• Pe’Shon Howard SG 6-3 200 Oak Hill Academy Wytheville, Va.
• Haukur Palsson SF 6-6 215 Montverde Academy Montverde, Fla.
• Ashton Pankey PF 6-9 220 St. Anthony’s Bronx, N.Y.
• Mycahl Parker SG 6-6 195 The Miller School Washington, N.C.
• Terrell Stoglin PG 6-1 160 Santa Rita HS Santa Rita, Tucson, Ariz.

It was a bit disappointing to see that metro area stars  Tyler Thornton (Duke) and Kendall Marshall (UNC) got away to conference rivals.  Another scary trend is that Florida State, ranked #12 nationally, is doing a great job of mining talent from the southeast and their home state.  While it’s likely that they’ll continue to mismanage that talent once it arrives, the Seminoles may be moving toward being a powerhouse program and yet another tall hurdle that the Terps have to jump a few times per year.

Seven ACC teams were listed in the Top 25, and Maryland was listed as the sixth strongest in conference.  While these rankings mean nothing and are generally not a good indicator of how the talent will fare within the respective programs, they are a good indicator of the overall strength of the conference, which remains very high this year.  In fact, the ACC had more Top 25 ranked recruiting classes than any other conference.  The implications are that the ACC is only getting tougher, and the defending conference champion Terrapins will have to grow up quick if they’re going to make a run at it again next year.

Maryland continues to sign recruits form the NYC area, and is proving to be competitive against its Big East rivals in that regard.  Seton Hall Prep is one of the premiere private high school programs in the NY metro area, and you can bet that Gibbs will be well coached in advance of joining the team, like his older brother Ashton who plays for Pitt.  Unfortunately, Gibbs was a Chuck Driesell recruit, which further demonstrates the hole Chuck’s departure leaves in talent recruiting.

The word on Gibbs is that he is shoot first point guard, and he seems undersized for the two.  One thing that confuses me is that, if that’s the case, then isn’t Gibbs just like having another Terrell Stoglin?  Gibbs’s signing does show that Gary Williams preference for “pure” point guards has disappeared.  It seems that the flex offense can flourish with a dangerous shooter at the point, a la Gilchrist and Vasquez.  More on Gibbs later.

Part of me feels like it’s still too early to look ahead, with all that lugubrious Korie Luciousness still sitting like a large bag of marbles somewhere in my digestive track. But a bigger part of me is just plain sick of hearing and thinking about it. The epitaphs have been written, the fallen lamented, the heroes canonized, the cold and bitter consolations consumed, the hangovers nursed. Plus, it is my understanding that blogging is a medium of immediacy. Blogs don’t gaze at navels. They bite, they chew, they spit, they rinse, they repeat.

So let’s talk about next season then. Maryland lost three players, but will gain at least five (extra spaces courtesy of Jin Soo Choi’s departure and Jerome Burney’s foot).  The Terps could actually add another one because David Pearman is on a year-to-year scholarship.  But wait, there’s more. They could gain yet another scholly if Steve Goins transfers — a move that has been rumored for over a year now. With five freshmen already, if they end up adding more players, they could go after some juco transfers, which is less risky when you’ve got a younger team without a ton of existing chemistry to interfere with coughstevefranciscough.

I’m not going to get into what might happen with the other potential slots…for now, it’s just conjecture. So I’ll talk about the players we know will take the floor next year for the Terps.

Projected starters:

Point Guard: Adrian Bowie, senior
Shooting Guard: Cliff Tucker, senior
Small Forward: Sean Mosley, junior
Power Forward: Dino Gregory, senior
Center: Jordan Williams, sophomore

Projected reserves (subject to change given scholarship situation):

Point Guard: Terrell Stoglin, freshman
Shooting Guard: Pe’Shon Howard, freshman; David Pearman, senior
Small Forward: Mychal Parker, freshman; Hauker Palsson, freshman; Ersin Levent, junior
Power Forward: James Padgett, sophomore; Ashton Pankey, freshman
Center: Steve Goins, junior

A lot of people are way down on this team given its lack of experience and, how should I put this, floor leadership. But there are some good pieces here. This can be a tournament team.

Going into the season, the main source of tension for me is the glaring, obvious fact that Adrian Bowie is not a point guard. It’s not that he’s a bad point guard. It’s that he is not a point guard. I don’t see any barking cats around here, and I also don’t see any Adrian Bowie point guards. Whenever the scientific community wants to clue us in on how to genetically fuse Bowie and Tucker into one body, that would be great. Seriously, science, any time now.

