Eric Hayes

maryland beats florida state in a game of four-on-four

On February 5, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Ian

The Terps survived a horrendous first half by coming out hot after intermission, and won 71-67 in Tallahassee yesterday. If yesterday’s win at Florida State proved anything, it proved that Maryland can win ugly. In the first half Maryland seemed stuck in the same fog they were in at Clemson earlier in the week. How did they snap out of it? Let’s go to the Porsche Keys to the Win:

Vasquez (23), Milbourne (18), Williams (14), and Hayes (12) had 67 of the Terps 71 points. The rest of the team was 0-10 from the field for 4 PTS. This was the second game in a row where the bench was nonexistent. Luckily, Florida State performed a similar disappearing act. The Noles got 58 points out of four players and nine out of the rest. On Thursday night, Maryland’s best four outperformed Florida State’s best four.
At the start of the game Florida State was able to dictate the pace, turning the game into a helter skelter track meet and trapping the Terps into turnovers. Maryland managed just 25 points by half time, but they were still only down four points. At halftime, Gary Williams made the adjustments necessary to get the Terps into their set offense, and the team rattled off seven unanswered points right away to take a four point lead. As is often the case, Gary Williams out-coached his opponent.
From there, the Terps were able to maintain a lead for most of the second half, until the very end of the game when Jordan Williams had to start sitting due to foul trouble. The Seminoles tied the game with three minutes left, and suddenly, the crowd was back in it. Who was going to step up? Dino Gregory,that’s who! That’s right, Dino freaking Gregory comes out of nowhere, takes a charge, and Vasquez sinks a couple of FT’s to preserve the lead. Dino was an unlikely hero after he was largely absent for most of the game, but that key play enabled the Terps to win the game. Overall, the game was that close. It could have gone either way. Kudos to Dino for shaking off the rust and making a big stop.
I love me some Greivis. Just when the haters started screaming at their TV’s and secretly hoping Greivis would blow it, Vasquez turns it on with a running jumper and forces a couple of fouls to keep the scoring going. His final line – 23 PTS /7 RB/7 AST – was pretty close to a triple-double. You may howl over his five turnovers but most of them came off of some tight traps, and he was better than a 1/1 AST/TO ratio on the night, so that’s a good line. I love how he incited the crowd from the opening tip. He thrives on the hate, so keep hating bitches. GREAT JOB GREIVIS! M-V-P! M-V-P!
It was a nice night for Milbourne. He was, once again, Steady Eddie when the rest of the team started crapping themselves. 18 PTS and 6 RB (including 4 huge ORB) doesn’t tell the story of how he continually stepped up on both sides of the ball. He’s the yin to Grevis’s yang. Landon is such a tweener that I didn’t think that he had a lot of pro upside coming into this season, but the more of these clutch ACC games he has, the more looks he’s going to get from teams that have a need at the small forward position. That is how well Milbourne is playing right now.
I’ve said before that Jordan Williams is the missing piece to the Terps puzzle for success, and this game just proved the point. With Williams (14 PTS, 7/11 FG, 6 RB, 2 blocks) in the game, Maryland looked confident in their sets, and they were able to work the ball inside out against a couple of big dudes from Florida State. Without him, the front court looked small and disorganized. How high is Williams’s upside? I the Terps will be his show by next season. Reports are that he is a humble hard worker that likes to learn. If he can continue to learn and hit the gym to chisel that big frame, I can see Williams becoming a first round NBA draft pick in a few years.

It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win is a win is a win. The team turned it around in the second half and started shooting the ball very well. That should bode well for this Sunday’s game against UNC.

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maryland at florida state preview: the carousel game

On February 4, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Ian

If you stare at this picture long enough you'll understand the nature of suffering in the Terrapin condition.

A few weeks ago, Gilbert Arenas stopped by SG with guns ablazin’ to deliver a preview of the Florida State game that hit the mark. Who would have thought that the situation would blow up in Gil’s face like this since that post? It had to factor into David Stern’s decision to suspend him for the rest of the year.

