll see how that goes.

Well, tough going for the women, but then again, there's always lacrosse ...

... no, you're right. It's definitely not as good. (West Coast readers: This is what lacrosse is.)

Go Terps! And go Vikings! (Couldn't pass up a high school shout out. Girls lacrosse starts at Mount Hebron.)

Not Buying It

2008-03-26T12:48:00.005-04:00

Back from break finally! Sorry for the delay, I know y'all have been awake at night, wondering when INRCP was going to be updated - you can rest safely now. But you know what's going to be keeping me up at night? The Maryland women's basketball team.

If you haven't been watching the women's NCAA championship at all, and if you didn't have the courtesy to spend $8 and walk to Comcast to watch a session, then you're probably pretty comfortable with the first round 16-point victory and the second round 12-point victory. I'm here to tell you that you shouldn't be satisfied.

What am I not buying? All of it. I'm not buying that the Terps are a legit No. 1 seed. I'm not buying that they're playing their best basketball. I'm not buying they can win the championship. I'm not buying they can win their next game.

I attended the first round game and watched the second round game on TV. I was disappointed at the Terps' performance in both. Their play has me very nervous for next week.

We have problems (typically ones that can be addressed) in several areas. Here's what I've seen in the past two efforts:

- DEFENSE: We are simply getting killed in transition, and last night was the second time in a row we got beat in fast break points. Our players look slow when they have to run the floor, and often the opponent ends up with numbers down on the other end. There was a play against Nebraska where Ashleigh Newman ended up on an island and had no idea what to do against two bigger, athletically superior players who would've dunked on her if it was a men's game. Plus, it also looks like Toliver and Newman are having trouble guarding their marks: Three starting guards in the last two games have gone off for 20 points or more. Maybe the best option is to put Coleman or Strickland on the leading scorer.

- PASSING: For whatever reason, the last two game have been filled with errors and miscues, most resulting in Maryland turnovers. I grew very frustrated last night watching a string of UMD turnovers that led to a 16-2 Cornhusker run, closing a Maryland lead to a single point at halftime. The women play streaky ball - they go on runs, then let the other team go on a run. Coleman and Toliver both run the point, and a lot of the problems stemmed from trying to thread the needle in risky passes. Teams are covering Langhorne and Harper and making us beat them from the outside, which leads to my next point...

- SHOOTING: This team is not showing the touch that made them the No. 1 three-point shooting team in the ACC. Against Coppin State, they shot 30.% from long range, and against Nebraska, they shot a dismal 25%. Not going to cut it when Langhorne and Harper get double- and triple-teamed in the paint. Toliver has been struggling to find her shot, going 2-for-12 in the tourney, while Marah Strickland has only scored 3 points total so far and hit only one field goal. Maryland will have to diversify their game if they want to advance.

- FATIGUE: This is a huge problem which contributes to the other areas of concern. All five Maryland starters were in the top-30 list of minutes played in the ACC this season. The rotation typically only has Jade Perry and Newman get significant minutes off the bench. That's not going to cut it. It's obvious that the Terps get more tired toward the end of halves and the end of the game, even though they've been finishing strong. Now is the time when you have to see what depth you have and hope it works out. Nine Nebraska players had double-digit minutes compared to seven on Maryland. Drey Mingo was the only other person who played from UMD, and she was in for a whole whopping minute.

Here's the deal: I trust the Terps to handle these problems. Yesterday at the post-game press conference, Marissa Coleman expressed that the team was nervous about getting over the second-round hump where they lost last year. I understand that. There might be butterflies floating around in their stomachs right now, and the newbies - like Strickland - might be a little nervous about playing on the big stage (maybe, I have a hard time explaining her drop-off).

Coleman said it was like a weight had been lifted off of them. Maybe it was keeping them down. There were still great things about their game: Langhorne and Harper have played really well when they can get the ball, Coleman had an excellent second half last night and rebounding, even by the guards, is going very well.

Right now, this is not a championship team. I'm wary of our next opponent, Vanderbilt, and I'm absolutely terrified of the looming Stanford and Candice Wiggins, who is considered a class-3 lethal weapon in some countries.

However, it still can be. We have a lot of good parts, and we crushed top-five competition early in the season. I truly believe that when this team is in gear, they can defeat anyone. Now it's up to Brenda and company to make it happen.

Go Terps!

A Break from Break

2008-03-18T00:12:00.003-04:00

Hey Terps fans!

Well, I'm on spring break right now in Vermont, but I thought that some recent news deserved a small update.

The Maryland women are going to the NCAA tournament in style - as a No. 1 seed. They beat out Rutgers and Stanford for a top spot in the Spokane region, and they'll face Coppin State on Sunday.

The local battle is a surprise to a lot of women's bball followers, including me. I thought their second-round lost to Duke over a week ago would result in a No. 2 slot ... but I guess not.

The road is a little easier but not much easier: There are a lot of contenders out there. ESPN has a breakdown that I really like.

Also, for those of you wondering what the men are up to after their big disappointment this weekend, don't look to Comcast. The Terps will be playing away at Minnesota for the NIT. I don't think they want to be there, so I'll predict they do themselves a favor and lose the opener. I stress themselves.

Well, make sure you buy your tickets for Maryland v. Coppin State and the second round game as well. I think I might catch one of those when I get back to town.

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun

Terp Boxing Rumbles at Ritchie

2008-03-16T02:47:00.001-04:00

Ed Note: This actually happened about a week ago, but I've been behind. Anticipate a lengthy break during spring break, BTW. - kgoon

Even in the relatively small space of Ritchie Coliseum, there was an electricity about walking in the building for fight night: watching the fighters tape up, take jabs at phantom opponents, seeing the ring, being a part of the pre-bout hubbub. Students turned out in droves to support their friends, and grizzled old vets came out to see the young blood of the sport.

As Dickie V would say, "It's boxing, baby!"

For $5, you could watch 11 fights - all amateur - and get good seats, too. Arriving 10 minutes early, we managed to grab front row spots in the bleachers. There wasn't any smoking or drinking, pretty much no one wore fly threads, and it wasn't terribly glamorous overall (they didn't even turn down the house lights for the matches). But there is something about amateur fights that really brings a purity to the event.

There's not really much trash talking, not much flash, no one is getting paid for the entertainment - it's really just about a bunch of young guns suited up after months and months of training, trying to beat down whoever takes the corner opposite them in the ring. What you see is raw: pure passion, pure fury. Some of the fighters may not have the best form, but you're guaranteed to see something real.

My friend, Andrew "The Bronco" Hallowell, is a boxer, but meeting him, you might not know it. He's a nice guy: he smiles and is quiet when you meet him.

But he is fiercely competitive. Like all members of the UMD boxing club, he wakes up at 5:30 in the morning to go run. He goes to the gym several times a week to spar, hit the bag, do sit-ups, and basically give his body a beating until it can take one and keep going. Before weigh-ins, he'll stare longingly at us as we munch on pizza or burgers, and then he'll look down sadly at his broccoli (even though he apparently claims he loves it).

But to him, it's worth it. The work and the diet pay off the second he steps in the ring, because he knows he's more prepared than his opponent.

So imagine 22 fighters, finally off their diets and workout schedules, ready to pound someone or something into pulp. If you take them two at a time and sic them on each other, essentially, that's Rumble at Ritchie.

And there was a pretty mixed crowd too. It was apparent that some people hadn't been to a fight before, like me, and were just taking it in. But there were also some older gentlemen looking on the festivities with great admiration. I later learned that they were the men who had been there before, in the ring. Great fighters from Maryland from the 50s and 60s still came just to see and perhaps remember.

And how could I forget the crazy fans - the ones with the painted chests and the enormous signs, supporting their various teams and fighters, yelling more loudly and more passionately than anyone in the building. It certainly made the atmosphere more vibrant.

We watched a lot of fights. We watched fights that were close and fights that weren't. The fights last about three rounds, and a lot of bouts lasted the duration. Some did not.

One guy from Maryland (who will remain nameless, bless his heart) got pummeled by a much stronger, quicker fighter. By the end, he was getting back up, but he was bleeding all over himself and clearly disoriented. The fight had to be called. I ran into in the locker room sometime later (during a lengthy search for a bathroom), and tried to say something encouraging.

"Good fight, man."

"Yeah, if you want to call it that," he said. "That's the hardest I've ever been hit in my life."

I was taken aback. I didn't know what to say, and I started wishing I had never said anything in the first place.

It's hard to lose. When you get rocked in boxing, you really get rocked. It's tough to admit defeat after training so hard for victory. The competitive nature of the sport increases tenfold because the participants put a concentrated effort that last for months into a 15-minute fight. Andrew has come back from losses before, and sometimes you have to avoid the subject.

But there is something to be said about the guys who are losing but keep getting up off the mat. There is pride in a man who loses a bout, but goes on to fight another day. Those guys work harder and harder. They have the courage to go back again, even though they know how bitter defeat is. It's a beautiful thing, sort of a microcosm of what it takes to get through life.

I happy to say Maryland did pretty well. I didn't see all of the matches, but I did see at least 3 Terp wins (and one that probably should've been a Terp win).