Tension could come into play here because of Gary Williams’ well-known loyalty to older players. That philosophy could be sorely tested, as true point guard Terrell Stoglin will be waiting in the wings. Stoglin just finished leading his Arizona high school team to a state championship and is the second-leading scorer in the state’s history, behind some guy named Mike Bibby. He averaged 30 points and six assists his senior year. He’s not what you’d call a physical freak, his defense is suspect, and there’s clearly a big learning curve in front of him, but if he adapts, they may have to give him a shot, assuming Bowie plays PG next season like he did in limited chances this season — that is, like a lizard trying to tap dance.  Gary Williams is a good coach, so it could change. Lizards can also learn to tap dance — I seen it with my own eyes.  But it is difficult, is what I’m saying.  It is not probable.  If Stoglin gets the nod and they start using Bowie again at SG, that will cut into playing time for either Bowie or Tucker. Neither exactly has a proven team-first reputation, especially Tucker, who has openly complained about PT in the past.  So if Gary did go with Stoglin, he would not only be going against his own tendencies, but potentially creating locker room strife. On the other hand, what if Bowie simply can’t run point?  That, really, is the question.

Speaking of young guys, after Jordan Williams’ amazing season, it seems, as Testudo Times has pointed out, that this will be his team next season. People handed the future to Sean Mosley when he came out with guns blazing, but as he cooled off later in the season J-Will became more promising as next season’s centerpiece.

Front-court depth, however, will still be an issue. James Padgett’s offseason will be important; you may recall that Gary Williams has already challenged him to gain 15 pounds of muscle.  Freshman 6′9″ PF Ashton Pankey lost most of his senior HS season with a troubling leg injury (his recovery timetable is still uncertain). So we have no idea what we’ll get from him. On the other hand, we know exactly what we’ll get from Dino Gregory. So yes. Front-court depth will be an issue.

Interestingly, our two most exciting freshmen (in my opinion anyway) will be the most buried on the depth chart. Point guard/scoring guard Pe’shon Howard is an exciting player (ridiculous passing) and could be the team’s next emotional leader.  Swingman Mychal Parker (55 on Rivals) is basically the new Landon Milbourne. But with Mosley and the BowTuck Monster in front of them, it could be tough for either to get real minutes right away.

So there you have it. In my opinion, this is a team that’s going to have to make a serious commitment to defense if it wants to compete next season. They have the athleticism to lock teams up, but won’t have a lot of scoring options and will struggle if they lose focus or discipline. I’ll pencil them in for 19 wins and a season on the bubble. We shall see.

(This post is also published on Bleacher Report.)

The Baltimore Sun’s Recruiting Report, via the Arizona Daily Star, has reported that 2010-2011 Maryland recruit and point guard heir apparent Terrell Stoglin has set a new scoring record for Tuscon prep basketball. Last Friday, Stoglin got 21 points to pass Chuck Overton for most career points in the history of the mad-crazy basketball hotbed known as Tuscon, Ariz. Don’t sleep on Chuck Overton, son. He was the best character on Living Single.

Stoglin, who is averaging 27 points a game, now has a decent chance to move into second place on the state’s all-time list, currently occupied by Trailblazers guard Jerryd Bayless. Terrell is also 446 points short of the all-time state scoring mark of 3,002, held by some guy named Mike Bibby. I hate that guy. Good luck, Terrell.

You know, news really shouldn’t break over the holidays. Is that too much to ask? What about our needs? Gah! We’ve got babies at home, and families to placate. Why can’t there be some kind of “offseason”? That’s my question.

I had some kind of point here. Wait, now I remember. Over the holidays, highly touted recruit Terrence Ross welched on his verbal commitment to Maryland, and is now considering Duke (among others). Ross was going to be the cornerstone of next year’s incoming class, which also includes combo guard Terrell Stoglin and forwards Mychal Parker and Ashton “I Swear I’m Not a Porn Star” Pankey. To me, this has Worldwide Wes written all over it. WW and those of his ilk are uber-connected guys who work behind the scenes to steer top recruits toward schools that have contracts with a given shoe company. (Read the linked article, it’s seriously fascinating.) I suspect The Worldwide got hold of Ross, whispered a few things in his ear about introducing him to Jay-Z and Lebron, and poo-poohed Under Armour as some kind of rinky-dink operation. It’s really easy to imagine that. Is it a coincidence that Duke and all the other schools now in the Ross sweepstakes are Nike schools? Not a coincidence. A CONSPIRACY. Of course, I have no evidence to back this up. But if I did, it wouldn’t be a conspiracy theory anymore, would it, smart guy?