What goes around comes around. On January 10th, Maryland ended up with a 77-68 win against the then ranked Seminoles. That win was the catalyst for a 5-1 run in ACC which put the Terps atop the ACC before the loss to Clemson. The Terps were red hot in January. True to form, just when the team started to exceed expectations, everyone was brought back down to earth with an ugly performance in SC on Sunday.

As the D.C. area braces for yet another obscene blizzard, there’s a feeling that things have come full circle. With ten games left in the regular season the, the Terps still need at least six more wins to put themselves in position for a tournament bid. The schedule here on out includes two “should wins” against NC State and VT, but the rest of it consists of ranked teams, road games, and no easy outs. I hate to overuse the term “must win”, but I’m going to use it in reference to this game against Florida State. Unlike a month ago, Maryland is now on the road and is going to have to beat a physical Florida State team in a hostile environment.

At home against Florida State in January, Greivis got off for 22 PTS. He was well complimented by 17 PTS from Hayes and a great performance from the front court. The win at Comcast Center was the first indication that Maryland basketball had some life in it.

Florida State is still keyed by 7′1″ Solomon Alibi, who is averaging 13 PTS and 7 RB per game. Alibi is flanked by 6′9″ PF Chris Singleton, who is averaging 11 PTS and 8 RB per game. Their front court is still strong, and the Terps are going to have a tougher time containing them without getting any hometown calls this time around. The Noles recently lost some bench strength as forward Jordan DeMercy left the team on Monday due to “personal reasons”, and that might provide some opportunity for Maryland’s bench to perform better after they disappeared in the Clemson loss.

Maryland’s key to victory will be forcing errors out of the Seminoles. Florida State averages a sub 1/1 AST/TO ratio. They’re mistake prone. They, how would you put it, give the ball away to the other team a lot. The Terps won the first contest against Florida State by forcing their hand with pressure. Applying constant back court pressure and collapsing on Singleton when he gets the ball will be the key to victory in tonight’s game, too.

The Terps have a golden chance to rebound from the Clemson loss and stay in the national discussion for a tournament bid with a win against Florida State. I can imagine that practice this week was not a quiet affair. Maryland will have to be focused in what should be another slug fest. The Noles are a 3.5 PT favorite on the Vegas line. My prediction: Maryland loses, 70-68. I hate to say it, but I don’t think Maryland has all their marbles in place, especially on the bench. They’re facing another team with their backs against the fence. This game is on the road. Maryland is not likely going to get another first half double-double out of Jordan Williams against a physical front court. This game seems eerily like the Clemson match-up, and unless something has drastically changed in the last four days, I can’t predict that the outcome will be any different.

When the music stops, everyone gets off the ride. There’s only so much music left in this season before the big dance begins. Is there some wisdom there? Not really. I don’t even know where I was going with this point. Abort. End post. Go Terps.

Tagged with: Basketball • Chris Singleton • Eric Hayes • Greivis Vasquez • Solomon Alibi

A Maryland-Clemson Basketball Recap in Ten Easily Digestible Bullet Points

On February 1, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Ugggh. Must. Purge. Game. From. Body. Please pass the ipecac, leeches, portable sauna, and electroshock nodes. After Maryland lost to Clemson 62-53 in one of the sloppiest games in recent memory, I need a reset. To the points:

Maryland played excellent team defense on Trevor Booker (10 points on 2-16 shooting). Too bad, though, that the focus on Booker meant Jerai Grant was wide open and free to score a career-high 18 points, many of which came on dunks.
By and large, Maryland’s strategy of collapsing in the middle and making a Demontez Stitt-less Clemson team beat them from the perimeter was effective. After all, they did hold the Tigers to 62 points, including 22 percent shooting beyond the arc. It’s just unfortunate that Maryland only managed 53 points and 20 percent shooting from three. Kind of a slight problem there.
This was the sloppiest game of Maryland’s season. Twenty-six turnovers, 22 fouls. What’s the holdup on the ipecac?!?!
Clemson repeatedly — repeatedly — shredded Maryland’s press, which I suppose coach Williams decided to use because Stitt was out. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I do not like the press.
I have a question. What good is a “veteran presence” and “senior leadership” if it goes away in big spots? Landon Milbourne (3 points, 5 rebounds) gets something of a pass because he’s not really a natural post player and struggles against physical bigs like Booker and Grant. Eric Hayes (11 pts on 4-7 shooting, 2 assts, 5 turnovers, 4 fouls) and Mr. Greivis Vasquez (10 pts on 3-11 shooting, 2 assts, 3 rebs, 4 fouls, NINE turnovers) have no such excuse.
The That-Sums-It-All-Up Play of the game came at about the 14-minute mark in the second half. With Tanner Smith in his shorts (and credit where it’s due: Smith did a great job on Vasquez all evening), Vasquez tries a completely unnecessary behind-the-back dribble, which skitters off his foot and rolls toward the out-of-bounds line. Smith, who was hustling, dives toward the ball. Vasquez decides that simply falling on Smith is the best way to make something happen. Third personal foul.
Which brings me to today’s rant. There’s a good Vasquez and a bad Vasquez. A Gollum and a Smeagol, if you will. And last night we had a big-time Gollum sighting. Vasquez has had a great season, no question. And sure, a guy who gets 15 points, 5 boards, and 6 assists per game is valuable. But again, how valuable is it really if it evaporates when the pressure is on? When he wasn’t sitting on the bench with foul trouble, how many times last night did Vasquez drive into the lane, leap into the air, and lob a wrap-around pass out of bounds? How many times did he (and Hayes) dribble directly into the teeth of the Clemson press? Where was the Vasquez Shimmy last night? This all clearly had a trickle-down effect for his teammates; Adrian Bowie and Dino Gregory, in particular, were basket cases out there. Don’t you think they could have benefited from some of that Vasquez fearlessness? Or does that fearlessness only exist against the Miamis and Boston Colleges of the world? Bottom line: Vasquez has some decidedly A-Roddian tendencies. If Maryland is up 15, he’s raining threes and shimmying around like he’s in a Rihanna video. And don’t talk to me about North Carolina last year…great game, but they were the underdogs. Thus, no pressure. If Maryland is going to fulfill its potential, which is considerable, Vasquez needs to put the cape on and deliver when his team needs him the most. Isn’t that what being a senior leader and All-ACC candidate is all about?
Obviously, every game is important, and blah blah blah, but this one was a particularly good barometer for how this Maryland team will perform against legit opponents. Because of their tendency to get overwound in big games like this one, I believe there’s a ceiling on what this group can do.
Enough bad stuff. Hey, what about Jordan Williams? A career game for the ever-improving freshman. In addition to some outstanding defense on Booker, he got 13 points and 13 rebounds, including some authoritative finishes at the rim.
We’ll see if Maryland can get back on the horse this Thursday in Tallahassee against a Florida State team that would love to even the season series with the Terps.

Tagged with: Bad Losses • Basketball • Clemson • Eric Hayes • Jerai Grant • Jordan Williams • Landon Milbourne • Trevor Booker • Vasquez

miami at maryland basketball preview: canes are a rudderless ship in a storm

On January 26, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Ian

The Aliaga Petkim team logo is ubiquitous with showtime.

For the first time this decade, Maryland will face a Miami Hurricanes team without Jack McClinton. McClinton was the face of Miami basketball for the latter half of the aught aughts, although it seemed like he was there forever. Terps fans won’t miss Jack, who averaged about 18 PTS per game during his three years at Miami and seemed to always rise to the occasion when playing Maryland. Jack now hoops it up for Aliaga Petkim of the TBL – the Turkish Basketball League (not the tuberculosis league you silly goose). There’s nothing like showtime in Instanbul when it comes to top notch bball action. Needless to say, McClinton can’t do any damage to the Terps from there.

While Maryland rides a wave of good tidings and new found optimism into tonght’s match-up, the McClintonless Hurricanes wash ashore in College Park like a rudderless ship. According to an article in the Post, Maryland’s starting rotation has been static since ACC play started, while Miami has gone to eight different starters in four ACC games. This approach has not yielded good results for the Canes as they have dropped their last three in conference contests.