The big fight for me and my group of friends was just the second bout on the ticket. I was immediately nervous when I saw that Andrew's opponent, a guy from Shippensburg, was taller and had longer arms than he did. But I remained sure that The Bronco wouldn't let down his home crowd.

Andy took the first jab: short. Uh-oh. I sensed that this could be a problem.

But the other guy had a bigger problem - his interior defense was vulnerable. The Bronco seized on this opportunity and took the aggressor role. He pounced in the inside, hitting whatever he could until the other guy backed off. Unfortunately, Andrew also got a few nice shots to the head.

No sweat.

At the end of two rounds, Andrew was clearly in the lead. The audience, led by a chorus of fans from Philly, his hometown, and my own section, started a chant of "Bronco! Bronco!" It was a thrilling moment, and we were only five minutes away from a victory.

The Shippensburg guy started realizing that he would need to take more than a few extra shots to take the lead. He got a little more aggressive. He started taking harder swipes.

Andy wasn't nervous, and neither were we. He handled his business, and we cheered louder than ever when the bell rung. Minutes later, the ref was holding up his arm, and the Bronco had won.

We ran over to the Maryland bench, and everyone gave him sweaty hugs. He was walking on air.

"How does it feel when the ref holds up your arm like that and you know you've won?" I asked.

"Aw man, it's the best feeling in the whole world," he said.

Later that night, where could our boxing champ be found? Over at Panda Buffet, stuffing his face with orange chicken and fried rice. The only reward an amateur boxer really needs and wants after all that broccoli: a full stomach.

Photos courtesy of Mike Brennan

No One's Surprised...

2008-03-14T10:08:00.004-04:00

... But it still hurts.

Diamondback

The Baltimore Sun

The Washington Post

ESPN

Mister Irrelevant

East Coast Bias

Today's ACC Headlines

Turtle Waxing

Terrapin Trail

As if I have to say any more. Why does the team need to be criticized? They're hurting themselves more than anyone ...

... actually, you know what? Maybe they aren't. Because sometimes it looks like they don't give a damn about whether they win or lose. A lot of times, even Gary looks like he doesn't care. Are the fans the only ones that don't want to be humiliated?

Please post a comment on whether you'll go to the NIT or not - I'm still trying to decide whether I want to give a damn about the rest of this season.

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun

ACC Predictions

2008-03-12T17:04:00.003-04:00

I don't have much time to write about the Terps' chances in the ACC tournament, so I thought maybe I would just offer some predictions about how things will go overall.

ROUND ONE

- Florida State over Wake Forest: Wake has gone cold, losing 4 out of their last 5 games. It's a bad time to run into the Seminoles, who recently beat Clemson and closed out with a win over Miami.

- Miami over N.C. State: The Wolfpack is trying to continue their 8-game losing streak, and the Hurricanes won't try to stop them.

- Maryland over Boston College: As poorly as Maryland has played, one win in your last 13 games is pretty terrible, BC.

- Virginia over Georgia Tech: Not only did UVA win this game a week ago, the Yellowjackets are a model of inconsistency, and Sean Singletary is playing dominant basketball.

ROUND TWO

- North Carolina over Florida State: The Heels beat them 8 days ago, and I see no reason why this would change.

- Miami over Virginia Tech: Last time they played, the Hokies were totally flattened on the boards. They kept it close with good shooting, but I think that they won't get that lucky this time, and Miami will still crash the glass.

- Clemson over Maryland: Both teams are inconsistent, but I don't think the Terps have the spirit to beat the team that delivered one of the program's toughest losses this (or any) season. Yes, I am calling them out. Please prove me wrong.

- Duke over Virginia: Duke has set up their defensive schemes with great discipline this season, and the Cavaliers are just not talented enough to beat them.

ROUND THREE

- North Carolina over Miami: This should be closer than people think, but it's hard to forget that UNC has only been defeated twice this season, and they're just starting to enter their element (see win over Duke).

- Duke over Clemson: Clemson can beat Duke if they play their best, but the Devils haven't let many teams play their best all season.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

This is the game the pundits want: UNC v. Duke III. They split the regular season games, now it's time to decide the real powerhouse in the ACC - and possibly play for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

I predict that the game will be pretty close, but Duke is too reliant on their outside shooting to win this match up again. The Tar Heels are better rebounders, and have better inside players. The Devils might be able to come out with the upset if they can rattle UNC's questionable defense with cutters like Demarcus Nelson and Gerald Henderson, but I would chalk up a No. 1 berth to the tournament right now for Hansbrough and crew.

PROJECTED CHAMP: NORTH CAROLINA

So that's how I think the tourney will go. Hit up the comments, y'all.

Photo Credit: Adam Fried

A Turn for the Worse

2008-03-10T00:06:00.003-04:00

I remember talking to people about NCAA prospects for the Terps a month ago, saying that in their last seven games, if they only went 4-3, they could slide into the tournament. Now, let's look at the final seven game stretch:

- Loss to Duke, 77-65
- Win over Florida State, 82-72
- Loss to VaTech, 69-65
- Loss to Miami, 78-63
- Win over Wake Forest, 74-70
- Loss to Clemson, 73-70
- Loss to Virginia, 91-76

Snap.

It hasn't even been a relatively challenging schedule, but it was completely bungled, topped with the drubbing at the hands of Virginia. Yes, I realize it was on the road and on Senior Day, but really? A loss to a team fighting for 10th place in the ACC?

I think it's safe to say that Maryland will not be invited to the NCAA tournament, barring a trip to the ACC finals. However, Maryland has proven (besides their great upset of then-No. 1 UNC) that they can't beat ranked teams. Realistically, I have to doubt their ability to:

A) Beat a better team
B) Win under pressure of not making the postseason (see above listing of final games)

We'll talk about the ACC tournament later the week, but at this point, I think we can almost guarantee that we all will be looking for NIT tickets very soon - if you want to go that is.

I'm really not that crazy about the officiating (21 UMD fouls v. 9 UVA fouls). The difference in those numbers is somewhat alarming, and I thought that some of the called fouls were pretty ludicrous, but I don't want to make excuses for a team that's gotten more than enough breaks in their last few games to end up better than 8-8 in the conference.

Writing this stuff is tiring, but it is still to early to give up. As long as Maryland has a chance to redeem themselves, I think the fans should give them one. And I think they will. It's just all we can do. I mean, it's been so hard trying to support this team this season - for me, for everyone. Inconsistency has plagued this team for a while now, but that's part of being a fan.

On the wall of my dorm room, I have the front page of The Baltimore Sun from Maryland's championship victory, with Lonny Baxter, Juan Dixon and Tahj Holden all celebrating.

Though we go through long stretches of doubt, discontent and painful losses, the beauty of fanhood is to be there when it pays off. When we have success, that's when the fans will have their moment, a moment that they can hold onto for a long, long time.

So that said, please be mindful that rooting for a team isn't about any one season, it's about a history and a tradition, and a hope that one day, an investment will be paid off.

Just not this season.

Women's Bball Falls to Duke

2008-03-08T17:44:00.005-05:00

Unfortunately, it would seem like the third time was the charm for the Blue Devils.

The Maryland women lost 74-63 in the semi-final to a team that they defeated twice in the regular season. Duke is always a threat, and they'll face No. 1 seed North Carolina in the ACC finals.

The loss is disappointing, but not crippling. One thing it almost certainly assures is that Maryland, the No. 5-ranked team in the last AP poll, will be a No. 2 seed. A final showdown with North Carolina might've pushed them ahead of Rutgers for that last slot, but it was not to be.

People always say losses are good for teams because they can learn lessons from their defeat and further motivate themselves to be better. I think that's pretty cliché.

Losing is losing. Sometimes, after a loss, teams regroup and focus, but that doesn't mean it's good to lose. No ... because losing doesn't prove anything. Only winning proves to yourself and everyone else that you have the salt to hang with the big dogs. Regrouping and focusing on improving is a necessity to survive a big loss. I think you can see from the photos how distraught the team was - would you say to their faces that the loss was good for them?

So what went wrong against Duke? Turnovers. Maryland had 19 to Duke's 10. If Maryland has an Achilles' Heel, it's turnovers - it's been a terrible problem for the entire season. Duke ended up taking 64 shots to Maryland 49 attempts. Why? More opportunities caused by more possessions caused by turnovers.

The Lady Terps are going to get their tournament going in two weeks at home, a lucky turn for them. Until they get out on the court once more, they should focus on ball control, avoiding travels, and making good decisions. Their shooting and rebounding are solid facets of their game. But to take it to the next level and beat the powerhouses that will be waiting for them at the top, they'll have to aim for some mistake-free basketball.

Good luck and Go Terps!

Friday Digest

2008-03-07T18:23:00.004-05:00

Well, even though Saturday tends to be the slowest day for INRCP, I'm rounding up some stuff from around the web, hoping that maybe some of you will wake up on Saturday afternoon hungry for some Terps news.

I can't deny it's been a very slow sports week - all of us are kind of holding our collective breath hoping that the men's basketball team will squeeeeeeeze into the NCAA tourney, some are hoping that the women will eke into that No. 1 seed in their tourney. But stuff is going on.