A few days after all this, news comes that combo guard Pe’Shon Howard verbally committed to the Terps. Maryland alpha blog Testudo Times has been all over this, so I won’t go into major details, but suffice it to say he is yet another promising guard with issues between the ears.  Plus, like Terrell Stoglin, he’s not a pure point guard. That could mean more versatility, or it could mean they’ll have two shooting guards trying to run the point.

And now for my rant…oh boy. I wish Maryland wasn’t so quick to roll the dice on guys with mental issues. I’m thinking Vasquez, John Gilchrist, Lance Stephenson, even guys like Nik Caner-Medley and Ekene Ibekwe. It’s not that Maryland recruits thugs or fools, or that they don’t have talent…it’s just many of their targets seem more interested in mugging for the cameras than blocking out on rebounds.  I realize Maryland isn’t patient zero for this particular disease, but it sure does flourish here.  Because of this, we keep winding up with sloppy teams that lose their composure in big moments. I think Coach Williams sees himself in guys like that, or thinks he can tame them, or something.  But the team clearly functions better when the lead roster spot is occupied by a steadying presence that counterweights Gary’s volatility (see Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, Keith Booth, etc.).  I don’t want to be too flip here — Pe’Shon seems like a solid player who could be a great piece for Maryland.  But there’s a feeling that with Howard we recouped a loss of steak by seeking to replace the sizzle.  As a fan, I’m tired of watching guys try to acquire maturity on the court and in front of the microphones.  I’ve seen this movie before.  Many times.  I’m ready for a new movie, one that is far less dramatic — and predictable.

Secondly, there is clearly some thinking out there that Maryland is not a proper destination for elite players. It could be because Gary Williams seems to prefer coaching “projects,” and can be reluctant to give younger players major playing time. It could be that Maryland is not a Nike or Adidas school…we’ve cast our lot with Under Armour, for better or for worse. It could be that Maryland, despite its successes nearly a decade ago, simply hasn’t demonstrated the consistency of a great program. It could be that Gary yells at his players too much. It could be that Gary doesn’t press the AAU flesh to the extent that others do. It could be that he still has enemies there. It could be that he won’t, shall we say, speak off the record with potential players regarding special arrangements.

I don’t know what’s true and what isn’t. But the fact is that Maryland, despite its supposedly newfound commitment to recruiting in a 21st-century landscape, simply cannot seem to close the deal with an elite prospect, or consistently attract strong classes. Look at Lance Stephenson. Look at Tobias Harris. Look at Kevin Freaking Durant.  The list is long.  And now we can add Terrence Ross.  I know I’m not breaking any news here, but until a problem gets solved, it’s still gonna be a problem.

As you may be aware, the Shell Games doesn’t often delve into the recruiting world. Reason being is that 7,639 other sites already have that waterfront smothered like it’s the Atlantic City strip. We try to focus on issues that unfold between the lines, like Eric Hayes’s hair styles. That’s what the casual fan really cares about. And if we here at Shell Games are not casual, then I don’t know what we, ah, screw it, I’m not finishing this sentence.

Having said that, I want to introduce all you slacker Terp fans out there to Terrence Ross, a shooting guard from Rockville who has verbally committed to the Terps for next season. To use a technical term I picked up on the discussion boards, he is reedonkurous. He has deep range, he can get to the rim, he can create for himself and his teammates, and he seems like a solid character guy. He plays for Montrose Christian (the Vasquez alma mater, among others) and is a good friend of Terrell Stoglin, who is locked in for Maryland next year. Unfortunately, there’s a little problem. Terrence seems to be getting cold feet, having not yet signed his formal letter. In a worst-case scenario, there’s a rumor — just a rumor — that he might flee to Kentucky. I for one am shocked — SHOCKED — by the implication that John Calipari would be involved in a shady recruiting move. Then again, he has plenty of shade to spare. In fact, why are we even having these Copenhagen negotiations? Just fire Calipari into the atmosphere and let’s solve this issue once and for all. Done and done.

There doesn’t seem to be any major cause for alarm at the moment…but his coyness on the subject means the Terrence Ross Watch won’t be over until it’s over, and he signs on that dotted line. Until then, please enjoy some Terrence Ross highlight reels. Again, the word you’re looking for is…reedonkurous.