While Miami has enjoyed success against the Terps in recent years, there are reasons to feel that the Terps should come out above water tonight. While Miami comes skidding into this game, Maryland has been playing at a high level lately, outscoring their opponents by 30 PTS/GM over the last three games. Over the last five games, Eric Hayes has begun to show signs that he is more than just a man of many haircuts (Scott, this is a reminder that you need to add his new feathered doo to the list), and has averaged 10 PTS/GM and 3.6 AST/GM over that period. Hayes is also shooting a team high 46% from 3-PT range over the course of the season. He should have a favorable match-up against a tandem of Miami point guards that have been toiling in mediocrity lately.

Oh, and did I mention that Miami no longer has Jack McClinton? The Canes are now the Dwayne Collins Show. The 6′ 8″ senior forward leads Miami in PTS/GM (12.7) and RB/GM (8.7), but Miami has been largely a “scoring by committee” team this year. The young Maryland bigs can really show me something if they can keep Collins off the offensive glass in this game. Crashing the boards and eliminating second chances will likely be the lead of Gary’s pep talk tonight.

Meanwhile, the Terps have Greivis “The Closer” Vasquez to stick a dagger in the Miami attack. Despite the fauxhawk, Vasquez has looked like Good Ol’ Greivis from the second half of last year, as opposed to the Evil Greivis we saw to start the 2010 campaign. Look for Greivis to get it going early against a weak Miami back court.

Add it up, and the #1 in the ACC Maryland Terrapins should pull out a comfortable win against the last place in the ACC Miami Hurricanes tonight in College Park. I’d like to see the double digit victory train keep rolling. The more of those wins that Maryland can get - before playing against Clemson and the rest of the ACC Murderers Row in the next month - the better.

Vegas has Maryland at an 8PT favorite, and the O/U is 146. The teams combine to average 157 points, and I don’t see this game being a defensive struggle. I say take the Terps and the over. Maryland wins 78-69.

Tagged with: Basketball • Eric Hayes • Greivis Vasquez • Jack McClinton

Terps Can’t Get Caught in Complacency Trap

On January 20, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

There’s no denying the Terps are playing good ball right now. I don’t deny that. No denying it. Since ACC play began, they’ve won three of four, including over no. 18 Florida State and a dominating win at BC. As you know, Maryland’s only loss in this stretch was a gutsy and gut-wrenching overtime affair at Wake Forest that could have gone either way.

Following last night’s win over the Longwood Windshield Bugs — which set a new record for margin of victory at the Comcast Center — they face N.C. State and Miami before a big Jan. 31 test at Clemson. The Wolfpack, who will likely be 12-7 after facing Duke tonight, just upset FSU themselves and lost a squeaker to no. 24 Clemson (sound familiar?). At 15-4, Miami has a good record and some surprisingly good players (especially freshman Reggie Johnson), but hasn’t played a ranked opponent yet (they did beat Wake, however).

On paper, these games — both at home – are quite winnable, especially with Greivis Vasquez looking like the best player in the ACC (don’t bring that Jon Scheyer gobbledygook in here) and Eric Hayes (second in the ACC in three-point percentage), Landon Milbourne (just pencil him in for a 19 and 10) and Jordan Williams chipping in.

But here’s the inevitable rub. The Terps have a notorious tendency to contract a nasty little affliction known as Throw-Your-Jersey-on-the-Floor syndrome. Symptoms include obsessions with press clipping, loss of reasoning skills during games, and delusions of grandeur based on the premise that, because you have won three of your last four games, you are just a few commas and zeroes short of the Lakers.

Don’t believe me? Let’s take a stroll down Statistics Lane, shall we? It’s right here at the corner of Cold and Reality. Last season, following a seven-game win streak, the Terps infamously threw up on themselves versus Morgan State (another symptom of Jersey-on-the-Floor syndrome). This ignited a self-destructive bacchanalia that included Gary Williams’ worst loss ever. I’m no Jay Bilas, but I don’t believe that’s what you want to see. In 2008, they won seven of nine in ACC play before spitting the bit against Va. Tech (at home) and Miami, which touched off a stumble that ultimately netted them 13 shiny tickets to the NIT. Back in 2005, they beat Duke twice, but lost to 16-16 Clemson three times, 16-14 Virginia Tech once, and 16-13 Miami once. NIT again. The Terps aren’t the only team to play up and down, but it’s pretty safe to say they’ve perfected the art of looking past certain opponents. They’re like the Picassos of underestimation.