- The Diamondback has put out a few soft features this week: The most prominent one was a profile of James Gist, but this one about Laura Harper is also worth a read. This article about Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes deserves some attention, if only for one quote:

"He's a regular guy," Vasquez said. "People get it wrong because he don't talk, but he has a pretty strong personality. He's fun to be with, and I don't know if he gets a lot of girls or not, but I bet he does."

- The women won their first game convincingly against Boston College, 93-81. Laura Harper murdered them, dropping 25 in an 8-for-8 game and 9-for-10 in free throws. Crystal Langhorne had 24 points. Tomorrow, as I predicted, Maryland will play Duke at 3:30. All four top seeds advanced, so assuming Maryland wins tomorrow, they'll play Virginia or (more likely) UNC. None of these games are easy from here on out. The good news is that the Terps have already beaten Duke twice, so let's get a threepeat!

- Sugar Sean Mosley had a dream ending to his high school career: The Terp guard commit won the Baltimore Catholic League title by beating perennial power Mount St. Joe, led by his good friend and Georgetown-bound center Henry Sims. Mosley scored 35 in the title game, and he allowed his retiring coach to leave the team with a championship. He also finishes his career tied for second among the state's all-time scorers. Next year, he's playing for us. Nice.

- Future Lady Terp Lynetta Kizer is a McDonald's All-American and Rival's No. 5 player in the 2008 - also nice. But as Matt Bracken reports, the season didn't exactly end as planned. She was tossed out of her final game after her second technical foul. Passion is great motivation in games, but it can also be very dangerous - hopefully this isn't a reflection of a trend.

- Also brought to my attention by Recruiting Report, Jin Soo Kim is on tape! The 2009 commit has been extremely hard to track in the Connecticut prep leagues, but Bracken recently linked to some YouTube videos with Kim, one of which I'll offer now:

Finally, I want to thank you all - the readers. As we're coming toward the close of basketball season, I see we've had just about 15,000 hits. You guys have really kept this project going, so thanks for your input, comments and support. I'll see what happens in the spring, but I hope to keep the site rolling.

Some big games this weekend - hopefully all goes well.

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun, Adam Fried

Ladies Headed to the ACC Tournament

2008-03-05T00:49:00.002-05:00

Hey guys, time to talk about the women - they've earned the attention.

The Women's ACC tournament is this weekend, and the No. 2-seeded Terps get a bye until Friday when they play the winner of Boston College/VaTech. After that, the Ladies are likely to face Duke AGAIN on Saturday, before they likely face UNC again on Sunday (if they keep winning).

The accolades are already showering down on the Terrapins: An unprecedented FOUR Maryland players earned all-ACC accolades, and Crystal Langhorne was announced as the ACC Player of the Year this afternoon. Not too shabby ... right?

- Langhorne and Kristi Toliver to the 1st team
- Marissa Coleman to the 2nd team (next year, this will improve)
- Laura Harper to the 3rd team (first-timer)

Overall, Maryland led the conference in FG percentage and 3FG percentage, rebounding margin, and assist-to-turnover ratio. They missed a share of the conference title by one game to North Carolina (the only conference opponent they lost to). Toliver, Langhorne and Coleman all finished in the top 10 in scoring. Langhorne and Harper both finished in the top 5 in rebounding. Toliver was 4th IN THE NATION in assists per game.

Very cool stuff for the women. But they have a lot of fighting ahead.

Boston College wasn't a sweat for the Terps this year, but Virginia Tech was. Even though the Hokies have played poorly in the ACC, they gave Maryland a serious run for their money back in February (a 74-71 OT win).

After that, Duke is the next probable opponent. So far, the Terps lead this series 2-0, but the Blue Devils are always a threat: In both games, Duke closed the lead to single digits in the last three minutes.

Then we're talking about the Tar Heels, who have been a machine this season and squeezed out a double-overtime win in the previous matchup. However, I think that you can't discount the possible presence of Brenda Frese. She was still knocked up during that game, and if she comes out for the tournament (a maybe at best), I think that Maryland will win a close battle.

Yes, it's a long way to go to predict a final matchup of UMD and UNC, but they are the only two teams in the conference that have been overwhelmingly dominant this year, so I don't think it's very risky to guess.

Even if we do lose, Maryland fans can look forward to the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament at home. At this point, Maryland is either a first or second seed no matter what happens, so we can hopefully enjoy some warmup throttles of mid-major teams. I already bought tickets for my dad - I think you should get some too. It's really not that much to see a team that might win another national championship this season.

Well best of luck to the Lady Terps - go get 'em.

Bubble Just Got Popped

2008-03-03T20:58:00.006-05:00

I was working at an event today, watching some middle-aged guys schmooze around before things got going. All they were talking about was the Clemson Clobbering, as some are now calling it. They talked about all the things I routinely discuss in these columns - turnovers, the freshmen in the rotation, Vasquez, missed shots and even Jerome Burney.

I didn't say a single thing.

It was simple: I didn't have the heart to say anything because I was at that game. I still don't understand exactly what happened last night, and I probably never will. This is what I felt like last night:

Today? I just don't know. It actually humiliating to thing we choked with a 20-point lead in hand. We got the lead at 11:21 in the 2nd half. We scored exactly one point all the way until 6:44, when Clemson had shrunk the lead down to 7 points. Also, from 4:48 left to 1:30, Maryland didn't score once. By then Clemson was down only by four, which became two, which became a tie, which became a 3-point lead with 2.3 seconds to spare.

By the way, most effective full-court press I've ever seen. We could not break it at the end of the game. Instead, our strategy was to play kind of badly, or at least that was the strategy we executed.

It stinks to get all the negative press just after we got on the radar. We were being talked about as an "in team." Now, what are we? Uhh ... well in this projection, but for how long? Do we really want to be among the last four in? ESPN pundits yesterday were saying Maryland is the team that is saying, "Please, take us out of the tournament!" Kinda sorta, we speak with our play.

I know Gary calls out the fans every once in awhile, and I'm for trying to have positive outlooks, but the truth is that sometimes the fans deserve better. When I was looking around, it looked like there wasn't an empty seat in the house. The crowd came out, and they did their job, and they cheered when they were supposed to. Some people on the court did not do their job, and I think the players would likely agree with that sentiment.

It's a harsh reality to face, but let's face it:

- One win against ranked teams
- A mediocre 18-12 record (we'll have to reach for 20 wins)
- A mediocre 8-7 conference record in a muddled conference
- Weak final opponent before ACC tournment (UVA)
- Probably a weak first ACC tourney game, followed by a hard one

That's not NCAA material. Bottom line. Period. Finito. I can't put anymore emphasis on that.

If we want a partner at the dance, I would advise the team to start winning. We can do this by:

- Making more than 2 three-pointers
- Limiting our opponent's offensive rebounds (The Tigers had 17)
- Not turning the ball over 21 times

But I'm not sure that we can do those things. I'm going to be honest: the thought that the Tigers could actually win didn't even enter my mind until they cut the lead to 4. Even the last shot, I didn't think would go in (and it was a fantastic shot, to Oglesby's credit, plus he was fouled). But the letdown after ... something I have trouble describing.

JEROME BURNEY WATCH: Burney played a solid 16 minutes and ended up with 6 points, 3 rebounds and a stunning 4 blocks. Good overall effort, but I thought that he could've rebounded better and that his blocks typically led to a Clemson offensive rebound. Still, he played just as well as Boom, who had a bad night for his standards.

Extra notes:

I know everyone is down now (except other ACC team fans), but I thought maybe some things would brighten up your day.

Some of you are aware that Hank Steinbrenner recently denied the existence of a national Red Sox fanbase. ESPN got his take on some other franchises as well.

Also, an interesting story and a cautionary tale about why you should never let your players take too many liberties with their bios.

That's it. Let's regroup and crush UVA.

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun

Thanks For the Birthday Surprise

2008-02-29T12:03:00.005-05:00

I got pretty nervous at the end of regulation, but the Terps pulled it out last night, much to my relief. It was actually probably the most exciting part of my birthday until we ended up going to IHOP (if you want to consider that an endorsement, that's fine - it's an endorsement).

Anyway, so my favorite part besides the first made alley-oop all season (out of 167 attempts) was watching the Terps make the crucial rebounds and Gist sort of closing out the game with free throws ( a harrowing 2-4 at the end). But good job.

That said, we were SOOOOO lucky that Wake Forest cannot shoot a basketball. They ended up with a 37.9 FG% and a disgusting 25.0 3FG%. It was surprisingly only Wake's second loss at home this season, and in other facets of the game, they were very good: They had 10 steals, matched us in rebounds and had 7 less turnovers. The rising force known as James Johnson had a 25-point and 14-board night.

Unfortunately for Johnson, he still lost the battle of big men: James Gist came out of hiding where he's been for the past four games or so and decided to dominate. The result? A new career high of 31 points and a very solid 11 rebounds, including a few at the end of the game that helped but the Demon Deacons away for good. As if that wasn't enough, he also had two blocks and three steals (and the completed alley-oop from halfcourt) for good measure.

Greivis Vasqeuz also had a "sneaky good" night - 24 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists. It's only "sneaky good" because it was in James Gist's shadow - it's a great night on any other day. Everyone else wasn't too good. We don't need to mention individual performances because only the W matters, right?

Anyway, we did just about as much as we had to to win, and that matters. But that doesn't mean we can let the Terps off the hook, specifically one Terp: If James Gist can play like that, why doesn't he do it every night?

The evidence has shown that when Gist does badly, the team does badly. When Gist disappears like he does for a few games at a time, we lose - bottom line. The fact that he plays well against guys like James Johnson, J.J. Hickson and Tyler Hansbrough indicates that he should at least be pulling in 18 and 8 EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. But he doesn't, he's streaky.

There is no time like the present to take control of this team. In fact, I'd be willing to argue that the team needs Gist more than any other player on the roster (and we'll bear painful witness to this fact next season). There are only two more regular season games left, and after that only the ACC tournament will help us get off the bubble and into the big dance. We can't afford to lose his contributions any more this season; every game from now until the postseason should be considered must-win ... if we want a meaningful postseason.

Well thanks Terps for the win and good luck on Sunday against a tough Clemson team. We'll be watching.

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun

Jerome's Taking Over

2008-02-27T09:47:00.004-05:00

Some of you may have noticed that I didn't really write any response to the Miami game. This is in part because I had conflicting feelings about what happened in that game.

On one hand, Maryland lost to a team they could've beaten, their stars struggled, and they lost a step in the race for the last bids of the NCAA tournament. It was a really disappointing thing to watch. I was fairly upset - I would start typing, look at the words and not really want to keep going.

On the other hand, Gary Williams FINALLY played my boy, Jerome Burney.

If you're a frequent reader, y'all know that I've been advocating for playing time for Burney for over two months since the freshman review. The guy is straight up physically imposing and seems like the logical replacement for James Gist at power forward after this season. I noticed that when I talked about Burney's dunking exhibition a few weeks ago before the Duke game, it picked up some interest on UMD message boards. And I think all of my close friends have now heard at least five times that Burney averaged a triple double in high school in points, rebounds, and BLOCKS.

And so finally, Gary played the guy after Gist struggled once again. And you know what? Four points and five boards in 12 minutes isn't so bad, especially considering how much our bench has been contributing. Actually, if you want to hear something really painful, consider that Burney was responsible for ALL of the bench points against Miami.

Yeah, it's that bad.

But Burney isn't bad at all. In fact, he's prominently featured in the Diamondback today. The article is about how he could receive more minutes in the coming games, which should be a relief to all of us. It's actually a relief to Boom Osby, who according to the article had been requesting Burney's minutes to be increased "for quite some time."

If you look at the big man reserves, you have Dave "The People's Champ" Neal, who hustles but is often rendered ineffective by the vastly more athletic big men in the ACC. You have Braxton Dupree, who has presumably hit a wall this season and played himself out of the starting lineup. You have Shane Walker, who has made some progress, but has still only scored a whopping 12 points in 117 minutes this season (Burney has 16 in 69 minutes, which isn't spectacular but still better). Dino Gregory is smaller and has hardly played much, so we can't say much about him.

Until Gus Gilchrist finally steps on court (and word is he's going to be as good as advertised), isn't Burney, the 6-9, 222-pound athlete, the only decent heir to the power forward throne? I think so, and I'm glad Gary is coming around to that thinking. At the very least, we now know he's doing well in practice, and as long as he continues to do so, he should get game time. Game time is going to be so valuable to Burney's development and should help him when he competes for a starting role next year (not to mention give us quality reserve minutes this year). Everyone loves to see Neal, but he shouldn't be the first guy off the bench - he's not a starter in any imaginable scenario next year.

Also, I'd like to present this snippet from Baltimore Sun beat reporter Don Markus' Q&A on Sunday about Burney:

Bill: How many minutes do you think Jerome Burney should be getting, and what should his role be?

Don Markus: Before Saturday, which is the first I saw him play any extended time, I would say that he was probably getting as many minutes as he deserved -- none. But after seeing some of the things he did on Saturday against Miami in terms of his athleticism and physicality, the question I have is: why hasn't this guy received this opportunity before? Williams said after the game that Burney has played well in practice the past two weeks. If that's the case, why didn't he get in against Virginia Tech when James Gist and Bambale Osby got into foul trouble? If Burney continues to play as he did in Miami, I think he should be the first big forward in the game ahead of Braxton Dupree and Dave Neal, and possibly the first big man ahead of Shane Walker. And I take back the line I had in the paper about Burney resembling Joe Smith in jersey number only.

Another believer joins the flock.

Go Terps!

Photo Credit: Diamondback (Adam Fried), Baltimore Sun

I Was There When...

2008-02-25T21:23:00.006-05:00

So for all of you wondering, yes, INRCP did attend the women's basketball game on Sunday. And in no way did it disappoint.

The Terps' senior class, I think, wanted to show one last time that "Overtime is Our Time." That's probably the best explanation they can give, anyway.

Facing a 16-10 Seminole team, the Lady Terps were challenged from tip-off. If you look at the box score, you'll notice that Maryland was superior in rebounds (51 to 30) and shot at a significantly better percentage (56.6% to 39.2%). The only reason that Florida State stayed in the hunt was turnovers (23 to 7). Maryland committed a string of travel violations in the first half that was very alarming, but settled down after awhile. In the second half, they committed another string of turnovers that erased a nine-point lead.

So down by one with 33 seconds left, Alysha Harvin stood at the free throw line and made the first shot. Ouch. The stadium got as loud as it's ever been for the Maryland women, and Harvin clanked the next shot. Maryland rebound.

I think everyone knew then that this team would win. All season, they've been too good. The seniors throughout their careers were too good to let this one slip. As it happened, Marissa Coleman drove into the post for the tying layup. Overtime. The rest is history.

But the most incredible moment besides the tying layup and the subsequent eruption was watching a walking Maryland legend being honored at the end of the game. It was wonderful to watch them unveil No. 1 in the rafters next to the national championship banner that she helped earn.

I've said multiple times that looking at stats alone, she has to be the best basketball player - male or female - that Maryland's ever had. But there's more to it than that, as DBK columnist Mark Selig wrote today. I wouldn't say she embodies what Maryland athletics is about, but rather she has the qualities that all athletes should have. She is a competitor, but she is graceful and a good sport. By all accounts, she does what she has to do in the classroom, even though she'll probably make money in the WNBA and overseas in her basketball career.

It occurred to me that one day, I might say to someone, "I was there when they hung No. 1 in Comcast." For years to come, we'll all have the opportunity to look up and see the jersey of the greatest player that ever stepped foot in Maryland, and in two years elevated them from a 10-18 team to a national championship.

It was nice to see Crystal get her moment, and hopefully she'll still have a handful left before her college career is over.

Go Terps and thank you all seniors for your wonderful years here!

Let's Try Something New...

2008-02-21T00:11:00.004-05:00

Sorry guys, but apparently "Keys to the Game" is a death knell for the Terps, so it will be discontinued.

Instead of addressing how angry I am about tonight's game and pointing out problems (is there even enough time?), I'm going to try something different. I'm going to put all the titles for this post/headlines for this game that I considered. Here goes:

- "Wait, Weren't We Winning?"

- "Terps Play for 35 Minutes"

- "I'm Out of Excuses"

- "Guess the Hype Got to 'Em"

- "Ohio & American: Part II"

- "Slopfest"

- "Drunk Hokie Fans Have Something To Brag About"

- "We Deserve Better"

Yes, I realize that I'm saying all this because I'm angry, but you should be upset too, if you have any pride in the Maryland tradition. Bad loss. We'll talk tomorrow.

Photo Credits: Baltimore Sun

Keys to Beating the Hokies

2008-02-20T11:36:00.004-05:00

So if you're up late enough tonight to catch the game, here's the official INRCP scouting report.

Some of my readers enjoyed looking at last week's "Keys to the Game," so I'm giving it another shot. The Hokies beat the Terps last time, narrowly avoiding a comeback bid by Maryland when Greivis Vasquez clanked a potential game-winner in the closing seconds.

Much has changed since then: Maryland has only lost two games, both to Duke. Meanwhile, VaTech has fallen to a 5-6 record in-conference and a mediocre 14-11 record overall. Most are safe in assuming the Hokies will miss the tournament.

However, they can be a dangerous team and have the No. 1 scoring defense in the ACC (Maryland has the No. 1 FG% defense). Teams that play good defense have given the Terps problems this year - teams like UCLA, Duke and Boston College. And you can't discount that they beat us already.

On the other hand, scoring is their problem, as they only beat UVA in most scoring categories. Only three guys average double digits on the team, and I mean the low double digits. In fact, both Vasquez and James Gist average more ppg than VaTech's leading scorer (A.D. Vassallo).

Jeff Allen will be the one to watch. He'll likely match up with Boom. In the last game, he scored 17 and had 9 boards to go along with 5 steals. In addition, he hit the game-winning free throw. The frontcourt will have to play more effective defense (9 fouls last game between Gist and Boom). Besides that, the guards will have to concentrate on containing Vassallo, and perimeter D hasn't been great thus far this season (See: Duke).