Perhaps it won’t happen this time. N.C. State and Miami, while not juggernauts, may be dangerous enough to keep Maryland’s attention. All I know is, they won’t get caught in a trap game if they just watch where they’re going. Wow, that was deep.

Tagged with: Basketball • Eric Hayes • Jordan Williams • Landon Milbourne • Vasquez

A Maryland-FSU Basketball Recap in 10 Easily Digestible Bullet Points

On January 10, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Woo! Awesome team victory tonight, as the Terps upset #18 Florida State 77-68. FSU remains oh for the Comcast Center after its sixth game there. To the points:

Game MVP: one Greivis Vasquez. Twenty-two points on 8-18 shooting, including some clutch shots down the stretch to quell an FSU rally. He also played brilliant defense, including some great helping D in the post. What a motor. This is the kind of game they tend to lose…a big lead evaporates and the team loses its composure. Vasquez didn’t let that happen tonight. I’m not exactly Vasquez Superfan 21 over here, but credit where it’s due: he was numero uno out there tonight.
The bigs did a solid job on FSU’s formidable front court. Jordan Williams and Landon Milbourne seemed quicker and more nimble than Solomon Alabi et al, and were able to get Alabi in early foul trouble. They do need to box out more consistently, though.
Clunky is not even the word for FSU’s offense. Seriously, do they have to start it up with a hand crank before every game? Is it powered by hamsters? If one of the bigs couldn’t get a layup, they kicked it out for three. If that didn’t work, they simply tossed the ball to the referee. By the end of the season, they’re gonna lead the nation in not dribbling. And that exhausts my cache of FSU’s-offense-stinks-related zingers.
Fiesty crowd at Comcast tonight. Terp fans seem to understand that (a) this team needs a home-court advantage, and (b) they need it every game — not just Duke and Carolina.
FSU commits a ton of turnovers (11th in ACC), and Maryland exploited that, forcing 12 turnovers and 17 fouls. And it actually seemed like a lot more than that.
Props to Cliff Tucker, who provided the Terps with a serious booster shot in 16 minutes off the bench. He’s out of Gary’s doghouse for now. Has Adrian Bowie (no points in 11 minutes) taken his place in there, or did Gary simply view Bowie’s slash-it-up style as a bad fit against the Noles’ Redwood forest of a frontcourt? As always, only TIME…will tell.
The three starting guards (36 pts and 11 assists all together) did great jobs getting shots for themselves and others. FSU repeatedly fell for their pump fakes and step-backs, and they seemed committed to making the extra pass without getting gaudy abut it.
Speaking of passing, Maryland was excellent in moving the ball around the zone, although it occasionally crossed into hot-potato territory. They backslid into freelancing at times, but by and large they showed real patience and poise — very encouraging.
Gary shows again that he’s just better in underdog situations. (I also noticed he used the press pretty sparingly, which is good.) Dear AP voters: please do not vote for Maryland.
Tucker and Sean Mosely put the clamps on 6′9″ Chris Singleton, who wasn’t a major factor while the outcome was still in question. I’m no Singleton expert, but “passionate” isn’t a word I’d use to describe his personality on the court.

The Terps now travel to Wake for a Tuesday night game. Will be interesting to see what their focus is like after this win and on short rest. They don’t have the luxury of letting up.

(Photo credit: Alan P. Santos/DC Sports Box)

Tagged with: Adrian Bowie • Basketball • Big Wins • Chris Singleton • Cliff Tucker • Comcast Center • Eric Hayes • Gary Williams • Jordan Williams • Landon Milbourne • Sean Mosely • Solomon Alabi • Vasquez

A Maryland-Florida State Basketball Preview from Washington Wizards Point Guard Gilbert Arenas

On January 8, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Bang! Ha ha! Gotcha! Nah, nah. I’m just playin with you, man. Just playin with you. People been takin everything so serious lately. Come on. It was just a few guns! Did people get all up on you like this the last time YOU played a practical joke with some guns? See what I’m saying?