So at last:

KEYS TO THE GAME

1) Contain Jeff Allen, scoring AND rebounding
2) Make outside shots (Last meeting only 2-12 for threes)
3) Don't force tempo - it leads to turnovers

I expect that this will be a physical and grinding game. I also expect Maryland will take advantage of a healthy Eric Hayes and protect their homecourt advantage. If Cliff Tucker is still sick, that could be a problem, but I don't grade the Hokies as a better team than Florida State.

Hopefully when all is said and done, the Terps will chalk up another win tonight. Go Terps!

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun

Beat Duke AND Deliver Twins? Nice...

2008-02-19T22:41:00.004-05:00

Women's basketball had a double (or triple, depending on how you look at it) whammy this weekend: Not only did they squash No. 12 Duke, 76-69, coach Brenda Frese gave birth to twin boys, Markus and Tyler.

And what did the rest of you people accomplish this weekend?

The Terps are a well-oiled machine right now, charging ahead with a 27-2 record. I worry when I see 26 turnovers in the box score, including 12 from Kristi Toliver. It's true her shooting is really great so far (4-5 in the game), but she can't give up four times as many turnovers as assists. As the Godfather would say, "It's just bad business." But scoring and rebounding helped carry the load in this game, and the Blue Devils got a little punishment for beating the men earlier this week. Thank goodness, because I probably wouldn't be the only fan with an aneurysm if we lost to Duke twice in a week.

In more women's news, Crystal "Greatest Terp Ever" Langhorne is being honored on Sunday Feb. 24. Her number will hang from the rafters as a testament to her greatness: not only the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in school history, but the best player on a championship team (hopefully two championship teams if we get our way).

I'm going to advise fans to actually come to the Comcast Center to say farewell to a great senior class. Laura Harper and Jade Perry are both great players in their own right. The game is at 2 p.m. and it's free, so show up!

Go Terps, ladies!

Photo Credit: AP

Yeah, I'm Lazy

2008-02-18T02:30:00.005-05:00

Sorry, I got caught taking an extended break AGAIN and let two games get by me without comment. Here's what happened:

1) I was upset about the Duke game. REALLY upset. I was watching the game with some friends, and they were looking at my "Keys to the Game, " (more as a joke, but still). None of it happened.

2) I have another life as a crusader for justice that required my attention. (Read: Job).

So anyway, I WAS watching - don't worry.

Basically, in the Duke game, I felt that they were who we thought they were, and we let them off the hook. The game was narrowed to a 2-point margin, but we failed to capitalize, even during a long stretch of keeping the Blue Devils scoreless. Bottom line was they shot well, we didn't have a defensive answer, and we couldn't build on our momentum to take the lead. It was tough, but Duke showed why they're a tough team to beat. Congrats, BTDub, to Wake Forest for finally taking them down. Dookie fans: Arrogance is your downfall. Write that on a cheer sheet.

Florida State was pretty different. Being there, it was hard to pull out a definitive reason why we won. Greivis Vasquez had a good stretch where he made 3 threes in a row that really launched the Terps in the second half, and Landon Milbourne really helped keep the Seminoles at bay with a late surge of 13 second-half points. Milbourne also contributed this absolutely filthy highlight-reel dunk:

That's how I like it. Dag.

When you look at the stat box, Maryland's big advantage was shooting: The Terps shot over 50% from the field, over 58% from long range, and 82.8% from the line (24-29, which is really significant). Good shooting helped them overcome a torching in the backcourt from Ralph Mims (26 points).

Florida State is pretty bad, but it still felt good to pick up the win after being so out of our element against Duke. It was also nice to see solid minutes from Shane Walker and Adrian Bowie off the bench. Gary played the starters for most of the second half, but they really did well for a long stretch in the first half, keeping the game close while we were behind. Jason McAlpin also saw action, and admirably filled Cliff Tucker's role (he was sick).

Next up: Virginia Tech. I want revenge for our one-point loss, and I'm betting the team does, too. We'll see what happens.

Go Terps.

On the Rise...

2008-02-13T11:18:00.004-05:00

Terps are on the rise everywhere. It's true - the press is starting to scramble for information and stories about Gary Williams' team that's ripping up the ACC.

As many sites now recognize (I saw this over at East Coast Bias), Greivis Vasquez earned top spot last week in the country according to ESPN.com's Andy Katz, and James Gist was cited by The Sporting News as last week's best. Very cool stuff.

But I think the star article today is one I read in The Diamondback this morning by Daniel Kobrin. He makes the claim that Greivis Vasquez is the best player in college basketball, which I couldn't possibly agree with, but I follow his logic. Please read it so you can follow my logic from here on out.

Kobrin masterfully sums up my feelings about Greivis and how the fans treat him. He's never gotten the respect from his home crowd that he richly deserves. When he does well, Terp fans gloss over it. When he makes mistakes, everyone screams to bench him. I try to defend him and change the mass perspective whenever I get the chance.

While I definitely think that racial undertones are involved in this issue, I also believe that the Maryland faithful desperately want Eric Hayes to be the next Steve Blake because they perceive the two to be similar players. Hayes is solid, but he's no Steve Blake, and I doubt he'll go on to follow Blake in the NBA as a starting point guard.

I think the tide is finally starting to turn: ESPN recognizes his contributions, as does The Sun. College basketball is an emotional game - we can't pretend that every player should be a quiet, dignified guy who doesn't ham it up or celebrate after a good play, however inappropriate. Yes, Greivis is emotional, but so are Terps fans, and no Terp fan likes to be told to hold back their emotions (however inappropriate). He has faults, but so does every player. I encourage fans to embrace the player Greivis is, because he's pretty damn good at what he does.

Tonight as most are well aware is the Duke game, part II. I'm feeling vaguely optimistic about our chances tonight - Maryland plays Duke in Cameron better than any team in the country, and we were only at the start of our upswing when we first played them. I feel confident with all our starters at this point, but we'll need three things:

KEYS TO THE GAME:

- Bench has to contribute (Someone besides Dave Neal, please.)
- Perimeter defense has to lock down on their shooters.
- We need to make threes.

I think this is very doable, and really I feel like if we can accomplish two out of three, I think Maryland has a really good shot at winning this matchup.

See you on the flip side and Go Terps!

BTDub, Michael Beasley is the Player of the Year

2008-02-11T23:06:00.000-05:00

Every now and then, I catch an announcer or some list on the web anointing either Kevin Love or Tyler Hansbrough as THE Player of the Year. No. That's just completely wrong.

Michael Beasley of Kansas State is Player of the Year - clear as day. Not only is he leading the race, he's running ahead like Secretariat.

It seemed to me that last year, Kevin Durant was the consensus POY. Why? Not because Texas was the best NCAA team, as Rivals.com's Andrew Skwara says, but because of his numbers and how otherworldly they were. The guy was the only player both in the top-10 in scoring and rebounding. Add that to a couple big-game performances, Durant basically had the award wrapped up by February.

Now here's the confusing part: Beasley is doing it again this year, but he still seems to be flying under the radar.

I suppose any player that goes to Kansas State is bound to fly under the radar, but Beasley is single-handedly making that team relevant. He averages a ridiculous 25.2 ppg and 12.3 rpg. The rest of the starters average only 40.2 ppg and 15.1 rpg. B-Easy also leads the team in steals and blocked shots. How else do you explain that Kansas State is now ranked No. 18 and beat then-No. 2 Kansas under a first year coach when last year, they choked on a 23-12 record and an NIT berth under Bob Huggins?

Also, about the "otherworldly" stats? Yeah, Beasley got those, too. Remember those averages in the paragraph above? Well they're good for No. 4 on the scoring list and No. 1 in rebounds per game in the whole country. You can't say that about Hansbrough, and you definitely can't say that about Love.

Some people say it's not all about stats, and that it's about team success. Ok, first of all, stats are a huge part about how a player impacts the game. But sure, UNC and UCLA are among the best teams in the nation. But you know what? They were among the best before Hanbrough and Love even got there. UNC won the championship the year before Hansbrough came to town and Roy Williams recruits tons of talent every single year. Beasley isn't surrounded by the likes of Lawson and Ellington. Same thing goes for Love - UCLA has been a two-time Final Four contender, and the credit goes to Ben Howland. He doesn't always have the biggest or most athletic players, but he finds ways to win, especially on defense.

Not that Psycho T and K-Love aren't good players, I've said as much before. But if they all played together in some kind of Collegiate All-Star game (that I'm making up but I wish could happen), I don't think you could have any doubt about who was the best player on the floor. Beasley has post game, he has really good shooting range (43% 3FG) and rebounds like no other - literally. Love and Hansbrough are very good post players and that's about it. They aren't really athletic and they can be outplayed by forwards and centers with better athletic ability (i.e., James Gist against UNC). Their NBA game is surrounded by question marks (way to stay in school, Tyler), while it's almost certain that Beasley will be a star. He has the body to ball in the pros (which Durant still doesn't really have), and, in the words of a friend of mine, "he can do just about anything he wants with a basketball."

This is just a public service announcement really, for the people that only pay attention to the top-5 teams. Just because someone is on a good team doesn't make them the best player in the country. Michael Beasley has shown that he's the only player in college basketball worthy of this distinction.

Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated, MichaelBeasley.org

Yeah, We're Gellin'

2008-02-10T13:18:00.000-05:00

So if you happened to catch the Maryland game last night, you were treated to a pretty good game that (understandably) got passed over by the major networks. Really, neither Maryland nor NC State is a power player right now, and the ACC is a huge mess anyway.

But it honestly was a great game - close enough to make you nervous, but Maryland played well throughout for the most part. Even when they were behind, there were rollouts galore. And in the end, they finish the Wolfpack with a game-closing finish that put them to bed long before the final seconds. Terps pick up a W, taming the Pack 84-70.

The game was marked by tremendous individual performances. Check out these stat lines:

- James Gist: 30 pts, 9 rbds, 3 blks, 13-18 from the field
- Greivis Vasquez: 13 pts, 15 asts, 9 rbds, only 4 turnovers

Gist had a career-high in points, and Gravy tied the school record held by Terrell Stokes for assists in a game. In addition, all starters scored in double digits, the team went 6-10 from long range, and shot 85.7% from the charity stripe. They also outrebounded NC State 36-26, gave up a scant 11 turnovers, and generally dominated after a case of the misses. Add a free T-shirt to that mix, and wow, what a game!

Anyway, it was clear to me that Maryland had a solid all-around effort, and for the first time, I was very comfortable watching Greivis run the offense. He looked very in control throughout gameplay and a 15-4 assist-turnover ratio is really good.

So just so we're clear, I want everyone to realize that Greivis is good. Last night, I was sitting next to someone who said, "Gosh I hate Greivis." I quickly helped explain why she really shouldn't hate him.

In the conference, he's fourth in scoring, second in minutes played, and first in assists. In fact, in the last national rankings, he showed up at No. 11 in assists per game (which will go up after the latest game). It's true that Eric Hayes has an excellent ATR, but Greivis' is set at 1.5, which isn't too bad, and will probably improve. In addition to all that, he's good for over 5 boards per game, third-best on the team. What I'm really trying to say is that I was right back when everyone wanted him benched, and I'm right now. Try and find another point guard who averages 17.1 ppg, 6.35 apg, and 5.2 rpg. Even if you do find a player like that, it will be pretty hard.

Gist, by the way, is pushing for all-conference honors right now. In conference play, he's averaging 18.3 ppg and 8.6 rpg, and he's also playing more minutes, too. Bambale Osby is another guy who's exploded in ACC play, averaging a very respectable 14 ppg and 9.1 rpg. Even Landon Milbourne is doing better now.

I'm very excited for this team - they're making me regret leaving them for dead on the NCAA bubble. Yes, there's a lot more work to do, but before conference play, I estimated that they needed a 10-6 record in the ACC to make it in to the tournament. Well, they only have to go 4-3 the rest of the way to reach that once-lofty goal, and besides a game versus Duke in Durham and one against Clemson at Comcast, there's not much fight left in the schedule. Of course there is still the ACC tournament to consider, and I think that we should win at least one game to make it in the dance, but that's still a ways off.

Not that ESPN's projections mean anything, but Maryland is starting to show up in them. In bubble talk, Andy Glockner has essentially scooped the Terps into the bracket as the 4th ACC team. In the recent Bracketology, Joe Lunardi has Maryland as a 10-seed. Ohio and American seem like a season ago, don't they?

Have a great day and Go Terps!

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun, AP

ESPN Holds Basketball Games Hostage

2008-02-06T21:46:00.001-05:00

I can't remember being so infuriated after a win.

Maryland got sweet revenge on Boston College, kicking them to the ground in a 70-65 win. Again, it was close at the end, but the Terps pulled away in a close one, and Gary Williams earned his 600th win against his old team (delightful irony). Maryland now sits at a decent 5-3 in the ACC.

None of that is why I'm angry. I was planning on titling this post "Sweet Revenge" in fact, because I was so upset after this season's early loss to the Eagles. This victory should've been mine (and my fellow fans') to savor.

That means being able to, you know, watch the game. No dice.

Of course, the game was broadcast on ESPNU, the station that ESPN keeps telling us is real, but no one has ever watched. It's not on regular cable; it's not on ESPN360; as far as I can tell, the only place you can watch it is in a bunker somewhere in Northern Canada. This is where Maryland-Boston College is broadcast. You know what game was on ESPN2, a channel we actually do get? Elon-Davidson. Yeah, really.

So as Maryland fans, we can't watch the win, and we can't get the satisfaction that should be ours. Wonderful. Do we have any other brilliant ideas ESPN?

As a matter of fact, they do. See, if you watch ESPN at all, you know that they've been talking about the North Carolina-Duke game as the best thing since Ali-Frazier. It's unbelievable how overhyped that game is, but still it's worth watching for a matchup with tradition and two top-3 teams.

So my roommate and I were chilling out, checking the ESPN box score for the Maryland game we couldn't see, psyching ourselves up for the UNC-Dook consolation prize.

GUESS WHAT? WE GET BAYLOR-TEXAS TECH!!! WE CAN'T EVEN WATCH THE ONLY GAME ESPN HAS BEEN ADVERTISING ALL WEEK!!! And you know what's on ESPN2? SOCCER!!!

I'm checking the broadcasting schedule right now. Guess which network that game is listed on?

You guessed it ... freakin' ESPNU.

I hate ESPN. I hate that they won't let us watch the games that we want to watch, and if we want to watch them, we have to leave the comfort of our own homes and go to some bar where you're pretty much guaranteed to sit next to some guy who spends the whole game screaming (unless you're me and you are that guy ... that's why I stay at home). I just don't get what the heck they have against us, but I have a message for the bigwigs over in Bristol:

We surrender. Please give us our basketball back.

Photo Credits: ESPN, Baltimore Sun (note that creative liberties were taken with the ESPNU logo)

Basketball and Football - It's What Maryland Does

2008-02-06T00:34:00.000-05:00

I know I'm not going to have much of a chance to write tomorrow, so I thought I'd just offer up a few links for y'all:

- Recruiting Report's full breakdown of the football signing class. Barring any incredible announcements tomorrow, this is pretty much the final list. The Terps will see strong upgrades at wide receiver and defensive tackle - honestly, they have the one of the best classes for those positions in the country.

- The women clinched an overtime victory against VaTech, beating them 74-71. The Terps suffered from early shooting woes, letting the Hokies gain a 22-2 advantage (they probably could've shot better blindfolded. But anyway, "a win is a win." Hopefully they learn. Also, I sense that Brenda Frese's absence on the road has a lot to do with these struggles. But here's a nice story about her from the Sun.

- Plenty of people are taking notice that the Maryland men's team is improving. It's nice to see such positive articles from The Baltimore Sun and The Washington Times. Still waiting on The Washington Post to write anything editorial about Maryland.

Finally, this isn't Maryland related, but I want to leave you and a legendary coach with a few quick highlights from his career:

Anyway, that's all I have time for today, have a good one.

Photo Credits: Baltimore Sun

Karma's a ... Well, The Patriots Know What It Is

2008-02-03T22:44:00.000-05:00

When looking at the greatest 4th quarters of all time, the 4th quarter of the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl will have to be considered.

We all saw something inexplicable, incredible and possibly supernatural when Eli Manning completed a spellbinding drive with a TD pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds remaining. The Tyree catch in and of itself is an immortal highlight-reel play.

But most important, I believe, is that we all bore witness to a team that fell from its lofty heights.

The Patriots probably entered this game believing they were going to win - I really believed they would win. All week, experts and media were asking, "Does another championship make the Patriots the greatest dynasty ever? Will the 2007 Patriots be remembered as the greatest team ever? Is Tom Brady the greatest quarterback ever? Is Bill Belichick the greatest coach ever?" Really, it appears these conversations were best saved until after the game.

I see a team brought down by self-confidence, a team that believed they were more unique and more special than any other team in the NFL. I see a team that was all too willing to believe that Bill Belichick was something more than a football coach and that Tom Brady was something more than a quarterback. As it turned out, Belichick was a coach who couldn't wait one second to leave the field before the game was over and Brady was a quarterback who threw erratically most of the night.

It was a team not worthy of perfection: Their players would love to talk about "humble pie" and only caring about championships, but they also seemed to care about talking to the press and receiving adoration for their achievements and how special they were. All the talk about not getting respect and using negative press as motivation served to mask the fact that a team can only pretend to be the underdog as long as they actually are the underdog. When everyone believed they would win, suddenly their philosophy seemed empty.

Now what will become of the franchise - a team that somehow swept steroid use (Rodney Harrison, that's you) and Spygate under the rug? For the NFL, the Patriots actually had to lose, because the league can't have a champion that is under scrutiny for cheating, especially cheating to win one of their Super Bowls. Things are only bound to get worse for the Pats, as their videotape controversy is likely re-examined and their players lose some faith in what seemed to be an ironclad ideology before one unlikely Giants drive.

In my opinion, it's a lesson, and hopefully one the Patriots learn well. Undefeated is over. Now what?

Photo Credits: Baltimore Sun

Got Away With One

2008-02-02T16:21:00.000-05:00

The Terps escaped with a win over Georgia Tech on the road. A nail-biter until the final seconds, they pulled it out due to a few lucky breaks. Final score: 88-86.

Matt Causey was fouled by Boom Osby with 2.5 seconds left, and faced 2 free throws with his team down by 3 points. He made the first and was presumably trying to miss the second so his teammates had a shot at the rebound, but it rattled in. The look on his face was priceless when Causey realized he had just lost the game by MAKING a free throw.

After that, Maryland was 2 free throws and a full-court shot away from picking up their 4th ACC victory - and a much need one at that. The Terps now sit at a very respectable 4th place in the conference, and having already played the two best teams in the conference, it appears that they're sitting pretty.

Too bad they aren't sitting pretty for the NCAA tournament. A 3-point loss to Boston College and a single-point loss to Virginia Tech now look very upsetting in terms of the big picture. I catch myself wondering all the time what might've happened if Greivis Vasquez hadn't fouled out of the BC game, or if Eric Hayes was able to play against the Hokies.

It is what it is, however - since we can't take back the past, the Terps are looking directly ahead. The next game is again on the road against Boston College. I don't think that Greivis will be punching any basket supports this time around. Maryland is hot right now, and they have a great chance to get revenge and beat a likely tournament-bound team. If they perform like they did this afternoon (minus the late near-choke), I think they'll have a decent shot.

The good things: scoring, rebounding, and great play from Bambale Osby, Landon Milbourne and Eric Hayes especially. The bad: TURNOVERS! We don't need 24 turnovers. That will kill us. Being smart with the ball is a coachable problem, so really it's up to Gary Williams to tell players to slow down the game and to find the open man on double-teams instead of taking an ill-advised shot.

If the Terps still have the desire to be a NCAA-tournament team, they should start playing like it. Beat BC, and then we'll talk.

I'm out, Go Terps.

Photo Credits: Baltimore Sun

100 Posts of Brilliance

2008-02-01T17:49:00.000-05:00

Today marks an important milestone in INRCP history: We now have 100 posts. I couldn't be more proud of the site - it's really come a long way (despite looking mostly the same). Thanks a ton to all our readers for making this a successful venture. October 16th, 2007 seems like quite a long time ago in retrospect.

I'm going right to Tate - Kenny Tate that is. Yesterday, as some of you heard, 4-star recruit Kenny Tate accepted a scholarship at "Maryland University," but thankfully he switched his commit to the University of Maryland a short time later. Tate is big and rangy, at 6'4 and 210 lbs. His stats aren't completely out-of-this world (about 500 yds and 6 TDs), but he's definitely an athlete and a consensus top-five player in Maryland.

It seemed like the deciding factors were location, the opportunity to work with a retooled offense, and just feeling like he fit in. Another bonus was that his parents liked Maryland.

Here's the video:

Also, Matt Bracken did a little interview, and here's the parts I appreciated:

Favorite music: Aaliyah

Favorite movie: The Bodyguard

Favorite TV show: Scooby-Doo, Mickey Mouse, cartoons

Favorite thing about College Park: “Chipotle. That’s the spot.”

Fascinating insights, indeed. Chipotle is probably the No. 1 thing about CP.

Also tomorrow, the Terps men play Georgia Tech tomorrow. The Yellow Jackets are 5th in the conference in offense, but dead last in defense and FG% defense. By contrast, Maryland is No. 1 in both of those categories. GT is a spot below us in the conference standings, so it's important to win to start distancing ourselves from the rest of the mediocre ACC pack.

Let's get a win - Go Terps.

Word on the Street: Tate Coming to Maryland

2008-01-31T14:18:00.001-05:00

Josh Barr's Recruiting Insider has UMD fans on alert that sought-after wideout Kenny Tate wants to be a Terp. He has a press conference scheduled for today at 5 p.m. (as if we hadn't said it enough), and is choosing between Maryland and Illinois.

I really shouldn't be making promises, but from what I hear, Maryland is a good environment for Tate and is desirable. He's a local standout at DeMatha, and he was a starter for the East in the Senior Bowl. He would be a huge aquisition for the Terps - a perfect option on the other side of fellow four-star recruit. A while back, Matt Bracken had a conversation with his high school coach: Read it here.

Also, some of you know by know I'm obsessed with Recruiting Report, but I really liked today's "Getting to Know You" feature with Davin Meggett. Here's my personal highlights:

Favorite TV show: The Boondocks on the Cartoon Network

Favorite book: The Bible and Football Physics by Timothy James Gay

Favorite thing about College Park: “The energy of the students and just the livelihood, how real they are.”

Hobbies: Playbooks, making new plays, coming up with blocking schemes and checks

I know he takes football seriously, but I hope he can get some new hobbies - like pottery or Scrabble or something. I feel like one cannot live on sports alone - even me (believe it or not).

UPDATE: We got Tate. He seemed really nervous, but he managed to spit out, "I will be attending Maryland University ... Soon as I sign those papers, I'm a Maryland Terrapin."

More info at Recruiting Insider.

Photo Credit: Washington Post

Terps take Virginia to school

2008-01-30T22:11:00.000-05:00

Maryland showed up tonight and held Virginia down, beating them 85-75. Very fascinating game. I think at this point, Maryland has proven they can compete.

Virginia isn't very good, but it was important for the Terps to prove they wouldn't let down against a lesser team after running with Duke on Sunday. Now they sit at respectable 3-3 in the ACC, which is OK, but not quite good enough. The team will have to treat every game as a must-win from here on out.

I saw some really "interesting" things in this game:

- TURNOVERS: I had to rub my eyes, pinch myself and check my pulse when I took a look at the box score. Only 9 turnovers tonight for UMD. Incredible. Overall, the ball movement, especially in the first half, looked pretty crisp. It was apparent to me that Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez had been practicing together on a few plays: One of the more successful setups was when one of them passed the ball to the other, and when the double team came to block the shot, a quick pass back would create an open shot.

- SHOOTING: On a related note, the long-range shooting was better. Hayes hit 3, Vasquez hit 4. The percentage should go up though (only 33%). Both Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker hesitate in taking open shots from downtown. Landon Milbourne was inconsistent.

- LEADERSHIP: There was a specific possession when the guards stalled and kind of passed back and forth for a bit while the shot clock was winding down. It was a bit nerve-wracking because Sean Singletary was threatening to make a one-man comeback. Greivis threw up a hasty shot, Gist rebounded and got fouled. In the huddle before the shots, Gist entered the circle. All I can say was he wasn't giving them a pat on the back. Boom joined in on the yelling, and both of them looked dead serious. The guards looked pretty bashful. I've seen both of them play with emotion, but I've never seen them hold their teammates responsible like that - ever. It was actually a very welcome sign for me that the seniors were actually serious that they were not going to lose that game. Gist and Osby are now the undeniable leaders of the squad. Discipline from within is a beautiful thing.

The biggest problem I saw was really a matter of not seeing much ... from the bench, that is. The best player? DAVE NEAL. The People's Champ did a fair backup job with 4 points and 3 boards in 12 minutes, which isn't too bad. But really, Tucker, Bowie and Dupree can't put up more stats COMBINED than Dave Neal? Well, anyway, congrats to Neal for hustling like hell and showing the fans why he's earned the right to be called The People's Champ.

Good win. Next up, Georgia Tech.

RECRUITING NEWS: Maryland football earned the commitment of defensive tackle Zack Kerr from Quince Orchard HS. He's a big'un, and a 3-star recruit. That totals 4 DTs that Maryland's picked up this year with a 3-star (or higher) rating. Think they might switch to a 4-3 defense pretty soon? Kenny Tate's verdict comes tomorrow at 5 p.m. Hopefully, he'll make this one of Maryland's best recruiting classes in recent years.

Go Terps!

Photo Credits: Baltimore Sun

A Handful of Maryland Links

2008-01-29T22:14:00.000-05:00

Today, I don't have much to talk about, but I think it's a good time to break out some UMD-related articles I've seen online.

- An article by Don Markus in the Baltimore Sun today highlighted Boom Osby's recent development on the offensive end particularly. It's keeping in theme with the column I posted yesterday.

- The Balt-Wash blog Scott Van Pelt Style theorizes that Maryland relies too much on athleticism rather than discipline and quality shooting.

- I know every non-Terps fan will accuse me of living in the past, but here's a nice little reminder from the UNC game: James Gist dunking on Tyler Hansbrough.

- Maryland target Kenny Tate will be choosing where he's going to school on Thursday at 5 on Comcast SportsNet. Read about his recruitment in this ESPN article by Heather Dinich. By the way, Penn State is officially out of the running, so it's between UMD and Illinois (Thanks to Recruiting Report for the tip).

This isn't a link, it's a story. Before the game, the Terps had just finished their first shootaround, and started to have some fun. Gist put down a few nasty dunks (no surprise there). Boom surprised me by Rockin the Cradle and finishing with a reverse, which was very awesome. But Jerome Burney ... oh boy. His first dunk was a bounce pass to himself, caught in midair and finished with a frightening one-handed windmill. His second dunk was an arm through the hoop. The guy is simply monstrous, and a lot of people witnessed it and were asking, "Who is that guy?"

I'm about one game away from starting a Facebook group entitled, "Please play Jerome Burney." Since Gary doesn't seem to be in favor with Braxton Dupree lately, and Dave Neal is now the primary backup at forward, what can you possibly lose? Please just try it!