I can’t believe how fast people are turning on Agent Zero. How they gonna do me like that? Think back to my contributions recently. I played in 47 games over the past three seasons. FORTY SEVEN. How many did you play in? Uh-huh. The prosecution rests. That rock don’t chuck itself, homeboy. You’re treating me like all those games didn’t mean nothing to you. But go ahead…get rid of me. If you can find another eccentric shoot-first point guard with bad knees who’s willing to play for $111 million, you got my blessing, man. Hey! Why are you dancing? You don’t gotta dance on me, man.

You know, this all reminds me of a story I once heard. It’s one of those fake stories…fake stories? Fairy tale, like…FABLE! It’s like one of those fables. But it’s about a man who fell in love with a blind woman, okay. The man loved her so much, he gave her his eyes so she could see. And when she could see, he asked her to marry him, but she was all like, “I don’t wanna marry no blind man.” You see? That blind man was me. I GAVE YOU MY EYES, DC! WHAT ELSE YOU WANT!?!?! Oh, you want your money back? Sorry, can’t do that. Artificial atmospheres don’t pay for themselves, do they now.

So as you might have guessed, I got me a little extra down time these days. It’s just temporary…until these clown-ass cops realize they’re stupid and they got no case. Except for those guns. You know. But F that, man. They’ll learn it’s the media’s fault and then I’ll sue the media and then I’ll write stories about how stupid THEY are! I’ll be talking about how they get it on with dogs and stuff like that. It’s just like what they’re doing with me. Except my shit is true, that’s all. Your day of reckoning is coming, media. Believe that.

All my extra free time means I can watch a lot more ball on the TV. I do it while I’m counting my umbrella collection. Did you know I collect umbrellas? Yeah, man, I got like four thousand of them bitches. It’s just a little habit I picked up on the streets. When I’m not giving money to schools, you know, I’m buying umbrellas.

One of the ball games I’m gonna watch is Maryland-Florida State. For the 12-2, 18th-ranked Seminoles, it begins and ends with their front court, Solomon Alabi and Chris Singelton. And don’t be sleepin on Ryan Reid, either. That dude does some serious dirty work. In fact, they all do serious dirty work. This is a dirty work team. They are NASTY on the blocks, yo. NASTY on the boards. Serious swag down there, son. They’re tops in the ACC in scoring defense, FG percentage defense (opponents only shoot 33 percent…DAMN!), and blocked shots. Second in steals. Third in defensive rebounding. So let me repeat: they. are. nasty.

That’s why this one might be hard for Maryland. When was the last time you saw them mix it up with anybody? If I was the other coach, I would be like, “Maryland’s good, but you hit em in the mouth one time and they fold.” Hitting dudes in the mouth is this team’s specialty. Jordan Williams and Dino Gregory better be on notice. They’re gonna log some rugged minutes, man. Not to mention Vasquez and Bowie and anyone else that wants to slash their way in there. Something tells me Bowie’s gonna have a quiet game.

On offense, though, things flip around. It’s clear the Noles miss Toney Douglas. And why wouldn’t they? He played there for like 12 years. But now, they got no big-time scoring threat. They dump it inside and hope for the best. They’re methodical, which is a nice way of saying they got no clear options. But you know what? Maryland does. So if it’s Vasquez and Mosely time, and if Hayes gets hot, now we got something.

But assuming FSU’s superior defense and Maryland’s superior offense are equal and opposite, it’s gonna come down to the intangibles. Will, baby. Hustle. Who can impose their game on the other one? I’m saying Florida State gets this one. They’re hungry right now. Maybe Maryland wins the rematch in Tallahassee on Feb. 4, but the Noles are gonna get this one. I’ll bet you on it. I’ll bet you my umbrellas. Well, some of my umbrellas. Actually, I’ll go you one better. I got four guns here that says FSU gets the W. Actually, you don’t even gotta bet me. Just take em, OK? Take those gloves off and hold ‘em in your hand. My gift to you, son! Go ahead, get on outta here.