And for the grand finale, yes, fine, I'm still bitter. But I'd like to present to you: "Scheyerfaced."

Seniors Finally Step Up

2008-01-28T16:39:00.000-05:00

There still must be lingering disappointment from yesterday's loss to Duke - I know I'm still upset - but I think the morning after, Maryland fans still have a lot to look forward to.

I know that I personally have been critical of the early-season play of James Gist and Bambale Osby, the two seniors on the Terrapin roster. In the consecutive losses to Ohio University and American University, the team's two best post players were effectively silent. They coughed up 8 turnovers against 10 points and 9 rebounds combined in the loss to the Bobcats. In the matchup with the Eagles, Gist was limited to a measly 3 points and Boom turned over 4 balls. Meanwhile, the fans' favorite pincushion, Greivis Vasquez, put up 28 points and went 6-of-9 from three-point range. Who's supposed to be leading who?

But things are changing, and hopefully with it, Maryland's fortunes will, too.

Playing top-five teams has had an effect on the two Terp seniors that seems to be for the better. In the last two games, James Gist has exploded for 48 total points and a respectable 18 rebounds. This goes along with his distinction as the second-leading shotblocker in the ACC and an overall terrific defensive player and athlete. Even more surprising has been the sudden development of Bambale Osby as not just a starter, but a legitimate presence in the post. He's had 32 points and 20 boards in the last two games. At the start of the Duke game, his hands looked more sure and steady than I've ever seen, and he was effectively able to utilize his strength to actually finish instead of settling for the foul. And people are noticing the changes and how they're affecting the team.

What's the secret? Gary Williams decided to pull out his secret weapon - former Terp and career steals leader Johnny Rhodes.

Williams had Rhodes come in and talk to the team, according to an article in The Baltimore Sun. He focused some of his attention on the seniors. Here are some excerpts:

"He called me out," Gist recalled recently. "He said, 'It's time for you to step up, and it's time for you to be the leader to get these guys winning.'"

Rhodes stayed to watch practice, and Gist kept thinking about what had been said. After the practice, Gist told the former guard he wasn't clear about how to be a leader.

"I was just telling him that these guys are going to play through him," Rhodes said last week. "I told him, 'You've got to do whatever necessary to get these guys' attention.'"

Also, some other things Gist has been saying are encouraging. He's not making excuses and talking straight, like in this Diamondback column.

"We know we're capable of playing with the top teams in the nation," senior James Gist said. "I strongly believe that we could be a top team in the nation, but we have to want it every night. We gotta want to come out and play hard every night, and that's the difference between us and the top teams in the nation."

He knows what's up, and with the way he's playing, I think he's trying to do what it takes. Osby as well is trying to take more care with entry passes and rebounds.

Of course there are still mistakes: The two still gave away 9 turnovers, but that was more due to Duke's triple teams than being careless (besides the terrible inbound pass at the start of the 2nd half). They have to expand their floor vision and be ready to pass out to the open man, because they'll catch the attention of more defenses if they keep playing at the same level.

There is progress, but the work isn't done - not by a long shot. But at the very least, the men who lead the team the rest of the way are now taking the responsibility and playing like we knew they could. It's a start.

Photo Credits: The Baltimore Sun

You Lose Some, You Lose Some...

2008-01-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

I have a good friend that has a saying, "You lose some, and you lose some." Yeah.

I'm not going to try and give any excuses as to why Maryland lost to Duke today, even though I personally thought Duke played dirty and they got calls at the end. We lost it by not playing well enough, by forcing our game and not giving ourselves a chance.

The final score of the contest was 93-84, but we definitely could've won. We outrebounded the Blue Devils (although it should've been by a greater margin), we shot at a higher percentage, but the two numbers that ended up mattering the most was 10 and 22.

Duke had 10 turnovers. Maryland had 22. You can't win that game.

I personally don't care that Duke was No. 4 in the country - that's an excuse. The Terps were up by 9 at the half, and they had all the momentum in the world. Duke came out after the break and made Maryland look flat.

I suppose you can't be too upset with competing with the No. 4 team in the country, but after you beat No. 1, the bar is higher. When you put yourself in position to win a game, you're expected to close it.

Here are the stats. Here's what I saw:

- I personally thought Duke played dirty at least in the first half. There was a lot of flopping around on top of Maryland players. Duke triple-teamed both Gist and Osby in the paint at times, and there was a lot of arm flailing and not a lot of called contact. There was one play when Gist turned around to face up McClure and received a shot to the face, and another when Taylor King took out Adrian Bowie's legs on a layup and the call was a player-control foul. What I saw from Duke seemed to be them trying to make a statement that they would play physically with us, but it was just dirty play - I think we're lucky no one was seriously injured.

- James Gist and Bambale Osby had dominant games until the final minutes. Gist put up 26 points and Osby set career highs with 20 points and 15 boards. Duke had no answer for our inside game in the first half, but toward the end, it seemed to swing the other way. Duke grabbed plenty of rebounds to control their lead, including two offensive boards in a row that killed at least a minute and a half. I think Gist and Osby had a great overall performance, but they got tired and couldn't close it out. And 9 turnovers are too many turnovers for a pair of power forwards.

- On a related note, the bench didn't do much at all. All the backups managed to get were 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Blech. And no Dino Gregory or Jerome Burney sightings either. I love seeing the guy on the floor, but is Dave Neal (The People's Champ) really the best reserve player in the post?

- Pretty good starting guard play: Hayes got a career-high 9 assists, Vasquez had 15 pts and 7 dimes, and they only gave up 6 points between them. But perimeter defense continues to be a problem (See Henderson, Gerald and Nelson, DeMarcus) and forcing fastbreak plays with unadvisable long passes down the court still happens. Why do our guards keep trying to set up half-court alley-oops? I don't think I've seen one work yet this season, but there are at least 3 attempts per game

Overall, I'm very disappointed that we lost and how the loss affects our shot at the NCAA tournament, but I can see the good things in the shadows. Gist and Osby are showing that defenses will need to take them seriously. Eric Hayes being back has given the team a tremendous boost. Competing against some of the best teams in the country has shown that we still have the means to be competitive in the ACC. I'm bummed tonight, but I'm also excited and anxious to see what happens the rest of this year. Stakes are high, and the obstacles are even higher, but we just might have a shot.

As always, Go Terps.

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun

Beat Duke!

2008-01-27T03:00:00.001-05:00

Not much to say tonight, but here's hoping Maryland beats the snot out of Duke tomorrow. We can do it:

- Maryland is No. 1 in the ACC in FG% defense and Duke's game relies heavily on converting their oppotunities since they aren't as big and won't rebound as much.

- Maryland just beat UNC. (Can't stress it enough.)

- Maryland swept them last year.

- Maryland is just cooler than Duke.

So that's pretty much it. I'm going to Comcast Center tomorrow and I know I'm going to enjoy watching Duke lose.

Rex Deserves Better

2008-01-24T17:25:00.000-05:00

The last few days, I've tried to read everything I can about John Harbaugh, and most of it is glowing reviews about how he "grew up in the game" and "knows how to motivate his players" and this and that. I'm not sure whether I've just been saturated with the Baltimore media falling in love with his "energy," but I've started feeling more positive about the new Ravens jefe who's never actually been a head coach before. Besides, the hiring of offensive guru Cam Cameron has settled me down (although it will be interesting to see Cameron work for someone who used to be his assistant at Indiana).

On a related note, it appears the Ravens will be retaining defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, who I endorsed for the head coaching position more than once on this site, but to little avail. He wasn't actually "fired" per se, only released, it would appear. This means he is free to look for head coaching positions (which have closed up), but that the Ravens can block him from making a lateral move (becoming D-coordinator somewhere else). Since Bisciotti wants Ryan back, I guess his options are limited.

In terms of opportunity, rejoining the Ravens is good for Ryan, where he has his system installed, players who love him and a GM willing to draft plenty of talent. But in terms of self-respect...

Look, I love what Ryan has done since he's been here (defenses at least in the top 6 every year) and I'm glad he's coming home. But as a guy who respects what he wants to do with his career, I wish he could go somewhere else. What does it say if a guy who has a reputation as being ready for a head coaching job is passed over by his own franchise and expected to return and help them win? Furthermore, what does it say if Ryan is asked to work for a head coach who would've been working for him last year? Not only was he passed over, he was lapped.

I think that coming back is not only a bad move for Ryan, but it could be bad for the team. If we already have problems in the lockerroom, what do you think will happen when the players see the guy they endorsed for coach working under some outsider who's only ever been a special teams coordinator? What will happen if Harbaugh and Ryan disagree - won't tensions be further spurned over the job that Ryan lost? When you decide to take an outsider in the clubhouse, you have to make sure he's the definite leader - especially with a guy as young and inexperienced as Harbaugh. Ryan now poses a threat to that balance.

I wish we could keep him and everything would be hunky dory, but that's not the truth of the matter. No matter what Ryan says, that bitterness will persist, and next year he'll jet out of here faster than you can say, "Crap on a stick."

Some things are just inevitable, and it's inevitable that Ryan will be leaving Baltimore soon, whether we like it or not.