Prediction: Florida State 79, Maryland 66

Tagged with: Adrian Bowie • Basketball • Chris Singleton • Dino Gregory • Eric Hayes • Gilbert Arenas • Jordan Williams • Solomon Alabi • Special guest bloggers • Vasquez

Maryland loses to William and Mary. Also, AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

On December 31, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Scene: A nondescript dive in downtown Washington, D.C. Two guys sit at the bar, sipping glasses of beer.

Scott: What day is it? Friday?
Friend: Wednesday.
Scott: Huh. I really think it’s Friday.
Friend: Nope. Hey, how’s your blog going?
Scott: Kind of in a dead zone right now, but it’ll pick up again after the holidays when Ian and I are back from our vacations.
Friend: But doesn’t Maryland have a game tonight?
Scott: Nah, that’s not for another, like, three days.
Friend: (Pulls out iPhone) Nope. No, they played William and Mary tonight.
Scott: Oh, crap. That’s a serious trap game for us. They beat Wake Forest, you know.
Friend: Uh oh…wait. Hold on a sec.
Scott: What?
Friend: Uhhhh….
Scott: What is it? WHAT?!?! For baby Jesus’ sake, tell me!
Friend: (Shows iPhone screen. William and Mary 83, Maryland 77. Scott looks for the little “F” near the score, hoping not to find it. He finds it.)
Scott: no
Friend:   My condolences, man.
Scott:   So it begins. (Hand begins to shake.)
Friend: Come again?
Scott:   The cycle…it begins anew. (Beer glass shatters in Scott’s hand.) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friend: Dude, you should really have that vein on your forehead looked at. Seriously. That’s gonna rupture.
Scott:  SMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSHHHHH!!!!!!!!
(Rips clothes, goes on rampage.)

Now that I’m back to normal size, let me congratulate Maryland on this terrific, almost exquisite loss. Maryland swore it saw the trap game potential here. They lost anyway.

On the court, the Tribe followed the model that Cincinnati, Wisconsin, and others have previously executed with success. Continuing a major theme, in the first half the Tribe easily solved Maryland’s press, possibly because the press is easily solved. On the other side, W&M packed the lane and dared the Terps to shoot. The Terps obliged. Unfortunately, top shooters and senior leaders Vasquez and Eric Hayes each went 2-9 from three. Here’s what Coach Williams said after the game:

“We didn’t have the patience or the toughness to go inside with the basketball, so it turned into a shooting contest and they won.”

Doesn’t this kind of situation call for, what’s the word I’m looking for, coaching? Aw, shucks, looks like the guys aren’t up for pounding it inside tonight against freaking William and Mary. So let’s just start chucking instead. That game plan was kinda optional anyway.

This is where the Gary/Vasquez relationship is so vexing. It’s not all their fault – Jordan Williams, Dino Gregory, Adrian Bowie, Cliff Tucker, and Hayes were all non-factors. But those two are the clear leaders. They love each other — they have made that painfully, almost awkwardly clear. But Gary seems to treat Greivis like an overindulgent father whose kid runs wild through the neighborhood. Obviously, none of the players are comfortable asking Vasquez to stop going one on five. So they just watch or join in, letting bad decisions lead to more desperation to more bad decisions ad infinitum. The post-game player comments reflected that, being of the usual, Eeyoresque “I dunno what happened, we shoulda had more energy, mumble mumble mumble” variety. Fantastic.

I’m a long way from the Fire Gary camp. But where was all that great in-game coaching? Why do we need to be in mid-February with our backs against the wall before he becomes able to lead his team? Why do we keep having these letdowns? Why do we seem incapable of learning from our mistakes? What the fuck is wrong with this fucking team? SMAAAAAASSSSSSHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, okay. I’m calm. But the sad fact is, this season looks like the same old tired story. They’re gonna start slow in the ACC. Florida State will be an ass-whoopin — mark that down. We’ll be left for dead. Then we’ll pull out just enough upsets to get on the bubble, with the ACC tournament deciding our final fate. We’ll probably make it and lose again in the second round. Can we just fast-forward to next season? I’ve seen this movie before.

Tagged with: Adrian Bowie • Bad Losses • Basketball • Cliff Tucker • Dino Gregory • Eric Hayes • Gary Williams • Jordan Williams • Vasquez

The Many Looks of Eric Hayes

On December 15, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

The Maryland basketball team hasn’t traditionally been known for fashion. There are no headbands, no knee socks, no crazy kicks, no over-the-top tattoos. And the same goes for hair. No ponytails, no massive blow-outs, no monster cornrows. Wispy sideburns (coughvasquezcoughcough) and the high-and-tight are the looks of choice for the Terps.

But you know what? That could be changing. With the alternate uniform craze in full swing, Maryland has attracted some attention for being the only D-1 school with four team colors and, therefore, uniform possibilities. It’s been an incredible ride. I can’t go anywhere without seeing one of those ~~French’s yellow~~ gold unis. It’s like the school got a license to print money.

Anyway, now this newfound sartorial pizzaz may be taking hold in the player ranks. Well, maybe not. But one man, at least, has decided to keep it interesting from a follicular standpoint. No, it’s not the Sean Mosely mini-fro or the Jin Soo Choi Asia-Balti. It’s Eric Hayes. After keeping it sharp at first, he has recently let the mane go wild at times. WILD, I tells ya! Last year he cut it (drastically) short before the TV ACC season. Hopefully that doesn’t happen again. But in any event, I now give you…..the many looks of Eric Hayes. Please enjoy.

The Blake

The Big Ten (The Blake + some tentative sideburns)

The Diggler

The Private Pyle

Once again...The Diggler

And now for this year…

The Hangover

The Hangover 2

Thank you, Eric Hayes. You’ve made a slow news day a little less slow.

(Photo credits: The Baltimore Sun and UMTerps.com)

Tagged with: Basketball • Eric Hayes • Slow news day • Uniforms

Dino Gregory: More Subbin’ Than Quizno’s

On December 8, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

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With forward/center Dino Gregory returning to action this Saturday against Eastern Kentucky after being suspended for some academic violation, speculation is heating up on how he might be used and how he might contribute in the Terps’ lineup.

Here’s what it basically boils down to, OK? You can only have five players on the court at one time, right. So they’re gonna need to figure out whether they want to bench somebody to make room for Dino in the starting lineup. They could bench most consistent player Landon Milbourne (negative), maddening but most talented player Vasquez (negatory), or rock solid player Eric Hayes (negarino).

So that leaves Jordan Williams. Either he’ll be benched for Dino or Dino himself will sub in.

I think I have solved this mystery. The smoking gun is a quote from Gary Williams given after the Villanova game. Let’s go to the block quotes:

“We’re supposed to get Dino Gregory back by the 12th, according to the powers that be. We look forward to that, to him playing in our next game. He’ll give us more depth, more size on the inside. He’s a very good defensive player, a good rebounder, and we need that.”

Depth. See that? Dino will give us “depth.” If he had said “he’ll give us a more consistent presence inside,” or “he gives us more experience inside,” or “he’s going to give us more scoring on the inside,” then I’d say that Jordan Williams’ starting spot was in jeopardy. But he said none of those things. So to me, it doesn’t matter if Jordan Williams is green, or forest green, or lime green, or seafoam green. He’s gonna remain the starter. As the saying goes, you can’t teach six-ten. And Jordan just had his best game as a Terp, posting 19 points and 12 boards against Nova. Not to mention that Gary said after the game that Jordan was “a man.”

So what would Dino give us off the bench? Just hustle and rebounding and hustle and defense, along with his purportedly improved offensive game. Sounds like a pretty doggone good sixth man to me. Especially when you consider that our bench, to be frank, seems to be made of balsa wood and Bubble Yum up to this point. In 11.1 average minutes per player per game, the Padgett/Choi/Tucker/Bowie/Goins smorgasboard is averaging 3.14 points, 1.92 rebounds, and a crisp 0.74 assists per game. That is not very good. And a couple of them seem to have some between-the-ears issues that anything-for-the-team Gregory could help rectify.

All in all, the bench needs some buttressing, stat. And that’s where Dino fits.

Tagged with: Adrian Bowie • Basketball • Cliff Tucker • Dino Gregory • Eric Hayes • Gary Williams • James Padgett • Jin Soo Choi • Jordan Williams • Steve Goins • Vasquez

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